§ 15. Scalding and Scraping
An soon as the hog is dead, it must be scalded and the hair and scurf quickly removed. The animal is then placed on the top of the t’ong chue ts’o. The head and shoulders are scalded first. They should be immersed in the water, which should be from 185 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. If the water is hotter, the hair will set. Care should be taken to keep the carcass constantly moving by turning it from side to side, in order to get a uniform scald and not to allow the carcass to stay in contact with the bottom of the bowl in which the water is being heated. Occasionally it should be removed from the water and the hair “tried”. As soon as the hair and scurf slip easily, the scalding is complete. The hind quarters are scalded in the same manner. The head and feet should be scraped first, as the hair sets on those parts first. Two or three pounds of wood ashes put in the water will help loosen the scurf. Proper scalding and scraping require fast work. If the carcass gets cold before the hair has been removed, the hair will set and have to be removed by shaving with a sharp knife. For scraping, the candle-stick or bell-shaped scraper is best. What cannot be removed with it, can be removed with a sharp, curved knife.
In America when only from one to three hogs are butchered at a time the custom is to heat the water in a large kettle over a stove or out-door fire. The hot water is poured into a barrel which is tipped at an angle with the top of the table, the top of the table being level with the lower side of the top of the barrel. The hog is slid into the barrel, first the head end, and then the rear end. The body is kept in motion by pulling it up and down until it is scalded, and the hair and scurf slip well. This is a quick method of scalding as much of the hog can be immersed in the water at one time, but it requires more labor than does the method of scalding with the t’ong chue ts’o.
In large packing houses, the hogs are automatically scalded and scraped, by being drawn through a tube filled with water of the proper temperature. Stiff brushes on the inside of the tube remove the hair and scurf as the hog passes through.