I did another test butcher (feed dead animals to non-fussy eaters) to apply some of Akane's advice.
This time, I started cutting by inserting the seam ripper point under the chin and ripping towards the anus (but stopping before it). I find the seam ripper cool, because it prevents cutting too deep, however the tool will only cut is you hold it at the correct angle. Following Akane's advice, I was able to remove the skin from the front legs by simply removing the front feat and pulling the leg through.
In this test skinning, I did not finish removing the skin. In the hog slaughter video I linked, I liked how the man used the hind feet to aid him when pulling the hide away from the carcass. I would like to experiment that part next.
__________ Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:08 pm __________
Well, as I stated earlier in this thread I really wanted to create a how-to post on processing western skin-off cuy. Well processing my 3rd guinea pig did not go well. I posted a sort of rant to RT, not sure it it is really worth reading, but it can show you how things can go wrong.
I need to resign myself that skinning a GP will never be as easy as skinning a rabbit. Open skinning is just trickier then case skinning. I will try again some day, but right now I'm just not as enthusiastic about trying again "real soon". Also, even when David's heard was back up to full productivity, he was not quite ready to give up a 2LB GP. It was not until he started he started talking about how the herd was too big and he would have to reduce the herd.
I do want this thread to be a chiefly informative thread, so I will start with what went right. My curved blade worked well, I had an alert setup on eBay and I did find an exacto #23 blade for a not too crazy price. I think it was made by Excel, it was a name brand, not a cheep blade. I did like the size, the exacto #10 was ok, but I think the larger size was nice. The #23 was not too big. A #22 might also be a good blade, I tried to get one cheep, but another story. I think the #22 would have work fine, but I did like having the double sided that I could hold either direction. The other tool that preformed well for me were the combat scissors.
I still recommend
THIS hog butcher video on YouTube. I would not consider it an instructional video, because he does not describe what he is doing, or what to watch out for. The video is however excellently filmed and executed with skill. The video does give you an idea of the effect you should look for.
In the hog video the man brakes the bone and cuts the hog's hind feet free. The Man then uses the detached feet as a handle to pull the hide away from the carcass. I found this to work well with my guinea pig. The next time I think I will break both bones before I even start to cut the hide. also once the foot is loose I might tie the two feed together with wire. Once this is done I can attach a weight to the wire that will pull the hide as I work.
One other thing that worked well, was using fish hooks to hold the carcass. In the hog video, after breaking off the feet a complex hook is used to lift the carcass. The hook is specifically made for pig size carcass. What I found works well to hold the GP is fish hooks. Once both feet are loose and can dangle I embed the hook into the muscle in the inside of the knee. From the hooks string was used to suspend the carcass. I found this quite secure for the processing.
Also, thanks to Akane, I don't bother splitting the front legs. I just remove the front feet and pull the hide around the front feet. This is the same way most people do the front legs of rabbits.
Now is the time to talk about what went wrong. Elephant in the room, I cut into the abdomen way before I wanted too. I would consider that to be my number one mistake, that seems to trigger other things going wrong from there. When I first learned about open skinning this is what concerned me most. I think I was relying on the seam ripper to limit the depth of cut and this time that strategy back-fired. I'm not sure if I will keep using the ripper or if I will just use the hook blade. I do like the jabby part of the ripper though. Also the first part of the skinning the GP was on a table that was too low for comfortable working.
I'm thinking about doing the first cut with the head on. *** the pointy part of the ripper under the chin and slitting only in inch or two, not going past the rib cage. Then I will insert my finger to lift the hid away from the abdominal wall. As I make room between the hid and the carcass. I will cut the hide down the ventral side.
I am still looking for hints and tips, other than, just fix it with the skin on!
__________ Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:56 pm __________
OK, I've been thinking since the last GP I processed. I experimented with the seam ripper on some stretch wrap. I know GP will be different than the wrap, but it did give me some experience holding the seam ripper in different ways. I have come up with two different ways to hold the ripper while using my finger to separate the skin from the abdomen. In both methods, I start with an initial cut, then I insert my finger(s) from one hand into the incision. At the same time I hold the ripper with the other hand.
I have taken pictures using the stretch wrap. I painted the wrap black to make it easier to see, but at some places it is semitransparent. The green in the packaging under the wrap. The way that seems easiest, I call the two finger method. Here I insert my index & middle finger under the "skin". As you can see, there is a "groove" between my fingers, this is where I put the ripper. I am able to slice through the wrapper without damaging anything under the wrap. If there is enough room I would think this to be my preferred method.
