[Nicko]

Yep I have crossed over I am going to make an attempt to no longer buy my meat from the large chains and support my local farmers. I found a local farmer in Illinois from the Eat Wild website Bauer Meats (Home) and will be picking up the meat in early July. What a different experience it was. I spoke with the owner Sandy for at least a half hour about how they raise the pigs, what breed they are, how long they are left outside etc etc. The pigs are Berkshire and they are grass fed. I bought a half a pig (a whole was way too much meat) and I can't wait to see the difference.

I am thinking of doing an article for ChefTalk with photos of the whole experience if you guys think it would be interesting.

Anyone else buying their meats this way?

[KYHeirloomer]

I buy hogs at the livestock auctions, then some buddies and I scald, scrape, butcher and cure them.

A whole hog lasts us about two years. But that's what smoke houses and freezers are for.

Lately I've been thinking of getting goats the same way.

I, for one, would be interested in hearing about your experiences.

[Suzanne]

Reminds me of the time we were having a roast beef dinner at Paul's cousin in Marquette, MI. It was great, and he was sure to tell us that it was from a quarter of a cow he had bought (4-H). How, we asked, do you buy a quarter of a cow? Easy, he said: you split a half a cow.

As for preservations: besides freezing and smoking, don't forget salt-curing and confit. I presume there will be enough fat that you can render your own lard and use some for confit? (See Paula Wolfert's Cooking of South West France for instructions and recipes. ) Please do keep us informed!

[shroomgirl]

yep only my last pig lastest 2 weeks.....except for the 10# of boudin still in the freezer.
A bone saw is very important....and I adore my new uniworld sausage grinder/stuffer....way better than the junky K-6 professional version that just can't sustain the power.

My pig comes scalded hairless and cut in half with the leaf lard on the inside, the head in one bag and the liver/heart/kidneys in another. I pay $25 for that service. works for me.
The pork we're getting is heirloom mutt.....duraq, tammworth, berkshire, etc with great marbling, wonderful thick white fat, incredible flavor. We did a cost breakdown, photos and tasting last Oct 23. One of the chefs makes guanciale, another smokes hams, a couple of others smoke the shoulders for BBQ. The belly seems to go to waste for me, one of my buddies is going to prep it next time I buy another....probably in 2 weeks, just in time for the 4th.
*Grass fed hog? are you sure? never heard of that.....raised with the access to outdoors yes, but not a grass fed hog.

Recipes....always can use more sausage recipes.....how to and when to use salt peter, etc....optimal temp of meat....what freezes well, which casing work for which sausage.....how to clean offal.....all questions inquiring minds would like to know.

[m brown]

I would love to hear about it!
Moving to the south west, I think I will be closer to purchasing as you do.
Can't wait!
Congrats!

[LindaT]

We are fortunate in that we live in the country and raise our own pork and beef for our freezer. Good for you for supporting the small farmer.

Genetics do play a part in the quality of your pork, but the feed also plays a big part. I, too, am skeptical of the grass fed pig claim. That would be difficult to do, at best. Watching a pig root up the ground makes one wonder how many acres of grass it might take to raise "grass fed" pigs, and what kind of fences keep them home. Maybe they're fed grass hay? And, I'm not certain the quality of the meat would be improved over that of grain fed.

The best pork we raise is fed on barley. The texture is closer to that of beef, and the flavor is great. My butcher can always recognize my pork without looking at the name because of the feed the animals received. No hormones, no medications. We buy 2 or 3 weaner pigs and feed them all the barley they want from a self feeder. I supplement with surplus fresh vegetables and spent plants from the garden as I can. The pigs live outdoors with a small shelter in a roomy pen. I make my own sausage and bacon as my grandmother taught me, and with my chef son to teach me the finer points of preparing the rest of the pork, life is very good.

[kuan]

Wow Linda good for you! That's really cool!

I wonder what the city would say if they found a coupla oinkers in my backyard?? My pets! That's it, yeah.

[deltadoc]

Originally Posted by Nicko

Yep I have crossed over I am going to make an attempt to no longer buy my meat from the large chains and support my local farmers. Anyone else buying their meats this way?

I buy my meat from Venison America ( Welcome to Venison America ) and deal directly with the owner, Steve. They buy their Berkshire pigs from local farmers who raise them free range, without antibiotics, hormones, etc.

In fact, all the meat that VA sells is bought from small producers. Their Black Angus is Certified 100% Black Angus and is grown by small farms. It is delicious.

doc

[shroomgirl]

Farmer's Markets are excellent resources for meats......my pigs come from a farmer that sells at two different markets....one Wed. afternoon, so he delivers to restaurants (and I would assume individuals that buy 1/2-whole critters) then.....he's also in town on Sat. mornings. With the volume of the markets he has them butchered every week. USDA processor, necessary for restaurants. The direct buy saves me a lot of money and I'm sure puts more money in the farmer's pocket. win-win.
It's entertainment for all in the building to see this BIG (6'6") farmer hoist a hog 1/2 over his shoulder and walk it up the 3 flts of stairs to my kitchen.....his choice over the cart/elevator on the other side of the building.
LindaT (actually any of you that do it) would you share your techniques?

