Fig. 5. Tools Used by Chinese in Butchering.
- Lower Row Right to Left.
- Sticking knife.
- Cutting and scraping knives.
- Heavy knife for cutting meat.
- Knife for cutting bone.
- Cleaver.
- Funnel for Stuffing sausage casing.
- Hook used in handling meat that is being roasted.
- Tool used in roasting meat.
- Upper Row Right to Left.
- Cork with needles for pricking casing when it is being filled in order to let out the air.
- Hooks for handling carcass.
Fig. 6. Hog scraped and hung up for gutting.
Fig. 7. Scraping the hog on the “t’ong chue t’so”.
It is a common custom with Chinese butchers to lay the hog across a narrow bench for sticking. This requires more handling of the animal then when the animal is simply turned over on its back on the floor, or on a low table or box for the sticking.
The sticking knife should have a blade eight or nine inches long. In America, a knife with straight edges, which at the end tapers to a point is used, while in China, a knife tapering from two inches wide at the handle to a long, narrow point is used. Either type of knife will do. The knife should be thrust diagonally into the neck for about six to eight inches of its length, depending on the size of the hog. It should be inserted on the middle line of the body, about three or four inches in front of the sternum, with the sharp edge of the knife toward the rear and the knife pointed in the direction of the loin of the hog. One hand of the operator should be held on the lower jaw of the hog to help hold the animal steady. It will require a little practice to stick properly. If rightly done, the large blood vessels will be severed, the animal will bleed quickly, and be dead in less than five minutes.