Thread by @MichaelsCoDub

Killing a piglet; a thread
After a bit of discussion / bun fight on the cruelty of the killing of a piglet over a grown pig last night I was up for a few hours thinking of the fundamentals of it.
Now’s the time to grab a coffee or mutter “feck off smith” and hit backspace

Whilst the fight was mainly that the photos of the whole piglet were in poor taste I still think I would face the wrath and post them again, why ?

The birthing, raising, feeding, slaughtering, hanging, butchering and cooking is an often over complexed chain of events that needs to be as transparent as possible. People have to understand what they are eating

It’s vital that the consumers In all of their forms and levels and especially the chefs and food trade in all guises see and understand the realities of this chain, that might be doing it themselves like we did, or seeing pics on twitter or going to a farm firsthand

This particular piglet trial came about from a late night WhatsApp group chat / bun fight (lots of them in this trade 😑😂)
with a few chefs about the correct weight of a suckling pig and that usually a suckling is under 10kg.

but it’s hard to find any in Ireland below 14-16kg, mainly due to the cost required per creature from the farmer and if ours are as good as the ones we’ve eaten abroad given the same circumstances, age & weight. A valid discussion

Every European city I’ve been to has had small suckling pigs, some as small as 5-6kg and a long standing tradition of spit roasting or cooking them whole, it’s a tradition that’s going nowhere fast, it’s a celebration

Rather than being uninterested , I badgered our butcher for information and then into finding me a free range piglet with impeccable sourcing.
Which he did, it came from a hugely respected farmer who is with his animals from their first minute to their last minute, he cares.

After the shortest journey from small farm to small abattoir, they go to a butcher, who I know cares very deeply about the welfare of the animals he buys as I’m in the shop 2-3 times a week or at the farm chatting over a tea with the farmer

Usually annoying him with questions, lapping up his knowledge, hanging around when I know he’s getting deliveries as I get to snatch a 5 minute chat / interrogation with the Abattoir delivery guys as he checks in the carcasses, one by one

I watch him checking every inch of what he’s buying. I see the pride on his face of what he’s getting
He knows what they’ve ate just by the colour of the flesh and marbling
He knows which chef will want which cut before he’s signed the delivery docket

These small flashes of invaluable interactions are incredibly inspiring for me regarding respecting the whole animal We try to operate in a zero waste manner. Why waste this amazing produce ? We care too much about it

Those 5 minute chats teach me more than I ever could ordering a dozen foreign beef fillets over the phone purely based on price with a disregard for the rest of the animal, the origin, raising and welfare of the animal or supporting Irish farmers

Anyway back to the piglet; I was curious if the piglets we produce here could match our European neighbours when the age was the same, whats the costing & if it’s feasible. mainly I wanted to learn the process from the bottom up, &that simply can’t be done without trying it.

Am I sensitive to upsetting people with hard hitting, heart tugging, anger inducing pictures of a whole piglet. An animal that has been humanised to a certain extent, a smart intelligent creature by all accounts ?

Of course I am, but I would prefer to be that person than somebody who just wolfs down watery rashers, unidentified sausages with no clue what’s in them, pre sliced ham in plastic with absolute no regard to the above process, or where they came from, to me that’s way worse

Those poor animals are fed all kinds of shite to bulk them out, kept in mini jails, unable to move, bought by generic butchers who have no idea what life they had

sold 3 packs for a tenner in a fluorescent shop, ordered by chefs with no clue which part is which, eaten in huge volumes by unsuspecting or uninterested people who then act surprised why their €3.99 family sized lasagne is full of Bulgarian horse meat

Maybe these pics will put people off eating meat, a great thing perhaps, certainly no harm in that.
But would the same people get so upset about a picture Of a chicken, a whole prawn, a lobster, a whole turbot ?

I post several pictures of whole fish / poultry every day. Proudly showing what I’ve taken considerable care to buy, to break down respectfully, to serve in a caring manner to our guests

So, yes, maybe tough pictures to see, but they show the harsh realities of what we are eating and if *this* makes you baulk, do some research on intensively farmed animals

Anyway, rant neeeeearly over,
was it worth the hassle I got ? Yes, I absolutely welcome discussion on food ( still a hard no on tomatoes on a fry )
Was it delicious ? Yes !
As good as Europe’s ? Without a doubt !
Would I do it again ?
Probably not , it’s not cost effective

Am I perfect and in a position to be all high and mighty, absolutely not ! I mill jambons from the deli counter and sneaky Big Macs, but I do, as my chefs do, to treat all of our produce with respect. So basically I’m a hypocrite, I think we all are to certain degrees

If you’re still reading, GET BACK TO WORK !

Thanks for coming to my ted talk

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