No farmer's markets near you? then contact the dept of ag for your state and do alittle research, most can hook you up with a farmer/processing plant.
If meat is not allowed at your markets, which is rare, then ask around the market master of some of the farmers probably know of heirloom farmers....most either raise their own or buy from people in their communities.

When Dr. Heidi was in STL she got to drive by the upscale home in Clayton, MO that is home to roosters, chickens, bee hives, a pool turned into an edible fish pond, bunnies, etc....middle of high-end homes.....so your pets would be named "Bacon" and "Ham"?

[Nicko]

Shroom, the pigs are pasture fed with a small suplement of grain. The grain is actually mixed by another local farmer so the owners know exactly what is going into the feed. The owner Sandy told me that they basically let the pigs do what they want if they want to come inside they can do so or if they want to go outside and dig and forage they can do that as well. Here is the quote from their website:

Our pork is pasture-raised, with a little grain. We use
old-fashioned Berkshire pigs. They have good marbling
which helps to keep the meat from drying out during
cooking. We DO NOT inject our pork with saline or brine
it. This is an unnecessary practice with this breed and is
why we stopped buying pork from the grocery store.

[shroomgirl]

pigs root.....apparently they can totally distroy a wooded area....there's alot of controversy about putting rings in pigs noses, most farmers are for it.

Cool story, one of my favorite sustianable farmer has a deversified farm and has raised a few pigs each year......he also has Johnson rye grass which is a total bear to get rid of, horrible shtuff.....anyway the piggies love Johnson rye grass rhizomes. Total win-win....pigs eat the rhizomes, land is cleared and at the end the farmer eats the pork loins!!!

We got into the fed question with the farmers last Oct.....it was interesting how many chefs are asking for acorn fed pigs. ala Spain....Southwest Mo has alot of oaks, it'll be interesting to see what comes from that request.
I found Berkshires fed Jersey Cow whey....all of the heirloom pork I got for the pig party had no antibiotics/hormones, open to pasture/outdoor space, all fed decent shtuff but not the same fed. Water content varied, color of meat varied, marbling throughout was good except the loin I picked up at Sams just for the heck of it.....boy it was so bad next to all the other pork.

The price difference between buying bits and pieces vs. buying 1/2 or whole animal is HUGE.

The chef from American Place used to work at Daniels and they use boiled skin to add texture to pates, I've not quite figured out how to do that but want to learn more......there's alot of skin on a hog, I'm just not up for that much pork rinds.

Leaf lard is easy to detect and pull off....it's the white encased fat in the inner cavity. Over a slow flame, render the fat....I cut it into 2" pieces (one farmer puts it through a sausage grinder for faster rendering.....takes several hours, then I strain through a China cap lined with cheese cloth. refrigerate until solid, then using a scoop, make balls the size of a pie crust recipe (1/3-1/2 cup) freeze on a cookie sheet then bag them in ziplocs. Way easier to store and use. No frozen blocks of fat to hack on, just easy balls to work with......oh, leaf lard does not have a pork flavor thus it's great to use for sweet pies. Regular lard has a pronounced pork flavor and is better used for savory crusts, frying....oh man, chicken fried in lard is out standing.....crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.....or whatever you would use lard for...tamales, etc.

[Mezzaluna]

Nicko, I'll bet there's homemade sausage in your future! Please do make a photographic record of your experience. I'll look forward to reading it. If you make rillettes, please save a bite for me, good buddy.

[chrose]

What's its name? Why do I keep seeing Homer and Pinchy when I hear this?

YouTube - The Simpsons - Pinchy And Homer

[Nicko]

Originally Posted by LindaT

We are fortunate in that we live in the country and raise our own pork and beef for our freezer. Good for you for supporting the small farmer.

I am totally jealous that would be my dream to have about 5 acres and raise my own pigs, cows, and chickens. How wonderful Linda that you are able to do that and even more so you had a grandmother to teach some of those techniques.

There is so much you can research about buying local and what the pigs are fed. To be completely honest only goal at this point is to get away from the commercial grown pork and support the local farmers. Although I did ask the owners if they feed the pigs apples or any other scraps they said they do not. Maybe in the future I can work with them on a more varied diet.

Thanks everyone great discussion.

[kuan]

Originally Posted by chrose

What's its name? Why do I keep seeing Homer and Pinchy when I hear this?

YouTube - The Simpsons - Pinchy And Homer

Whatever you do, don't give the pigs names.