Porcine nightmare. Please advise!

Howdy Pig Permies.

I am devastated and ashamed. I killed two pigs last weekend, and hung them in the root cellar after the slaughtering.
During November I killed my first and hung her in the root cellar, along with two rams, and salted them every day for over a week. The butchery went very well and the product was beautiful - very worth ending my 10 year stint as a vegetarian.

Being a high level dunce, I didnt realize the root cellar was ~40-50 or so degrees all winter, and that at the end of June, its 65-70. I cant believe I didnt think about it. I salted the two girls every day, and only noticed a vinegar smell in the fatty crevices on tuesday - so we butchered one asap, and it was awful. All the fat (guinea hogs, so lots of it) was gelatinous and sour smelling. The meat doesnt seem bad, but its all surrounded by the fat so I assume it makes no difference. I went through with butchering them in the hope of at least using them for the dogs.... It was a horrible experience. Ive still got another night of butchering to do for the other girl.

My first pig went great, and I felt like a fine journeyman thanks to my permie/youtube teachers. However, this experience has destroyed my confidence and made me aware of how unqualified I am to be leading slaughter/butchery events. I havent consumed meat I havent produced for over a decade - but now Im starting to wonder if the terror an animal experiences during a trip to the USDA approved slaughterhouse (that kept me a staunch vegetarian for so long) is better than the risk of some moron killing beloved pigs for.... dog food.
Is it even safe to feed to dogs?
What do I even do with the 50lbs of semi-rendered lard from ONE of them, let alone two?

I really dont know what to do. Deeply uninspiring experience.

Hi Ian;  It's a sad day at your house.  You made a mistake, and I'm sure that you learned from it. I'm guessing that this will never happen again in your life.
I think maybe... the meat fully cooked might be safe for your dogs .   Having said that if it were me I would dispose of all of it. I would be distraught if my dogs suffered because of me.
Don't give up on raising your own food. As humans we can't survive/ thrive  on the food they sell in the stores anymore... we must grow / raise our own if we want to be healthy!  

Ian Rule wrote:
I salted the two girls every day
I went through with butchering them in the hope of at least using them for the dogs
Is it even safe to feed to dogs?

Hi Ian, from what I understand it's not a good idea for dogs to eat salty food.

Very sorry to hear about your experience that started out so well and turned bad

I should clarify - the salted areas wont be fed to dogs.  
I also figure Ill freeze the meat for at least 3 weeks before feeding to dogs... slowly.

If the meat has soured, and it almost definitely has, you don't want to cook it indoors. Its a smell that penetrates curtains, towels, carpet, anything cloth or fiber. Also, if you have large dogs that probably have found other sour or rotted meat outdoors in the past, You could give them the cooked meat, but in small amounts per day, they've built up a resistance to the bacteria (note 'resistance', no way can they become immune). Don't give it to small or medium sized dogs at all.
Best bet really, either find a rendering facility nearby that will take all the meat and fat, or bury it deep with plenty of lime to keep animals from digging it up.

Ian Rule wrote:I should clarify - the salted areas wont be fed to dogs.  
I also figure Ill freeze the meat for at least 3 weeks before feeding to dogs... slowly.

Ian, I'm so sorry to read this after your last post.

This is quite late, so you've probably already come to a solution with this meat. But for others who find themselves in this situation:

I would not, personally, feed any soured meat to animals. The problem of the bacteria (etc.) growing in your meat would be solved by intense cooking and freezing. However, another problem is the microbial waste products (toxins/poisons/what have you) that have accumulated in the meat. This will persist through cooking and freezing.

If you are dead set on trying to salvage the meat, perhaps try feeding a small amount of cooked/frozen meat to your animals first. If they have no adverse reactions to it (upset stomach, diarrhea, basically the whole pepto bismol ad), then you might be okay. However, I think the risk of making your canine or feline friends sick is relatively high. In my opinion, it's also cruel to feed food to an animal that you know will make them sick.

My Dad grew up on the land in Virginia, I can still recall his words on a chilly winter morning.  It's hog killing weather...

I suppose if you've got access to modern refrigeration equipment any time works but the old timers processed hogs in cold weather...