We’ve distanced ourselves from our food to such an extent that we have no idea where it comes from anymore. For many of us, it’s inconceivable that the packaged chicken from the supermarket was once running around clucking, and had to be killed to become a meal.

But sometimes you have to look your dinner in the eye. Recently, I did just that—traveling to the outskirts of Berlin, along with a handful of people from Markthalle 9, to kill and butcher two pigs.

Schlachtfest Street Food Thursday Burgers and Hip-Hop Mr. Susan

I joined them, along with sausage expert Hendrik Hasse, at sunrise one morning to drive out to the municipality of Rietz-Neuendorf, about an hour outside of Berlin. We arrived at the Hirschaue property, where we were met by owner Henrik Staar, his father (known only as “Papa Staar”), and two butchers, Manuel and Martin. In the freezing February cold, we walked around the sparse compound, where the pigs are kept free-range year-round. This 570-hectare property is one of 239 German organic farms that invite consumers to view actual farming practices first-hand.

It’s also an opportunity that, according to Haase, is still largely unknown to the public. “Too often, we eat meat without knowing where it comes from, who slaughtered it, and how,” he said. “We should visit and support those who still slaughter with dignity, and who get their hands dirty for us while practicing the art of the true butcher.”

Papa Staar sat on the tractor, flanked by the two butchers dressed in work gear: white pants and rubber boots. The three of them then began rounding up the herd of pigs, who wouldn’t let anyone get in their way of feeding. Staar breeds a special kind of pig known as the Märkisches-Sattelschwiene, a cross between wild boar and the endangered German saddle pig. They take longer to mature than conventional pigs, but produce a beautifully marbled meat, due in part to their diet of fresh grass, walnuts, muesli, and whatever they are able to forage in the forest.

Everything happened very slowly. Papa Staar sat back down on his tractor—just part of his routine—as the two butchers spiked one of each of the pigs’ back legs onto hooks. They then slit their throats so as to let them bleed out, and then chauffeured them along to the butcher’s shop. We walked behind the tractor, trailing the blood that continuously dripped from it.

From here, our pigs are bound for the second part of the Schlachtfest experience: a massive feast at Markthalle 9, cooked by Mr. Susan, Lode & Stijn, Simon the Sausage Man, and Kantine Neun. In keeping with both German tradition and the nose-to-tail ethos, the chefs will attempt to use as many parts of our pigs as possible. Not only does it showcase these beautiful free-range animals, it also proves that raising pigs sustainably and ethically can translate into a superior product.

All photos by Hendrik Haase.