Pigs - Raising Small Animals - page 251

Scalding and scraping
The purpose of scalding the pig is to loosen the pig's hair and the scurf , or the layer of skin
oil, dirt, and cells on the skin, so they can be more easily removed. It long has been believed
that it was necessary to leave the skin of the pig intact on the pig in order to achieve proper
curing for the ham and bacon. However, in recent years, more people tend to skin the pig and
cure pigs without the skin. If the pig is skinned badly, it can ruin your bacon, however. Scald-
ing the pig requires more work and more equipment than skinning the pig.
In order to scald the pig, you will need a heat source and a water source. Most people use
55-gallon drums or barrels. Start by heating about 50 gallons of water close to boiling while
you are killing the pig and letting it bleed. This water should be heated either in the barrel you
intend to use for the pig or transferred to the barrel when you are ready to place the pig in it.
You likely will need help in moving the pig into the barrel. Some people prefer to dig a shal-
low hole for the barrel that will contain the pig so it is easier to place the pig inside the barrel.
If you dig the hole at a slight angle, you can kill and bleed out the pig next to the vat or barrel,
and it will be easier to move the pig into the vat when you are ready to place the pig into it.
Make sure you do not make the angle too low, or the vat will not contain enough water to cov-
er the pig.
Another method is to build a fire beneath the vat you will be using to scald the pig. In order to
use this method, you will need to dig a pit for the fire and rig a sturdy method for suspending
the vat over the fire while the pig is in the vat. If you can place heavy metal legs on the vat,
like a cauldron, then it could hold the weight of the pig over the fire.
You will need to use a thermometer to assess the temperature in your vat. It is best to scald the
pig slowly at a temperature of about 140 degrees F. At this temperature, it will take between
three and six minutes to scald the hair and scurf from the pig. The pig's hair can be very diffi-
cult to remove, especially in the fall when the pig has begun to grow thicker hair for winter. If
you are scalding your pig during the fall and your pig does have this winter growth of hair,
you may need to use higher temperatures, between 146 and 150 degrees or keep your pig in
the scalding water for longer periods. You may wish to add ¼ cup of rosin, lime, or another
alkaline mix to the scalding water to help remove the scurf. This also will make your pig's
skin appear whiter.
It can be difficult to keep the water in the vat at a precise temperature. You will need to con-
tinue to check the temperature of the water in the vat by using your thermometer throughout