In the selection of animals for slaughter health should be given first consideration. Even though the animal has been fairly fed and carries a prime finish, the best quality of meat cannot be obtained if the animal is unhealthy. If the animal has fever or serious derangement of any kind, the meat will not be wholesome. There is little direct evidence of harmful results from the use of animals in the first stages of such diseases as tuberculosis, cholera, plague, rinderpest, and such diseases, but the only safe course is to discourage the use of any animal for food that is known to be in imperfect health. The keeping qualities of meat are always impaired by fever or other derangements of the system. Bruises, broken limbs, and like accidents all have the same effect on the meat as ill health, and unless the animal can be dressed immediately after such accidents, it is best not to use the meat for food. This is especially true if the rise in temperature, which usually results from such accidents, has been 2 degrees F. or more. A rise in temperature just before slaughtering usually results in a stringy, bluish meat, which is difficult to cure. Animals should not be butchered while in heat, as the meat of such animals will be strong, and cannot be cured, as it sours quickly.
First class meat cannot be obtained from animals in poor flesh. The proper amount of fat must be present to give juiciness and flavor to the meat. It is more important, however, that the animal should be in good physical condition than that it should be very fat. “Never kill an animal when it is losing flesh” is a maxim followed by butchers. There is a good deal of truth in the saying. When the animal is losing in flesh, the muscle fibers are shrinking in volume and contain correspondingly less water. As a result, the meat is tougher and drier. When an animal is gaining in flesh, the opposite condition prevails, and a better quality of meat results. Also, a better quality of meat will be obtained from an animal in medium flesh, but gaining in weight, than from a very fat animal that is neither gaining nor losing in flesh.
Because of careless selection of breeding stock, most of the hogs in the region of Canton have low backs, large bellies, scant hams, never produce the best quality of meat, and have a low dressing percentage. The improved hog with a level or slightly arched wide back, long, deep, smooth sides, full hams, and short neck and head, has meat of the best quality, and such hogs have the highest dressing percentage. Fine bone, soft hair, and mellow flesh, qualities generally found in well bred animals, are desired in all animals used for meat, as they indicate meat of a good quality, with a minimum of waste.
The kind of food the hog gets during the last six or eight weeks of the fattening period largely determines the flavor and the character of the meat. During that period, it is best not to feed very much of rice bran, or peanut cake, as when such feeds are given they produce very soft, oily fat. Wheat bran and corn produce a firm fat, and one or the other, or both together, should constitute a large part of the grain ration for the fattening hog.
It is a well known fact that meat from an old animal is very likely to be tough and difficult to cook sufficiently to make it tender. On the other hand, meat from very young animals is watery and often lacks flavor. An old animal in good condition is to be preferred to a young one in poor condition. Hogs can be killed for meat any time after six weeks, but the most profitable age at which to slaughter is from eight to ten months. Hogs at that age have a higher dressing percentage than when younger. Gain in weight is made at a lower cost in young animals than in older animals. For this reason, it is not advisable to keep a hog much longer than twelve months, or a beef animal more than two years, unless feed is very cheap.
If the pork is to be cured, the hogs for butchering should weigh from one hundred and thirty to two hundred pounds. Larger hogs can be butchered conveniently, although a hog much heavier will be more difficult to handle.
In southern China, where the day temperature is seldom below sixty degrees Fahrenheit during the butchering season, a difficulty in cooling the meat will be experienced, unless ice is used, and if the meat is not properly cooled it will not cure well.
Chickens have the most tender meat at the age of three to six months, depending on the variety, and at that age sell for the highest price. Poultry that have just reached maturity are best for curing.