If you’re not a farmer or a butcher, how are you supposed to know how much meat is in a whole (or half) hog? How many chop cuts should you expect? More importantly, how much bacon will you be getting?

First things first. While we, as the farmers, have target weights, hogs are not perfect clones of each other. How much meat you get in a whole (or half) hog depends on what that specific animal yields. Additionally, when buying a whole or half hog, each section is custom cut by the customer’s specifications. All examples provided here are just that, examples of what past customers have chosen.

At Hayfield Farm, our pricing for wholesale pork is based on the hanging weight, plus the processing fee. Most farms price their bulk meat this way. Hanging weight is the weight of the carcass, after it is cleaned and on the hook in the cold room. How much a half hog or whole hog hangs at varies from farm to farm. It depends on the breed, age, and feeding practices.

At Hayfield Farm, our whole hogs hang at approximately 210 pounds and our half hogs hang at approximately 105 pounds. Whole hogs yield approximately 140 pounds in meat, half hogs yield approximately 80 pounds in meat.

The difference in the hanging weight and the weight of the meat, or finish weight, is the parts of the carcass that are not made into product. This would be the bones that aren’t included in cuts, organs if they are not chosen, extra fat, tendons, and other trimmings that are not ideal for eating.

Below are a few inventory sheets from previous whole and half pork orders. These examples will give you an idea for how much meat you can expect from a half pork or whole pork. Since customers get to choose their own cuts, you’ll see some variances.

Get started with reserving your whole hog on our Wholesale Page!

Curious about the entire process? We cover the wholesale hog process from paddock to plate.

Whole Hog
4 Boston Butt Roasts, 4-5lbs each
4 Picnic Roasts, 4-5lbs each
6 Ham Roasts, cured & smoked, 4-5lbs each
34 Bone-in pork chops, 3/4″, two chops per pack.
20 packs of bacon, smoked with no nitrates, sliced medium
17 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb each
The processing fee for this whole hog was $396.78

Whole Hog
2 packs of leaf fat
2 packs of back fat
4 Boston Butts, 4-5lbs
4 Picnic Roasts, 4-5lbs
2 cured and smoked whole hams
2 baby back rib racks
27 packs of boneless pork cops, 3/4″, two chops per pack.
2 tenderloins
2 spare ribs
23 packs of bacon, cured and smoked, sliced medium
17 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb packs
19 packs of loose ground pork, 1lb packs
2 packs of heart
2 cured and smoked jowls
1 pack of kidney
1 pack of tongue
The processing fee for this whole hog was $282.64.

 

Half Hog
2 Boston Butts, 4-5lbs
2 Picnic Roasts, 4-5lbs
15 Bone-in pork chops, 3/4″, two chops per pack.
1 spare rib rack
11 packs of bacon, cured and smoked, sliced medium
17 packs of loose chorizo sausage, 1lb packs
16 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb packs
The processing fee for this half hog was $153.85

Half Hog
1 pack of leaf fat
3 packs of bones, 3lbs each
3 Boston Butts, 2-3lbs
3 Picnic Roasts, 2-3lbs
2 Whole Hams, cured & smoked
1 tenderloin
1 baby back rib rack
5 Boneless Loin Roasts, 2-3lbs
12 packs of bacon, cured and smoked, sliced medium
11 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb packs
The processing fee for this half hog was $197.15