[Surtur]

Unlike today, when we have refrigeration, hogs were only slaughtered after the weather turned consistently cold enough to keep the meat fresh until it could be processed for storage, e.g. brined, smoked, etc.. If the first Thanksgiving was held at this time of year, then the weather might not have been sufficiently cold enough to ensure the pork’s longevity. If so, butchering of hogs might have occurred after the thanksgiving festival when the weather turned colder.

[Domandred]

Makes sense. I was thinking of all the times I’ve been to a hog roast and there wasn’t enough meat left to worry about preserving it.