If there is not enough room for two fingers, I could use the one finger method. In this I just lay the ripper on top of my finger. Here is three different angles to see what I am talking about.
I would cut until I was close to the anal/genital region and stop there. I Would reach my fingers around under the skin and probe around. The goal is to separate the skin all the way around. Reach around the large intestine/anus from one side. Then probe around the other side to loosen the skin.
I would flip the animal over onto the belly. I would insert the ripper under the skin where tail would be (but there isn't one) and cut one side around the anus. Then slice the skin, the other way around the anus.
I would flip the animal back onto it's back. I would then join the cuts. I'm not sure which cutting utensil to use. perhaps the exacto blade or combat sheers. The idea is that I would have a small patch of fur covering the anal/genital region.
Just some thoughts and pics...
__________ Mon Mar 18, 2019 8:31 pm __________
Ok this is update one thousand and one, for people that have not been bored from all my other updates. remember, if I ever get it together, I will start a new thread to act as a how-to. That being said, I got another opportunity to do a test butcher of a GP, and I am glad I have hungry creatures to eat my screw-ups.
First off. my idea of doing the front slit in two parts, seems to workout well. Part one, jabbing the ripper under the chin then start ripping towards the anus, but stop while you are still at the ribs. Part two, put your fingers into the incision and use your fingers to separate the abdomen from the skin. Once this is done, the loose skin is rather baggy. The pics from the last update I use cling wrap to simulate skin. The skin is in no way that tight! So to cut the second part, I would rather use a hook blade to cut.
The part that tripped me up is also a part that I had difficulty with when butchering the third GP I ate. The skin seems especially well attached near the coccyx. This makes it hard to form a separate piece of fur containing the anal/genital region. Whenever I did rabbits, I made the anal/genital region a separate piece.
I suppose I will need to do another test butcher to figure out that region. I do have an idea. I'm thinking that the first cut I will use the seam ripper on the hind leg. I would start on the outside of the leg starting near the knee, then cut on the outside leg until I reach the back, cutting towards the tail bone and keeping the cut behind the anus. The second cut would start on the other hind leg making a mirror image of the first cut. The two cuts will eventually meet behind the anus at the top part of the animal's back side. It is sort of hard to describe this. I don't have an image showing a GP from that angle.
Once those cuts were made, there would be a single post-anus slit going from one leg to the other. From there, I would lay the carcass on it's back and start cutting at the chin making chest cut. Once the chest is cut I would then use my fingers like I described earlier. I would use the hook blade to cut the separated skin down the belly. Once I got close to the genital region, I would form a Y. Each side of the Y would go around either side of the genital/anal region. Each side of the Y would eventually meet the post-anus slit.
From there I would proceed like I described in the Jan 28 update. I would brake the bones, hang the carcass and use the feet as handles to pull the skin off.
__________ Sat Apr 13, 2019 6:52 pm __________
April update
It is odd because when I am reading over what I have written and I am figuring out how to skin a GP it is always so abstract. My approach is sort of like dissembling a laptop. I've got a mathematical mindset with thoughts of
topology. But, when I it comes to testing-out my ideas, things are quite a bit different. First I kill a guinea pig, then I find myself in the outdoors with a knife on one hand and a dead body in the other. The whole thing is always a bit messier than I imagined. Again, I am glad to have hungry creatures that love to eat GPs regardless how my butchering attempts go.
When I finish my how-to thread, it will be straight forward do this then do that description. This thread is for working things out. Here I feel free to ramble-on and include observations that are not directly relevant. When making my drawings, I draw on top of the photo I took when butchering my second GP. I'm so delighted to work with the image, it's so well balanced. The GP in the image did not have a nickname at the time of her dispatchment. I have worked with the image many hours (I have created many line sets that were never posted). As I worked, I have given her the postmortem nickname Little Sis. As I draw I thank Little Sis for lying there so still, her carcass laid out so perfectly, it makes such a great photo for diagramming the process. I thank her for that and the lovely meal she made for me.
Now that babbling is out of the way, I was able to do another test butcher to test out my skinning plans in the real world. This time I was able to get to a point where I feel that I am ready to butcher another guinea pig for my consumption.
- Step one: break bones and make a post anal slit.
- 1A) Break the leg bones using the either needle-nose pliers or the flat side of a knife. Break the hind leg bone between the foot and knee. do this for both hind legs. Lay the carcass stomach down and feel the spine. At a point near the end of the spine and a small distance from the anus, make a slit (red line) in the skin using a flat knife. The cut should go all the way through the skin it is ok if the cut exposes the bone in the spine. This part of the GP has little padding between the skin and bone.
