I have been following this discussion waiting for the obvious to be broached.
It would seem that many of the discussants are new age archaeologists who
got their education from the library, or  from those "you don't have to
go to the field  to do archaeology" folks. I anticipate a flame or two
on this but they will be ignored.
 
Maybe a little "Living Archaeology" would be useful? If you really want
to know how soap and lye were produced in the pre-Ivory days, or what happened
to the bones, or whether beef was preferred to pork  or possum- ask. There
are still plenty of folks alive who actually accomplished these tasks before
the grocery store came on the scene, or became a popular means of getting
everyday items.  Go find some elderly folks and ask!  Most of these folks
are significant repositories of information and wonderful teachers to us
archaeologist. It is a pity we don't seek their help more often on archaeologica
l
problems. You will be surprised what you can learn. Of course there  will
be regional variants to the answer. But, traditions hold on a long time!
 
 
As an aside. Those large  cast iron cauldrons were used for many things
including rendering, soap making, lard production, laundry,  cooking, flower
pots, etc. Again  ask those who used them  to what uses the cauldrons were
put.
 
Yep, I used to do all this in my younger days. Always in fall and usually
in October after harvest. No machinery, just  people and horses or mules.
And, of course the object, the hog/beef.  Ever tried to move a 900 -1000
lb hog without help?  Oh yes, once started the process went on without
interruption until completion.
 
Jim Chase