heritage pork

[AlaMoi]

I have finally found a local source for retail Berkshire pork - Rooster Street/Lititz, PA.

many mail order sources - but with two people, I really don't need half-a-hog.....

 

so - what is the most succulent cut on a Berkshire?

[kayb]

It's hard to beat a loin chop. Newman Farms in SE MO. is a good source for Berkshires. And they ship, and have twice a month pickup in StL.

 

I have a package of pork shanks I'm holding for cold weather, and I'm going to try to recreate a pork shank braised in cider recipe I had at Murphy's in Atlanta that may have been the best pork I ever had.

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I just bought these inch+ thick half pound Korubuta chops 5 minutes ago at my local butcher.    One chop with sides is dinner for two of us.     YMMV.    Pan-fried to pink = divine.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[AlaMoi]

we've had heritage pork a number of times in restaurants and it's always been super good.  but finding it even at a butcher shop can be very difficult.

 

last week dining in a local/farm-to-table/grassfed/etc etc resto I asked why no heritage breeds (they own half a farm....) and they said it does not sell well.

go figger.  with their sub-specialty of local/responsible foods, one would think their clientele would go wild over it.

 

btw, a bit of trepidation on the visit - all their beef is explicitly listed as grassfed.  but I had a dry aged grassfed ribeye done med-rare that was one of the best restaurant steaks I've ever had....

[JoNorvelleWalker]

A Berkshire chop tonight.  One of the finest things I can find to eat.

 

[weinoo]

Everyone knows Berkshire = Kurobuta, right? Or vice versa.

 

https://www.foodrepublic.com/2013/01/25/what-is-kurobuta-pork/

[rotuts]

@Margaret Pilgrim 

 

wow , what fine looking chops !

 

they are Talking to Me !

 

@AlaMoi 

 

grass fed beef is mighty fine SV'd    at least initially

 

you can brown after cooking.   use as low a temp as you can stand

 

Im wondering if Heritage pork would also benefit w a swim in the SV bath.

 

and then there is Heritage Turkey :

 

https://www.marysturkeys.com

[AlaMoi]

Wednesday night I roasted the Berkshire half-loin on the bone.

did a piece of it earlier as pulled pork.

 

used a in-oven probe to monitor temp.  started it at 235'F - heating too fast, reduced oven to 160'F.

at 140'F internal jacked up the oven to 425'F for an oven crust 'reverse sear'

pulled it at 144F - carryover took it to 147'F.

incredibly good pork - tender, about 60x more flavor than typical supermarket pork.

 

the stuff is more expensive and a whale of a lot harder to come by - but it is well worth it.

 

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, AlaMoi said:

he stuff is more expensive and a whale of a lot harder to come by - but it is well worth it.

Not really that hard to come by. Plenty of on line sources for heritage pork, Berkeshire pork, whatever...

 

https://www.dartagnan.com/buy/berkshire-pork/

 

https://www.debragga.com/pork.html (If you think Kurobuta is great, Gloucester old spot...)

 

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

 

https://www.fossilfarms.com/collections/berkshire-pork

 

And on and on.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Picked these up today    $18.99/lb.     One chop serves two people easily

 

[rotuts]

@Margaret Pilgrim 

 

where did you get them ?

 

how thick are they ?

 

how do you plan to cook them ?

 

I be so tempted to try one 

 

if they were available when i do my

 

Supermarket Blitz.

 

Ill take the one at the top please.

[weinoo]

@rotuts 

 

@Margaret Pilgrim has a real butcher down the road apiece.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Margaret Pilgrim 

 

where did you get them ?

 

how thick are they ?

 

how do you plan to cook them ?

 

Two blocks from house = excellent private supermarket with butcher.  

About 1 1/4" thick.

Cast iron pan, stovetop; sear, flip-flop, flip-flop,  rest, slice/divide.    These are just over 3/4 lb each.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

 

fwiw, this butcher also carries Llano seco pork at about 2/3 the price of the Berkshire.    I haven't tried it but it seems to be well raised.    Next time, maybe, but we are so very satisfied with the Berkshire.

