Pork in the Winter Time

Temperatures were falling below freezing at night and hovering slighly above in the daytime.  Winter had arrived in Oklahoma.  We had chopped a pile of firewood that was thinner than the normal stovewood.  It would burn quickly and make a much hottter fire.

We filled a large barrel about half full of water then placed the firewood around the barrel which was tilted over and propped up with rocks.  Chores all done, everyone hurried to bed.

About three in the morning, Dad put his warm clothes on and went out lighted the fire around the barrel.  Soon afterward, Mom arose and went to the kitchen where Dad had prepared a fire and began to cook breakfast.  The children clothed themselves and went about their chores of feeding the mules, milking the cow, feeding the chickens and all but one of the hogs.  He had been removed from the pen and tied with a rope around one front hoof.

Chores done, everyone ate breakfast and finished as dawn appeaed in the sky. 
this morning was special.  It was very cold but no cloud in the sky.  We had to dress warmly for we were going to get wet.  Dad, my brothers, and I went out to the barrel and placed more wood on the fire for the water needed to be very hot but not boiling.  The hog was knocked unconcious then killed and its body dipped into the barrel of hot water.  Since it was a large hog the body had to be rotated and inserted in the barrel from both the head and the rump.

Water had soaked everyone by now but there was no stopping for dry clothes or to get warm.  The hair had to be scraped from the pigs hide, then the corpse had to be washed with more water.  Again, each of us got our share of the water.  I wasn't getting any warmer.  We hung the pig by its hamstrings to a limb of a mulberry tree and proceeded to dress it.  (I could never understand why we said we dressed it when we just took all its clothes off).

The bacon and hams had to be packed down with salt and, (if we could afford it at the time) sugar.  Shoulders and loins were cut off and trimmed.  The cuts were stored where they would be safe from animals and remain cold.  The liver would be our dinner and the trimmings had to be ground for sausage.  The grinding was a very tedious job since it was done with a hand powered grinder.   Excess fat had been trimmed, cut to strips, and laid aside with the hide.

Day was done and, after feeding the mules, milking the cow, feeding the chickens and gathering eggs, and feeding the hogs; we went to the table that Mom had prepared and after eating and doing our homework, all went to bed.  Tomorrow was another day.  This days tasks were not finished.

After the morning routine, firewood was stacked around a big iron pot in the back yard and the fat and hide from the hog was placed in the pot to be boiled.  We called it 'rendering'.  Some of the skins and solids were removed after boiling (cracklins) to be used for cracklin' bread or just to be salted and eaten.  Some of the fat (lard) was saved for use in cooking.  The remainder had a more prestigeous fate.

While still boiling lye or potash was added to the fat and carefully stirred while it continued to boil.  The fire was allowed to burn out and the pot content was allowed to cool.  An amazing thing happened during this time; the solids had settled to the bottom and the liquid on top had become solid but it wasn't fat; It was soap.

Using a sharp long knife, Mom cut this soap into blocks and then to bars.  This lye soap was used for bathing, hair washing, dish washing, clothes washing, etc.  Lye soap was "the soap"; there was no other.