Buying a Half of Whole Pork from The Local Butcher
Be Informed
Understanding yield helps you know exactly how much pork you’ll take home. A hog reduces in weight at each stage — slaughter, chilling, trimming, and fabrication — and each primal cut contributes differently to the final amount of usable meat.
All weights below are approximate and could be more or less.
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Take-Home Pork: A hog weighing 270 lb. live weight will hang at approximately 65%, or 175 lb. From that hanging weight, you typically receive 65% usable meat, which is about 114 lb. of take‑home pork.
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Sausage: On a 175 lb hanging weight hog, if you get all of the cuts, you are going to get approximately 14 pounds of sausage. We have to have 10 pounds of sausage to run through the machines. If you want more sausage/brats/links/patties, we suggest putting one or more of the hams and/or shoulders into sausage.
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Seasoning Options:
Mild, Medium, Hot, Sweet Italian, Andouille
Your seasoning choices depend on how much trim/sausage your hog produces. For a hog with a 175 lb hanging weight, here’s what you can expect:
If you choose all standard cuts:
You will typically receive enough trim for one seasoning choice.
(Example: Mild or Medium or Hot or Sweet Italian or Andouille)
If you put the ham and/or shoulder into sausage:
This increases the amount of trim, which means you can potentially choose two different seasonings.
(Example: Mild and Sweet Italian)
If the hog is smaller than 150 lb hanging weight:
The amount of trim decreases, so you will only receive enough for one seasoning choice, even if you convert a ham or shoulder into sausage.
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Standard Cuts and Cost Example: $3.50 (Includes cost of hog and standard processing) x 175 (Hanging Weight) = $612.50. Standard Processing includes:
Fresh Ham - half, quarter or sliced 30 lb.
Chops - bone in and/or boneless 25 lb.
Shoulder cuts - boston butt, roasts, steaks, or country styled ribs 15 lb.
Belly - Fresh side 20 lb.
Ribs - Spare Ribs and/or Baby Back Ribs 8 lb.
Fresh Sausage 14 lb.
114 lb.
$612.50/114 pounds of fresh meat = actual cost per pound - $5.37
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Typical Additional Charges for a 270 lb. hog:
Smoked ham & bacon: ~$125
Brats/links: ~$35 or
Patties: ~$12
Sausage Seasonings: $12 per seasoning packet
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Why Buy from The Local Butcher:
• Lower cost per pound
• Custom cutting options
• Stock your freezer
• Vacuum Sealed - keeps meat fresher, safer, and better‑tasting for far longer than paper packaging
• Support local farmers and processors
Delivering exceptional value for premium, locally processed pork.
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Questions?
📞 740‑541‑9995
We’re happy to help you choose the right amount of pork for your family.