# scalding hog hair off



## swamp hunter

OK, Boy,s I seen it done years ago, don,t remember all that much . Wife loves the skin, Anybody do it ? . Is it worth the time and effort , Seems to me you take the skin off the chops and ribs anyways, so it,s a lot of work just for the hams to have it. Need an old timer here on this one , or a real smart buckwheat


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## Big-Daddy

No big deal.... heat water to 160 deg, drip the whole hog in the water for 10 minutes and then use a BBQ stone to rub the hair off.


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## RoadRunner

swamp hunter, my dad and I still scald the hogs we raise. We use some kind of old tank that was cut in half. been using it all my life but don't know where me grandfather found it. we dug a trench and put some angle iron in to hold up the tank so it would be flush with the ground. we left room underneath to build a fire to heat the water and also added a chimney on the end. we take plywood and put on each side of the tank. we just slide the hog in and turn him from one side to the other until you can pull the hair out with your hand. we then pull him out onto the plywood and scrape the hair of with a butcher knife. The water temp does need to be 150 or160 but if you get it too hot it will set the hair. the oldtimer's say if you can dip your hand in the water three times and it is all you can stand then it is hot enough to scald. sometimes they seem to scald better than others, don't know why it is different. if we get a good scald we can have the hair off in 5 or 10 minutes. if you are not going to salt cure the meat or bbq the hams it is probably just as easy to skin.


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## bilgerat

1 more thing.......
















kill the hog 1st
 they are hard to get in the water otherwise


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## Big-Daddy

I use a old steel tub, but I seen them use a steel 55 gal drum cut in half.


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## Milkman

Some Asian fellows that work with a friend of mine us a propane torch to remove the hair.


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## swamp hunter

Milkman said:


> Some Asian fellows that work with a friend of mine us a propane torch to remove the hair.



Some Cuban friends tell me the same thing, Just make sure you stand upwind!!


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## yellowhammer

*hog hair*

You can dip the hot water out of the barrel,pour it on a small area,about a square foot at a time,and scrape the area with a knife.Works better,to me.You don`t have to dip the whole hog.Sure is easier to skin`em though.I skin hogs and deer on the tailgate.Don`t hang`em anymore.


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## Auchumpkee Creek Assassin

add some pine tops to the hot water , to make the hair come off good.


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## swamp hunter

OK, I got some good ideas on how to do it , Now as RoadRunner says . I ,m only smoke or cook in different recipies anyways , Do I get any benifit outta removing the hair?? Thanks guys!


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## snuffy

Auchumpkee Creek Assassin said:


> add some pine tops to the hot water , to make the hair come off good.



Yep we always put pine tops in the water.

And as RoadRunner said if you can run your finger through the water 2 time and barly do it the third the water is ready.

Roll him around in the water un til you can grab the hair and pull it out.


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## 30 06

You also don't want water too hot or you will set the hair.


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## j_seph

My dad said back in the day late 30's early 40's his dad would boil the water, and lay burlap bags soaked in the scalding water. They would then with the (dead) hog laying down lay the bags over the hog and then pour some water over the bag. Then you roll the bag back a little ways, scrape the hair, roll it back a little more and scrape and pour scalding water as necessary


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## ejs1980

A guy I work with showed me a good way a while back. He used a steel tub and a thermometer to get it between 150-160. With practice you can do the three dipper to see if it's hot enough but why take the chance of messing up. He rolls the hog over a few times then uses a flat point shovel to scrape the hair off. I have tried it one time scraping with a large knife  and the shovel was way easier. As far as benefit I only do it on a small hog that I want to smoke whole. A few more pointers don't gut the hog until after you get the hair off. This means if you shoot him in the woods a hog swells up pretty quick. Add in a couple minutes of 160 degree water and you had better be careful gutting him. One slip of the knife gutting a bloated hog can make a messy spray you'll never forget. If I'm going to scrape one I'll have the water heating up when I killed the hog.


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## KDarsey

Auchumpkee Creek Assassin said:


> add some pine tops to the hot water , to make the hair come off good.



My Granddaddy would put strips of ('splinters') fat lighter in the water as it boiled and it would make the hair turn loose. (in the 55 gallon drum that you will dip the hog in)


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## Mr W.

You could just scrape the part you want skin on, and just skin the rest. Put you a burlap sack on the part you want to scrape and pour 150-160 deg. water on it. Check it by pulling some hair with your fingers. When it comes out farely easy remove sack and scrape.


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## rockwalker

we used to use an old tub as well lay in a run of range wire fence and roll the hog around using the wire and when you get him out the hair is just about all gone from rolling them around on the wire.


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## RoadRunner

i heard about a processor that was using a pressure washer with 150 to 160 degree water and just spraying the hair right off. i haven't seen this done i just heard about it.


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## dpoole

go to possum 101 thread . exact same process but you need bigger pot to dip the hog in


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## bulldogblue27

*Skin hog*

Grandpa said to take burlap sack in boil water in a num3 wash tube then cover the hog and take it off after a minute and get to shavin. I've done it is just easier to skin them.


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## bfriendly

*Cool Topic*

I have never heard this talked about, I have always just skinned them.  Are we making "Pork Rinds" with the skin?
If not, what r we doing with it?  
BTW- it is really cool to have you pros/oldtimers in here chiming in on this topic...........sounds like this is pretty common practice.


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## RSmith

Putting pine tops in the water cooks out some of the gum, which is sticky and cause's the hair to stick together and be easier to scrape hopefully. I was always just cheap labor back then, so it is good to hear what temp to use Dad was a three dipper but i had forgotten until ya'll mentioned it.


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## CL shoer

hey guys a friend and i scaulded a hog today.the advice offered on this subject helped alot.he and i both were around this when we were young.but like mentioned earlier we were gofers.
 we took an old bath tub,plugged the hole with a pine limb we whittled and drove it in the drain.next we filled it with water.it was set on blocks so a fire could be built under it.we built a fire with lighter wood and let her smoke.we added some pine tops and got the water where you couldn't put your finger in it.we then added the hog.she was a nice size sow.she almost filled the tub.she stayed in the water 4 mins.we took her out and i was amazed a the ease of removing the hair.most we pulled out with our hands,the rest we used butchers knives to get.
 thanks for the advice,and reminding me of things i thought i had forgotten.


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## Old Winchesters

A drum cut in half some fat lighter and a handful of lye get. Then get the fire going ,water hot, dip the hog and scrape. Burlap bags help keep from dipping the hog twice and some plywood in from of the drum that is buried on an angel will help to slide the hog in and out...Brings back memories...nowadays I just skin'em... ain't worth it to me unless a small bbq hog.


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## carter

we always used a steel bathtub and added a tar cup for the gum ,we usualy killed between 8 and 10 every year at thanksgiving it was a family thing !


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