pork....

[thetincook]

That's kinda funny. For a second there, I thought you were roasting a whole pig. Man that was a big pig!


When I do pig like that in the oven I always slide a pan of liquid in there, I also protect the open meat with the rub/paste. Then again I like the crispy bits in pulled pork. This is also why I heart AltoShaam.


Ever cook pig for the crispy skin? I don't see that much here. I guess you guys in St Lous tend toward the slow BBQ.

I've got pig on the brain now! I'll have to see if I can get the boss to start selling carnitas parties.

[shroomgirl]

no I leave the skin on the shoulder and ham to insulate the meat/fat. I too love crispy bits chopped into my Q....but what I got last week was not edible.
Way way to hard.....as in chip a knife hard. Right past it the meat was tender and tasty but the edges had gone too far.

I skin the loins to roast, love the searred off brown fat.

Got fresh hot tortillas, spring onions, limes, crema and some hot salsa and made tacos with some of the pig for lunch during prep. YUMMMY.

[shroomgirl]

ok this is too cool....got in a pure breed tamworth 1/2 today......oh man fat as deep as my index finger running the length of the back. PATE!!!!! Hurray~~~ The meat is a darker cooler, the loin same size as a much smaller pig. This was one fat pig. 195 live weight for the half...so aprox 400 whole weight.....that is alot of pig.

Broke it down fairly quickly, called my buddies that know how to make lardo to see if they wanted to see this pig.

[OzarkRose]

I forget how sometimes you guys never get out of the kitchen!
Here are some things you need to jump ahead on; just follow the links to suppliers...
ARK varieties: Slow Food USA
ALBC list: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy - Conservation Priority List

[shroomgirl]

thanks ozark but I find my pigs at the farmer's market a mile from my home.....most have never heard of Slow Food.

[kuan]

Here's shroom's piggy..

[shroomgirl]

thank you Kuan... it was a 400# live weight tammworth. made gorgeous liver with Grand Marnier pate....actually sieved the shtuff...major PIA but worth it.
country pate with pickled green beans and coarse mustard on lavosh....now to post pix of the James Beard picnic.

[shroomgirl]

out of 45ish chefs at least 6 had Berkshire pork as their dish.....apparently PFG-Middendorf is pushing shipped in berkshire. It was really funny to think about it after the fact....not sure what the growing specfics on PFG's pigs are nor where they are accessing them. But it's a start for one of the biggest meat wholesalers in town to start selling heirloom breeds of pigs.

I'm betting they are broken down into primal cuts and not delivered halved skin on bodies.

[OzarkRose]

The berkshires have been in demand for a while for the Japanese market = dark meat. So the supply system has been established and they even have the litter size up to 9 ,so look for the breed to be more and more availabe.
195# is quite large for 1/2 side Tam. ; they are the "bacon" hog. You might see if your grower can adjust his ration do that you do not waste your $ paying for all that fat.
I'm raising HampshireXTamworth crosses this year. I have to see what they will do to my pastures before I go full Tam (they are known for their supreme ROOTING=long nose)

[shroomgirl]

actually Rose I really really am excited about the fat......there are great cross bread pigs but this tammworth was exactly what I was looking for.....
the head was very different from the 260# tamworth/chester mixes....lots more jowl meat....long nose, longer ears, flater face.

the smaller tam/chester mix has great 2" thick fatback, marbling, meaty loins almost the same size as this huge tam......lighter meat. tender skin a friend uses to mix in his sausages, where the tam's was too tough.
shorter legs proportionally on the tam.

Rose after that pig hit the table I called 6 chefs to tell them about the fat thickness and pulled my office neighbors in to take the photo....chef's that make charcuterie want white firm gorgeous fat.

[OzarkRose]

It will be alot cheaper for you to go to a butcher and buy their trim fat if fat is what you want.

[shroomgirl]

This is really thick fat, and I know the pig farmer who raises these pigs....he actually gives me a deal of fat bought separately.
Funny what those chef's value, huh?

[oldschool1982]

Learned an interesting fact on a trip to Williamsburg this past weekend.

If you walk to the Historical area there is a small Plantation Farm set up on the right just after crossing the foot bridge at the visitors center. And at this far the have some livestock. Among this livestock are some Heirloom pigs. These pigs are the direct decendents of the same pigs that were raised in the 18th century. They have not been introduced to any of the enhanced genealogy (good or bad) that seems to be floating around our food chain at the moment. I really have to wonder what the meat would yield as far as taste is concerned. Just an interesting historical tidbit I believed worth sharing.

[shroomgirl]

a good friend is a pig geneticist and has been combining heirloom breeds for 25+ years. He's developed a great tasting pig....long loin, marbled with some not alot of fat, protective but not outrageously agressive, nurturing......
he's selling 200 pigs a week to D'Artagnon in NY, I've fussed at him for not marketing and selling locally.....ah well, Karlios Hinkebien is reliable and raises great pork too.

[Coregonus]

I completely support forementioned pig's "genetisist" opinion regarding marbeling. However, Tamworth is bacon-oriented breed. Berkshire (Kurobuta) bread beats it 100% being butchered right for a-la-cart and portioned. For future consideration, ther is a helpful link as follows:

Breeds of Livestock - Swine Breeds