Wow, 2 free pigs is amazing! I pick up a 200lb pig (dressed but not skinned or butchered) a couple times a year and split it with friends of ours. We butcher and wrap both halves in an evening, and later on make sausage and bacon. It's so much cheaper than buying pre-cut, I figure we are paying ourselves $50-75/h for that evening of butchering, but I can't even imagine how amazing it would be to also be getting the pigs for free! Nice job!
We have looked into this, and it is just not worth the money here. What did you pay for the hog, and how many pounds of meat did you get?
I get shoulders regularly for $.99 a pound on sale in my local supermarket, and make my own sausage(breakfast, brats, Italians). ends up being about $1.25-$1.50 per pound after waste and spices.
Just bought a 2-10 pound boneless hams on sale for $0.49 a pound. Cooked one last night in fact.
About a year ago, I bought low sodium bacon for $.99 a pound. bought 20 pounds I have about 4 left.
I already mentioned the $.85 a pound whole loins.
For about 30 years, we have been going to a friends family farm for the annual chicken processing day. When we started, it was cost effective to buy about 20 of them for the families annual chicken usage. Last years cost was $1.50 per pound and it is no longer cost effective. Is has not been for about 15 years, but it is a great weekend with true friends. There is talk of ending it. Financially, I am all for it, but I hope we can still get together. 2 weeks ago, I bought chicken leg quarters for $.29 a pound. NOT a typo. If we were no longer doing chickens, I would have bought 100 pounds for a total cost of $29!
In our area, sales are much cheaper than getting the entire animal and processing it myself, or raising it.