Going Hog Wild for More than 40 Years

The Hotop family’s hog butchering tradition

For the Hotops of Perry County, observing family tradition begins before dawn.

Handling hog from left: Nathan Richardet, Brian Leible, Mike Hotop and Mike's son Austin Hotop take a hog off the trailer for butchering Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, on a farm in rural Perry County, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

When the January sky lightens around 6:50 a.m., the family works together to light a fire. The soon-crackling blaze signals the beginning of a day of hog butchering on the Hotop’s property near Brazeau in Perry County.

From left: Brian Leible, Mike Hotop, Mike's son Austin Hotop and Pat Hotop tend to butchering a hog Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, on a farm in rural Perry County, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

As the family starts the fire under a large pot, the adults load the firewood from the farm under its metal bottom. Out of the pots the family uses, the middle and largest will contain a stew simmering through the day; the other two smaller ones hold hot water for handwashing and cooking smaller items.

From left: Tom Scott of Arnold, Missouri; Nathan Richardet of Perryville, and Ronnie Hotop of Perryville put hog meat into sausage casing Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, on a farm in rural Perry County, Missouri.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

While the fire warms the cold January air, the family members catch up and sip coffee. More than 20 members of the family, in addition to extended family and friends, gather throughout the day.

Pat Hotop of Perryville, Missouri, (left) and JD Jenkins of Marble Hill, Missouri, decapitate hogs Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, on a farm in rural Perry County, Missouri. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

“It’s a long day, and it’s a hard day, but it’s fun,” Allen Hotop says. “Everyone used to do it out of necessity — now it’s a novelty.”

Andy Kliefoth of Kansas City, Missouri, and Pat Hotop of Perryville, Missouri, put hog parts into a pot Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, on a farm in rural Perry County, Missouri.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

The late Reuben Hotop began the butchering and cooking tradition in 1978, Pat Hotop says. While the family members remember the origin or exact time differently, the common thread is that it’s centered on the Hotop’s dedication to family. Many of the attendees — Allen, Pat, Ronnie, Mike and Paul Hotop, Wanda Schremp and Diane Mahnken — are siblings and children of Reuben, who carry on the tradition. Seven of the 12 siblings were present at the 2020 hog butchering, Mike says.

“Now, we’ve done it so long, we keep doing it,” Allen says.

Twenty minutes after 7 a.m., a truck pulls up the muddy gravel drive carrying already-processed hogs in a flatbed trailer. After the truck is parked, pairs of adult family members help to carry the hogs from the trailer to tables inside the shed on the property.

The seven hogs are processed at Reis Meat Processing in Pocahontas and divided among the Hotop families. Most families bring home the equivalent of a half hog in meat and divide the total cost between everyone. Pat says each hog costs 50 or 60 cents per pound, which usually means around a $150 expense for each family bringing home hog meat.

After the hogs are divided into halves for each family, everyone works together to separate the portions of meat. Mike says while this part of the process involves a lot of physical work, everyone enjoys the time spent together.

The family members place pieces of meat — hog head, liver and kidneys — in the large pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally throughout the day with a skimmer tool.

The stew cooks for two to three hours while the family creates sausage from portions not used in other cooking. Using a meat saw and meat grinder, the family processes the sausage to later bring home.

Around 9 a.m., “Aunt Wanda” as the family calls her, arrives, greeting everyone with coffee, milk and doughnuts from Hoecklele’s Bakery in Perryville, Missouri. As everyone gathers around the breakfast she provides, their breath can be seen in the chilly January air. Pat says the temperature has never stopped the family from enjoying the hog butchering.

In fact, the family has hosted this event every year since 1987, Roger Schremp, Wanda’s husband, says. The only year the family decided against it, Pat says, was when the area received 12 to 14 inches of snow. Through rain, below-freezing temperatures, high winds and snowy conditions, Pat says the family has continued the tradition no matter the weather conditions.

Around 11 a.m., the stew finishes cooking, which prompts a family member to check to ensure the meat is fully cooked. If the meat is tender, the family removes it from the boiling pot and sits it on a table to remove the bones.

While the family enjoys dining on the hog around noon, the resounding answer is that the most important part of the day is tradition. Allen says the family has been hosting annual hog butchering events even before he was old enough to participate.

“My dad and his brothers were doing this even before I was born,” Allen says. “And so they’ve done it for years and years.”

All the participants at the hog butchering are connected to the family, Allen says. Throughout the years, the tradition has grown as grandchildren, nieces, nephews and family friends gather with the Hotops. He explains that while all the individuals attending the hog butchering are interconnected, they each bring their own personalities to the yearly gathering.

Paul brings his sons, Adam and Grant, to the hog butchering. Adam, 15, has been coming since he was a few months old. He says he loves the aspect of tradition during the family gatherings. While he’s usually tasked with cleaning buckets during the day, he says he’ll help with anything.

At the end of the day, though, his favorite part of the family tradition is trying the food the family makes.

“I like the tradition, eating all the good food, all the cooked food — when it’s just coming straight out of the kettle,” Adam says. “A little salt, mhmm!”