- 1B) Insert the jabby point of the seam ripper under the skin near the point where the bone was broken on the right leg. Make a slit (blue line) in the leg skin on the outside of the leg. Continue this slit until you reach the red line. Make a similar cut (green line) on the left leg until it joins the red line. When I tried this I had to use the flat blade in a few places. Once you are finished you should have a single slit that runs from one leg to the other. The slit should separate the skin on the top side of the carcass from that on the belly side. The anus will be still attached to the fur on the belly side but separated from the top side fur.
- Step 2: opening the belly side of the skin.
- 2A) lay the carcass on it's back. Insert the jabby bit of the ripper under the skin beneath the chin. Then create the short incision (red line) that does not pass the rib cage.
- 2B) Jam your finger onto the slit and pull the skin away from the body. As I do this the loosened skin is sort of baggy. Use the hook blade to continue the belly side incisions (green line). You can use one hand to probe under the sin and the other side to hold the hook blade. Continue the cut until you get close to the anal/genital region.
- 2C) Make the incision in two two paths around the anal/genital region (dark & Light blue lines) that join with the post-anal slit. The post-anal slit is not visible on the side of the carcass visible in photo 2, it is therefore represented symbolically as the black & white dashed line. I start both blue lines from the green line. These cuts were made while while probing my finger under the skin to separate it from the carcass.
I found it difficult to make the blue cuts in a single stroke. You will need to start the dark blue cut at the green cut, but as you work your way around "the back side" you might find the dark blue cut difficult to make with the hook blade. You might wish to start dark blue cut a second time at the post-anal slit and work towards your existing dark blue line cut. You should be able to make the two parts meet somewhere, If you use a flat blade be sure not to cut too deep. You can use the same procedure to complete the light blue line.
Once step 2 is com pleated, the hide is now in two pieces. A small piece of hide covers the anal/genital region and the rest of the carcass is covered by the bigger piece.
END OF sample tutorial
That is about as far as a got with the last test butcher. I feel I am ready to do a butcher for my consumption. With the GP getting the skin off if the hardest part for me. Removing the GI tract is sort of icky to look at, but not difficult to figure out. Depending on how that goes I'll do a full right up.
To finish the tutorial I would say cut off the head and front feet. Once that is done, follow the hog video from separating the legs out and pulling on them to pull the hide away from the carcass using the hind legs as handles.
Once the big part of the skin is off, follow the rabbit processing video.
__________ Wed May 15, 2019 8:30 pm __________
Hi everybody reading this. It seems that this thread has been sort of a blog post for me because, I am the only user actively posting on this thread. I have however watched the image view counter going up, so I can see that there are actually people reading this thread. I will be asking you people for some help today.
As I stated earlier, I am working on a how-to guide for butchering skin-off cuy. I would like your input and CONSTRICTIVE criticism. In the block quote below, I will post a portion (not the whole thing) of the how-to from my harddrive. I would like your input on how I can improve this writing. I am chiefly interest in errors in grammar and spelling errors (wrong words) that made it past my cheap spell checker. I am also interest in what you think of my presentation and instructive flow. The chief question in my mind is, "Do you think this is a set of instructions you could follow?". At this point, I don't need anyone to actually follow my instructions. But, I want to know could you follow these instructions if you wanted to?
I am also taking criticisms of my diagrams and how well the written instructions and diagrams fit together. Do the images help with understanding what I am saying in the text? Also, In the example I have written it in the second person form, meaning, "You do this then you do that.". Do you think this is a good form to put the instructions in? Do you think a first person instructive form would be better. Example, "I do this first, then after that I do this other thing." At this point I'm not that interested in alternative techniques. I would like to get a full set of instructions out there. Once I have a complete version of the how-to posted, I would be more interested in different ways to achieve a skinned cuy meat carcass.
** Recommended videos **
I recommend watching two videos that will help you out. First this
hog butchering video. I suggest you watch the hog butchering video until the skin is off around the 5:21 mark. I will not be making the same cuts in the same order. But what I do want you to notice is how he pulls the skin away from the carcass and how he occasionally uses the curved blade to cut the skin away from the connective tissue. This is how you should be using your curved blade.
[Editor note: this portion on the instruction will not get far enough to reference the second video]
The second video is this
rabbit processing video. Once the skin has been removed, I will pretty much follow the procedure she lays out after the skin is removed around the 8:23 mark. You will need to watch the rabbit processing video, because I will refer heavily to it. There may be a few places where my procedure is different from the rabbit video, but That will be the exception and I will note it as such.
