The Complete Homestead Butchering Equipment List (What You Actually Need)

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After processing dozens of lambs, goats, pigs, and more chickens than I can count on our Indiana homestead, I’ve learned exactly what equipment matters and what’s just marketing fluff.

Here’s the truth: you don’t need to spend thousands to get started. But investing in a few quality items will make the work safer, faster, and produce better results.

The Absolute Essentials (Under $200)

These are the tools you cannot skip. Everything else is optional until you scale up.

Knives (Pick Quality Over Quantity)

• 6" boning knife — Your workhorse. You’ll use this 80% of the time.
• 10" breaking knife — For splitting carcasses and heavy cuts.
• Honing steel — Not optional. A dull knife is dangerous and makes poor cuts.

I’ve used everything from $20 knives to $200 German steel. My honest recommendation? Victorinox Fibrox Pro knives hit the sweet spot. Commercial butchers use them because they hold an edge, sharpen easily, and cost around $30-40 each.

Cutting Surface

Skip the fancy butcher blocks for now. A large HDPE cutting board (at least 24"x18") is:

• NSF food-safe
• Easy to sanitize
• Won’t dull your knives
• Under $50

Sharpening

A dull knife turns a 2-hour job into a 4-hour nightmare. Get:

• Whetstone set (1000/6000 grit) — Learn to use it properly
• Honing steel — Use between every animal, sometimes during

Meat Handling

• Food-grade buckets (5-gallon) — You’ll need 3-4 minimum
• Stainless steel bowls — Large ones for organ meats and trim
• Vacuum sealer — This isn’t optional if you’re freezing meat

Mid-Range Setup ($500-1000)

Once you’re processing regularly, these upgrades pay for themselves.

Meat Grinder

If you’re making any ground meat or sausage, a quality grinder transforms your operation.

What to look for:

• Minimum #12 size (the number refers to plate diameter)
• 1 HP motor or better
• Metal gears, not plastic
• Multiple plate sizes (fine, medium, coarse)

The difference between a $150 grinder and a $300 grinder? The cheap one will burn out mid-session. Ask me how I know. I use the LEM #12 Big Bite — it handles everything without breaking a sweat.

Gambrel and Hoist System

Processing on a table works, but hanging the carcass makes everything easier:

• Better drainage
• Gravity does the work
• Cleaner cuts
• Less back strain

A basic gambrel and manual hoist runs $100-150. Worth every penny.

Bone Saw

For splitting carcasses and cutting through bone cleanly. A quality hand bone saw ($40-60) works fine for home scale. Save the band saw dreams for later.

Scaling Up ($1000+)

Only consider these after you’re processing consistently:

• Commercial vacuum sealer — The home units work, but commercial chamber sealers are faster and handle liquids better
• Meat band saw — Game-changer for pork and beef, overkill for small stock
• Walk-in cooler or large chest freezer — Aging beef properly requires controlled temps
• Sausage stuffer — If you’re serious about sausage, ditch the grinder attachment

What NOT to Buy

Save your money on:

• Expensive knife sets — You need 3 knives, not 12
• “Butcher block” tables — A stainless prep table is more sanitary and cheaper
• Specialty gadgets — That $80 “professional meat tenderizer” sits in my drawer unused

My Actual Setup

For reference, here’s what I use after years of refining:

Total: Around $900 for a setup that handles everything from chickens to pigs.

Getting Started Today

If you’re reading this and ready to start, here’s my advice:

1. Buy one good knife — A 6" boning knife
2. Get a cutting board and sharpening stone
3. Process your first animal — Learn what YOU actually need
4. Add equipment based on real bottlenecks

Don’t buy the full setup before you’ve processed anything. You’ll end up with gear you don’t need and missing things you do.

Want the complete guide to home butchering? Check out The Homestead Butchering Handbook — 95 pages covering everything from setup to storage.