I'm very late to see this post, but just thought I'd post. Where I live, most neighbors have pigs, one breed is the Basque pig, renowned for the quality of hams as it is a free range, chestnut eating pig, then regular breeds of domestic pigs as well.
Three weeks ago I helped at a slaughter of a 500 pound sow.... old school all the way. No gun, no electric, just the knife, and 6 men to bring the sow to the table. The blood sausage they make here is very good and important to them, so a complete clean bleedout into a large metal tub is critical. The sausage is called Boudin and contains pieces of other parts and some of the fat as well. There is a man in the area who is invited to alot of these slaughters as he is very good with the knife, and also at butchering.
After that, they use a powerful propane torch with a large head to singe while scraping. They torch also helps clean the feet and soften the hooves as they feet are used too. I have slaughtered many deer, moose and alot of wild pigs, but had never done a domestic pig, so I was curious. There were three couples, (all local farmers), and a few others of us and it was a great day with a fine lunch and a mid morning break with red wine and farm cheese. It started at 9, and after lunch, all that was left to do was the sausage making and the rendering was under way. Not an ounce of that pig was wasted. Very impressive.
Just thought I'd share the old school way.
Pete
