How whole hog math works
Buying a whole or half hog involves the same three weights as a beef share. Live weight is the hog on the farm, typically 250 to 300 pounds for a market hog. Hanging weight is the carcass after slaughter, usually around 70 to 74 percent of live weight, because hogs are processed with the skin on and lose less than cattle. Take-home weight is the packaged pork you put in the freezer, normally 60 to 75 percent of hanging weight depending on your cut choices.
Farms usually price pork per pound of hanging weight, with processing billed separately by the butcher. Curing and smoking bacon, hams and hocks is almost always an extra charge per pound. This calculator adds all of it together and divides by the pounds you actually take home.
Cut choices that change your yield
Bone-in pork chops, bone-in hams and shoulder roasts keep their bone weight in the package, so yield is higher. Asking for most of the hog to be turned into sausage or boneless cuts removes more bone and some fat, which lowers take-home weight but gives you more ready-to-cook product. Leaving the fat back and leaf lard with the processor also lowers the weight you bring home; ask for them if you render lard or make sausage at home.
Typical cuts from a whole hog
- Shoulder: Boston butt and picnic roasts, or ground into sausage.
- Loin: chops (bone-in or boneless), loin roasts, tenderloins and baby back ribs.
- Belly: fresh pork belly or cured and smoked bacon, plus spare ribs.
- Leg: fresh ham roasts or cured and smoked ham, sliced ham steaks.
- Extras: hocks, trotters, fat back, leaf lard, and organ meats if you ask for them.
Freezer space for pork
Plan on about one cubic foot of freezer space for every 30 to 35 pounds of packaged pork. A half hog fits in a 3 to 5 cubic foot freezer; a whole hog needs about 5 cubic feet. Fresh pork keeps its best quality for 4 to 6 months frozen, while cured and smoked products are best within 1 to 2 months, so plan to eat bacon and sausage first.
Questions to ask before you buy a hog
- Is the price per pound hanging or take-home, and is processing included?
- What did recent hogs hang at?
- Which cuts can be cured and smoked, and what does it cost per pound?
- Can I get the fat back, leaf lard and organs?
- Is sausage seasoned, and can I choose the seasoning?
Frequently asked questions
How much meat do you get from a whole hog?
A typical market hog of about 250 pounds hangs at around 180 pounds and gives roughly 115 to 135 pounds of packaged pork. Take-home weight is usually 60 to 75 percent of hanging weight. Bone-in chops and hams raise the yield; making more of the hog into sausage or boneless cuts lowers it.
How much does a half hog cost?
Most of the cost is the hanging weight multiplied by the farm's price per pound, plus processing per pound, half of the kill fee, and any curing and smoking. At common prices of a few dollars per pound hanging, a half hog often lands between $400 and $600 in total. Enter your farm's real prices above for your own number.
What is the hanging weight of a hog?
Hanging weight is the weight of the carcass after slaughter, with the organs removed but the skin usually left on. It is typically about 70 to 74 percent of the live weight, so a 250 pound hog hangs at roughly 175 to 185 pounds. Farms usually price pork by hanging weight.
Is curing and smoking included in the price?
Usually not. Bacon, hams and hocks are typically cured and smoked by the processor for an extra charge per pound of finished product. Ask how much of your hog can be cured, what it costs, and how long it takes, because smoked products often take a week or two longer than fresh cuts.
How much freezer space does a whole hog need?
Plan on one cubic foot of freezer space for every 30 to 35 pounds of packaged pork. A whole hog that yields around 125 pounds needs about 4 cubic feet, so a 5 cubic foot chest freezer holds it with a little room to spare. A half hog fits in most upright freezer compartments.