kurobuta pork...what defines it?

[RachelAnn]

As a server in high-end restaurants i have become familiar with the term "kurobuta pork;" just as one of those recognized names for a quality product, like muscovy duck or jidori chicken. recently i have become more curious as to what the term actaully denotes as far as what it technically means as opposed to merely a general style or quality. i have learned from internet research that kurobuta is merely the japanese name for the berkshire pig which was given to japanese diplomats as a gift from the british in the 1800s. most of the info i have gathered from my online research, which has not been very fruitful as far as providing specific details, has largely been from bristish/scottish publications/purveyors. i have gotten the impression that japanese breeders of kurobuta/berkshire pork have not actaully been feeding their pigs beer, but that european breeders, inspired by the kobe beef method, are feeding their pigs beer and engaing their muscles in an alternative way by letting them go swimming. conversely, the US kurobuta pork providers' sites have mostly extolled the quality of berkshire aka kurobuta pork without mentioning this type of treatment. what i am wondering is, do US producers do the whole beer-feeding thing, or is it just regular berkshire pork that we call kurobuta because that's the name that has made it trendy? the chef at my current job is less than forthcoming about certain details, and i feel like that's because he doesn't really know. one time he told us our mahi mahi was long-line caught. he explained that mahi are like dolphins so they can be dragged for ling distances. i wanted to shout, "are you an idiot?? they are also called dolphinfish but are nowhere near being 'like dolphins,' which are MAMMALS!" anyway does anyone have any information as to whether american kurobuta pigs are given a special treatment, or if they are only called "kurobuta" because it sounds fresher than "berkshire?"

[Hiroyuki]

I can't answer your question, but in Japan, the definition of kurobuta is clear: purebred Berkshire. What is more important is that some ranches have their own standards, such as feeding them with food containing 10% or more sweet potatoes for 60 days or more in a fattening period of 250 days.

[jayt90]

I can't answer your question, but in Japan, the definition of kurobuta is clear:  purebred Berkshire.  What is more important is that some ranches have their own standards, such as feeding them with food containing 10% or more sweet potatoes for 60 days or more in a fattening period of 250 days.

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Does this mean black Berkshire or is red allowed?

I recently found a farmer in Ontario who is starting to raise Berkshire, with two boars and Duroc sows. So the pigs will be a cross. The farmer says that pure black Berkshire pigs may leave dark pin hairs when the skin is removed, and then rejected by fastidious consumers. Is the pin hair problem real, or an artefact?

[RachelAnn]

I can't answer your question, but in Japan, the definition of kurobuta is clear:  purebred Berkshire.  What is more important is that some ranches have their own standards, such as feeding them with food containing 10% or more sweet potatoes for 60 days or more in a fattening period of 250 days.

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so it's not a common practice to give the pigs beer and massages like the kobe catttle?

[Hiroyuki]

I can't answer your question, but in Japan, the definition of kurobuta is clear:  purebred Berkshire.  What is more important is that some ranches have their own standards, such as feeding them with food containing 10% or more sweet potatoes for 60 days or more in a fattening period of 250 days.

←

Does this mean black Berkshire or is red allowed?

I recently found a farmer in Ontario who is starting to raise Berkshire, with two boars and Duroc sows. So the pigs will be a cross. The farmer says that pure black Berkshire pigs may leave dark pin hairs when the skin is removed, and then rejected by fastidious consumers. Is the pin hair problem real, or an artefact?

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For confirmation, this is the kurobuta (lit. black pig). It has black hair except at the nose, tail end, and four paws, where it has white hair.

[Hiroyuki]

I can't answer your question, but in Japan, the definition of kurobuta is clear:  purebred Berkshire.  What is more important is that some ranches have their own standards, such as feeding them with food containing 10% or more sweet potatoes for 60 days or more in a fattening period of 250 days.

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so it's not a common practice to give the pigs beer and massages like the kobe catttle?

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I guess not. I did some googling but found no relevant information.

[Craig Walsh]

I was interested to read these postings about Kurobuta pork, and am glad to contribute what we know about the subject.

I understand that "Kurobuta" means black hog in Japanese ("kuro" = black, "buta" = hog or pig). In Japan, Kurobuta pork comes from black pure-bred Berkshire pigs. I understand the Japanese even have DNA tests to ascertain (in some cases) that the pork has, in fact, come from a Berkshire pig.

There is the story of the British monarch giving the Japanese emperor the first Berkshire pig. I wanted to know more: I thought if the story were true, there were more fascinating details awaiting discovery in the National Archives at Kew. I paid a skilled researcher to spend several days in the archives, but he couldn't find any supporting information. Yes, the British monarch did give the Japanese emperor gifts of state --- but they were things like snuff boxes. So the "official" gift story appears to be purely fiction, unfortunately.

