One of our main concerns was obtaining a 55 Gallon Steel Drum for dipping the pig in for scalding and shaving that hadn’t had toxic materials in it previously. After having thoughts and conversations about it, I looked on craigslist. I found someone in Tacoma selling six 55 gallon food grade steel drums for $20 each drum! She had only fruit juice in them! It felt good checking one of the instruments of nose-to-tail harvesting off the list.

The reason the 55 gallon steel drum is important is because it is for scalding and shaving the pig after the killing. The water must be at exactly 145 degrees Fareinhieght for the bristles and hair to come off effortlessly. And for the skin to not burn. I learned from Farmstead Meatsmith vidoes that it is extremely important to check the pig every 90 seconds to make sure you don’t over scald.

Over scalding the pig can result in the skin tearing while trying to shave. And skinning a pig is not that easy. If you lose the skin, you lose about 25% of the pig since the fat and other things are so connected to it.