This morning I’ve got three hogs to process, and we brought our mobile butcher, Frank, right out to the place so you can see the whole thing start to finish. Fair warning—this is the real deal, in graphic detail, because I’m not here to “pretty it up.” People keep telling me they appreciate that we don’t edit around the hard parts, and I still believe it matters that folks understand how food gets from the farm to the table. Frank walks through what makes boars different (that testosterone “armor plate” shield), why timing matters on skinning, and what to save if you’re trying to use the whole animal—leaf lard, liver, heart, and even kidneys for dog treats. We also get into the practical stuff that keeps you safe and moving fast: small sure steps in slick pens, never trying to catch a falling knife, and using Dawn dish soap with a splash of bleach water to keep hands and knives cleaned up in the heat. And yeah—Frank tells the wild story of how he lost a finger working on a well, which is a pretty blunt reminder that when you’re self-employed, getting hurt doesn’t just hurt… it stops the paycheck.