In the UK, Berkshire pigs are classified as a rare breed, in the "vulnerable" category. Please see the website of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

There is also more information about the Berkshire breed itself on the website of the Berkshire Pig Breeders Club --- of which we are proud members.

To my knowledge the Japanese do not feed their Berkshire (Kurobuta) pigs beer, nor do they massage them or otherwise exercise them. We have raised pigs at Lucies Farm, in sunny Worcestershire, for the last 15 or so years. When we first heard about Kurobuta pork, we thought it would be a logical extension of our existing Scottish | Kobe beef enterprise.

As we already feed our cattle beer on a daily basis, and massage our cattle three times each week, we thought we'd go one step further than even the Japanese and would feed our pigs beer and massage them. They like the beer --- unlike the cattle, who want the beer poured over their feed, the pigs like to drink a cold beer right from the bottle or can.

But the pigs weren't fond of being massaged. They're too active and wanted to know what was going on all the time. It was then (coincidentally) that I read about Aquarena Springs in Texas, and the history of Ralph the Swimming Pig. We started with our ginger (red) Tamworth pigs, and soon found that pigs love to swim:

We take our pigs swimming a couple of times a week, weather permitting.

There's more information available on our website www.kurobuta.org --- please be sure to click on the "photos" link at the top of the page to see our online photo gallery of swimming and beer-drinking Berkshire pigs.

We ship our beer-and-grain fed Kurobuta pork throughout the UK. Most of our pork is sold to food enthusiasts, but a small portion is sold to restaurants.

We love to see visitors at the farm (please call ahead of time). We've had visitors even go swimming with our pigs. I recommend doing this in the summer, rather than in the midst of the British winter!

[Le Forgeron]

Last night on Gordon Ramsey's "The F word" on BBC America, they showed Gordon trying to raise a pig for Kurobuta pork. He used beer, and had quite a fun time trying to pick the perfect one! (he chose a cherry flavor).

[SuzySushi]

I was interested to read these postings about Kurobuta pork, and am glad to contribute what we know about the subject.

I understand that "Kurobuta" means black hog in Japanese ("kuro" = black, "buta" = hog or pig). . . 

As we already feed our cattle beer on a daily basis, and massage our cattle three times each week, we thought we'd go one step further than even the Japanese and would feed our pigs beer and massage them.  They like the beer --- unlike the cattle, who want the beer poured over their feed, the pigs like to drink a cold beer right from the bottle or can.

But the pigs weren't fond of being massaged.  They're too active and wanted to know what was going on all the time.  It was then (coincidentally) that I read about Aquarena Springs in Texas, and the history of Ralph the Swimming Pig.  We started with our ginger (red) Tamworth pigs, and soon found that pigs love to swim:

We take our pigs swimming a couple of times a week, weather permitting.

There's more information available on our website www.kurobuta.org --- please be sure to click on the "photos" link at the top of the page to see our online photo gallery of swimming and beer-drinking Berkshire pigs. . .

We love to see visitors at the farm (please call ahead of time).  We've had visitors even go swimming with our pigs.  I recommend doing this in the summer, rather than in the midst of the British winter!

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Yes, kurobuta is a direct translation of "black pigs/hogs" from Japanese.

Wonderful photos on your website! I see that both you and the pigs have a good sense of humor! Loved the photos of the contented moms & babies, the beer-drinking pigs (do they actually get tipsy?), and the swimmers.

Will definitely bookmark your site for a farm visit if we're in your neck of the woods!

[Shalmanese]

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Man, I'm stuck with the conflicting desires of simultaneously wanting to be that pig and eat that pig at the same time .

[Hiroyuki]

There is the story of the British monarch giving the Japanese emperor the first Berkshire pig.  I wanted to know more:  I thought if the story were true, there were more fascinating details awaiting discovery in the National Archives at Kew.  I paid a skilled researcher to spend several days in the archives, but he couldn't find any supporting information.  Yes, the British monarch did give the Japanese emperor gifts of state --- but they were things like snuff boxes.  So the "official" gift story appears to be purely fiction, unfortunately.

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Thank you for your informative post. I did some more googling (on my own ) but was unable to find any information between the connection between the emperor and the Berkshire pig, either.

By the way, do you ever feed your Berkshire pigs with food containing sweet potatoes in the final stage of the fattening period, like some Japanese breeders do?

Does beer have a significant effect on the flavor and texture of the pork?

[RachelAnn]

thank you so much for the post, craig. i had found that your farm did the beer thing but wondered more, and I am so happy that you enriched this thread!

[Kent Wang]

How much does all this extra care cost for the consumer? How much does loin, tenderloin, etc. cost?

What kind of beer do you buy for the porkers? Reject/defective beer?

And the most important question: How much does this impact the flavor? Can we see a slice of loin or ham to see the marbling?

That ginger color is charming, certainly one of the prettier hogs I've seen.