What Comes With a Half or Whole Hog?

Sep 12

2 min read

Buying a half or whole hog fills your freezer with a useful mix of chops, roasts, ground pork, and customizable smokehouse options. But the exact assortment depends on the animal and the choices you make on your cut sheet.

At Big Horn Mountain Farms, our pasture-raised pork comes from Mangalitsa × Old Spot hogs. Bulk customers receive the cut sheet before harvest so there is time to review their preferences and ask questions.

How Much Pork Should You Expect?

Our hogs typically have a hanging weight of about 200–220 pounds. Your packaged take-home weight will be lower after chilling, trimming, deboning, cutting, curing, and other processing.

A half hog generally needs about 3–4 cubic feet of freezer space. A whole hog generally needs about 6–8 cubic feet. These are planning estimates rather than exact guarantees.

What Can Come With a Half Hog?

A half hog gives you one side of the animal and a balanced assortment of cuts. Depending on your selections, it may include:

Pork chops
Shoulder or Boston butt roasts
Picnic roast
Fresh ham or cured ham
Spare ribs
Fresh side or bacon
Ground pork
Hocks
Tenderloin
Optional fat, bones, and specialty parts

What Can Come With a Whole Hog?

A whole hog includes both sides and gives you the greatest flexibility. You receive more of every cut and can often divide the two sides differently—for example, choosing chops on one side and a loin roast on the other when processing options allow.

A whole hog is a good fit for households that cook pork regularly, want plenty of bacon and sausage options, or plan to share the finished pork with family.

Fresh Cuts, Smokehouse Options, and Sausage

Your cut sheet allows you to decide which portions stay fresh and which go to the smokehouse. Bacon, ham, smoked hocks, sausage, links, patties, and specialty processing may carry additional fees.

The more pork you direct into cured or smoked products, the longer processing may take and the more your processor invoice may change. We can help you think through those choices before the cut sheet is due.

Half or Whole: Which Should You Choose?

Choose a half hog if you want a broad variety with less freezer commitment.
Choose a whole hog if you want maximum customization and more of every cut.
Think about how often you use chops, roasts, bacon, sausage, and ground pork.
Make sure your freezer space is ready before pickup.

How Bulk Pork Pricing Works

Bulk pork is priced by the animal’s hanging weight. Whole pork is $3.75 per pound hanging weight, and half pork is $4.00 per pound hanging weight. Processing and specialty smokehouse charges are separate. A $200 deposit reserves your pork.

Black-and-white table of beef and pork share options with estimated yield, freezer space, price/lb, total cost, and deposits.

We encourage you to ask questions before reserving. The goal is to turn your half or whole hog into the pork your household will actually cook and enjoy.

Reserve Bulk Pork