[Raw/Cooked]

Beautiful chops, @Margaret Pilgrim!

 

I share your (and others) preference for Berkshire pork, though I am biased as my wife and I raise Berkshire/Gloucester Old Spot cross hogs. Over the last decade we have rotated other breeds into our farm (Large Black, Tamworth, Yorkshire, Duroc, and mixes of these) and we find that we definitely prefer the Berkshire and Berk crosses. While there are definitely breed differences, for example the deep redness of Berkshire meat, how the pigs are raised has a huge impact on their deliciousness. This year we had a couple Yorkshire/Duroc crosses (like those that Llano Seco raise). This is a standard commercial hog that grows longer and leaner than most "heritage" breeds, the "other white meat" kind of pig. They turned out great, full of flavor, juicy, beautiful color, and with a decent amount of fat.

 

To put the cost of this kind of pork into perspective, this year it cost us @ $4/ pound just to feed our pigs from weaning to market weight. That's not counting labor or other costs like bedding or replacing old fencing. It is expensive and labor intensive to raise quality meat, and while I certainly understand that it is not affordable for many, I am heartened to see folks who can afford to do so choose to purchase non-industrial pork.

[weinoo]

31 minutes ago, Raw/Cooked said:

To put the cost of this kind of pork into perspective, this year it cost us @ $4/ pound just to feed our pigs from weaning to market weight. That's not counting labor or other costs like bedding or replacing old fencing. It is expensive and labor intensive to raise quality meat, and while I certainly understand that it is not affordable for many, I am heartened to see folks who can afford to do so choose to purchase non-industrial pork.

Wow - that's a lot!

 

I am certainly not surprised that how an animal is raised, and under what conditions, contributes greatly to the final product. I wish more people understood this (then again, I wish giant agribusiness to go to hell, but that's another story).

 

How do you market your pigs? Do you sell any product directly to consumer? I've been able to taste a few of the breeds you mention, by buying pork at the farmer's market - and I particularly enjoy the Gloucester I've gotten from DeBragga.

[KennethT]

59 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 (then again, I wish giant agribusiness to go to hell, but that's another story).

I think there is a place for giant agribusiness - but I am happy there are other alternatives.  The unfortunate reality is that we need the really cheap sources of meat to feed the majority of the world.  Every time I read an article talking about how the world is going to run out of food, large agribusiness comes up with ways to be more efficient, to get more product out of a piece of land.  Farm land is finite - and as the human population grows, land for farming is shrinking.  As much as I don't want to eat it, GMO crops (like more disease/drought/pest resistant crops) are what saved the planet from starvation decade after decade.

[rotuts]

@KennethT 

 

Kudos on the way.

 

eG members are an exception and far from average.

 

it's truly a gift to be able to support ' heritage ' breeds.

 

and breeders.

 

not far from most of us there are families barely getting  by.

 

its also important to remember the Perdue's , Tyson's

 

and ConAgra's are not humanitarians

 

they are profit motivated , and have been involved

 

in many large nefarious schemes .

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[Raw/Cooked]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

Wow - that's a lot!

 

I am certainly not surprised that how an animal is raised, and under what conditions, contributes greatly to the final product. I wish more people understood this (then again, I wish giant agribusiness to go to hell, but that's another story).

 

How do you market your pigs? Do you sell any product directly to consumer? I've been able to taste a few of the breeds you mention, by buying pork at the farmer's market - and I particularly enjoy the Gloucester I've gotten from DeBragga.

It is a lot! We feed organic and like most things the cost of feed took a jump this year. I also slaughter at @ 9-10 months so we need to feed them a little longer than is typical

 

We don't market our pigs. My wife is one of six kids, and each of her siblings has a decently sized family, so we do this strictly as a family affair (they help with costs and some labor). If I could slaughter on-farm and sell, I might think differently about it. Gloucester Old Spots have fantastic meat, but the fat is prodigious! GOS are lard hogs and it's a little overwhelming.