*BEFORE*
Before you begin the dressing process you will need to dispatch the GP and make sure he is "good and dead". This is because, with this procedure, there are a cuts and bone breaks that before head removal.
For the first two steps, you will put the carcass on a flat surface. To make this process easier I highly suggest you have your table set at a level that is easy to work with. Having to bend over to work will make the process much more difficult.
- Step one: break bones and make a post anal slit.
View attachment 2
- 1A) Break the leg bones using the either needle-nose pliers or the flat side of a knife. Break the hind leg bone closer to the foot than the knee. do this for both hind legs.
- 1B) Lay the carcass belly-side down on your working surface. It is best to make the first cut on top of the spine. If you make the cut past the end of the spine you risk cutting or nicking the large intestine. The spine prevents you from cutting too deep. To make the first cut you will need to feel around spine. Place your flat blade on top of the spine near the end and "saw" threw the skin to make a slit represented by the red line. The cut should go all the way through the skin. This part of the GP has little padding between the skin and bone, it is ok if the cut exposes bone.
- 1C) Insert the tip of the seam ripper under the skin near the point where the bone was broken on the right leg. Make a slit (blue line) in the skin on the outside of the leg. Continue this slit until you reach the red line. Make a similar cut (green line) on the left leg until it joins the red line. When I tried this I had to use the flat blade in a few places.
Once you are finished you should have a single slit that runs from one leg to the other. The slit should separate the skin on the top side of the carcass from that on the belly side. The anus will be still attached to the fur on the belly side but separated from the top side fur.
- Step 2: opening the belly side of the skin.
View attachment 1
- 2A) lay the carcass belly-side up. Insert the tip of the ripper under the skin beneath the chin. Then create a short incision (red line). Make the cut long enough for you to get your finger in it, but be sure to not go past the rib cage.
- 2B) Jam your finger onto the slit and pull the skin away from tissue underneath. As you do this, the loosened skin will be baggy. Use the hook blade to continue the belly side incisions (green line). You can use one hand to probe under the skin and the other hand to hold the blade. Continue the cut until you get an inch or so away from the anal/genital region.
- 2C) Make the incision in two two paths around the anal/genital region (dark & Light blue lines) that join with the post-anal slit. The post-anal slit is not visible on this photo of the carcass, it is therefore represented symbolically as the black & white dashed line. Start both of these cuts from the green line. When I make these cuts, I probing my finger under the skin to separate it from the carcass.
I found it difficult to make the blue cuts in a single stroke. You will need to start the dark blue cut at the green cut. As you cut around "the bend", you might find the dark blue cut difficult to make with the hook blade. You might wish to start dark blue cut a second time at the post-anal slit and work towards your existing dark blue line cut. You should be able to make the two parts meet somewhere, If you need to use the flat blade be sure not to cut too deep. You can use the same procedure to complete the light blue line.
Once step 2 is completed, the hide is now in two pieces. A small piece of hide covers the anal/genital region. The larger piece of hide covers rest of the carcass
<br /><br /> __________ Sun Mar 01, 2020 4:22 pm __________ <br /><br /> I was able to practice my guinea pig butchering skills and technique, using a guinea pig that was euthanized, about an hour before sunset, due to fight injuries. I took the carcass home, and was able to do a complete butcher.
I had decided to feed the meat to my friend's dog, so I was not as concerned about rigor mortis and cleanliness. I have noticed in the past the guinea pigs seem to remain rather limp for over an hour after death. I hung the carcass by the hind legs in a cool location until I was ready to start work the following morning. This kept the body on a shape advantageous to skinning even if a bit stiff. I was able to work out some of the stiffness by working the joints.
Taking my time ,I was able to produce a complete set of photos. I have enough to produce a complete tutorial for producing "Western skin-off cuy". I have decided that I will start a new thread with all new pictures. I will take comments on how my processing tutorial in that new thread.
I will be using most of what I have already written with a few modifications and writing a finish. As in this thread, I will be recommending watching the two videos. Once I have the GP hanging, The process is to skin it like the hog video and remove the entrails like the rabbit video. There a few notable exceptions I will include in my write-up.
I have decided to ditch the seam ripper, instead I used the common triangular exacto blade for the "seam ripper cuts". Other than that change, I am still using the same blades. I love my Exacto 23 blade for open skinning and I am still using the combat shears, hook blade and 9mm straight blade.
