How Much Meat Comes With a Whole or Half Hog?
If you’ve never purchased a whole or half hog before, it can be difficult to know what to expect. How much meat will you take home? How many pork chops will you get? And just how much bacon comes with it?
The short answer: it depends. While farmers have target weights, hogs are living animals, not identical products. Breed, age, diet, and overall condition all affect the final yield. On top of that, when you purchase a whole or half hog, your order is custom cut to your preferences.
How Wholesale Pork Is Priced
Wholesale pork is priced by hanging weight, plus the processing fee. This is the standard method used by most farms.
Hanging weight is recorded after the hog is harvested and dressed, when the carcass is hanging in the butcher’s cold room. At this stage, the hide, head, feet, and internal organs have been removed. The carcass then hangs to chill before being processed into individual cuts.
Hanging weights vary between farms depending on breed, feeding practices, and harvest size.
Average Hanging Weights & Meat Yields
Whole hog hanging weight: ~240pounds
Half hog hanging weight: ~120 pounds
After cutting and packaging, customers generally take home approximately:
200 pounds of meat from a whole hog
100 pounds of meat from a half hog
The difference between hanging weight and finished meat weight accounts for bones not included in cuts, excess fat, tendons, and trimmings that aren’t ideal for eating. Some customers choose to keep extra fat or soup bones, which can slightly increase their take-home weight.
What Cuts Are Included?
A whole or half hog includes a wide variety of cuts, typically a mix of:
Pork chops
Roasts (shoulder, loin, and ham)
Ground pork
Sausage and bratwurst
Bacon
Ribs
Optional items like soup bones, organ meats, or extra fat
Because each order is custom cut, the number of chops, thickness of cuts, and how much meat is turned into sausage or brats will vary. For example, choosing thicker pork chops means fewer chops overall, while turning more roasts into sausage or brats increases your ground and fresh sausage yield.
How Much Bacon Will You Get?
Bacon comes from the pork belly, and the amount depends on the size of the hog and whether you choose to cure and smoke the whole belly or have it sliced thicker or thinner. On average, customers can expect roughly 15–20 pounds of bacon from a whole hog, or 7–10 pounds from a half hog, depending on cutting choices.
Is Buying a Whole or Half Hog Right for You?
Buying in bulk is a great option for families who value high-quality meat, want to fill their freezer, and appreciate knowing exactly where their food comes from. It also offers better value per pound compared to retail cuts.
Ready to reserve your whole or half hog?