Oh Heavenly Pork Fat!!

[Didy]

Just read this article today in the Seattle Post Intelligencer and I got very excited! I'm always on the hunt for some nice fatty pork, but it is very hard to find around here...now, if they can just get the price down....:yum:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/358208_woolypig09.html?source=mypi

[LessLiz]

We just bought half an organically raised pig -- just your standard pig raised on a family farm. Last night we had the first roast. Incredible. I'd put it up against any other pork. After butchering and wrapping it cost us about $3 per pound. And I got 40 pounds of fat to render for lard (which is not included in the per pound price). Oh joy!

[costello22]

"But they have caused a stir because they also are a rejection of the lean, bland, chickenlike qualities that have been a selling point for American pork producers over the past few decades."

"Such hedonism couldn't be more opposed to the ongoing U.S. push toward less fatty meats. In fact, American pork has changed so much over the years that the editors of Gourmet magazine had to reformulate their olden-day recipes when updating 'The Gourmet Cookbook' a few years ago."

This is so true. The pork chops available in the supermarket cook up dry and tough. I thought it was just my lack of cooking skills until I read an article in Cooks Illustrated on how to cook a pork chop without turning it into an unappetitising piece of leather. Apparently it's a result of breeding/raising pigs to be low-fat. Personally I'm not into pork chops, but my son loves them. Where can you buy an "old-fashioned" pork chop?

[costello22]

We just bought half an organically raised pig -- just your standard pig raised on a family farm. Last night we had the first roast. Incredible. I'd put it up against any other pork. After butchering and wrapping it cost us about $3 per pound. And I got 40 pounds of fat to render for lard (which is not included in the per pound price). Oh joy!

How do you get hooked up for something like this?

[Didy]

We just bought half an organically raised pig -- just your standard pig raised on a family farm. Last night we had the first roast. Incredible. I'd put it up against any other pork. After butchering and wrapping it cost us about $3 per pound. And I got 40 pounds of fat to render for lard (which is not included in the per pound price). Oh joy!

That's what I'm going to have to do. We used to raise our own beef and pork but we don't have the acreage now.

May I ask how you found the farm? I'm in the Pacific NW too and I would love to find someone local like that!

[LessLiz]

We started asking everyone we knew about buying beef, pork and chicken on the hoof. I did internet searchers for "organic pork" and my state. I found http://www.localharvest.org/ a great place to start. Even if all you can find are local veggie suppliers, they can usually tell you who raises cattle, pigs and chickens.

We found the farm we bought ours from when a guy who works with my husband was trying to find someone to go in with for half a pig. Where we lived before we purchased chickens from a person we found after talking to people at the local farmers market, and beef from a person who was listed on Local Harvest.

[LessLiz]

Didy, I am on the other side of the state from you and we found ours in Idaho. The one thing I would like to find, and haven't, is someone raising fat tailed sheep. I know there are people in central Washington who do but haven't located anyone yet.

[KarenJ]

You can also try Eat Wild (http://www.eatwild.com/) .

I met my beef farmer at our local farmer's market, and found a different farmer for pork, chicken, & eggs at a farmer's market in a neighboring town. Searching area markets is a great way to find farmers. You can follow it up with a visit to the farm.

I read about that pork, it sounds interesting. I'd shell out the money for a treat, but doubt I could afford it as a staple. Factory US pork is a disgrace. I wish they'd bring it back to what it once was- red meat.
I've heard that some Canadian farmers are monkeying around with the feed to try and increase the Omega 3 fat content. Why not just try pasturing?

[costello22]

I found http://www.localharvest.org/ a great place to start.

Thanks, Liz. I've hit the motherlode here. Three organic farms within easy distance of my home selling beef, pork, chicken, eggs, dairy.

[Didy]

Good info LessLiz and KarenJ! Gahhh, now I'm craving a big ol' hunk of pork fat - sizzling, cracklin' hot!

LessLiz, is it the Tunis breed of sheep that you are looking for? I did see a couple of farms in Albany, Or and one in Wyoming...

[mrfreddy]

google "Berkshire" pork, you'll find various sources. Berkshire pigs are pigs that were never bred to be lean, so they taste much much better than standard supermarket pork.

[vavcon]

Thanks for the link, Liz - this really helps!
Chris

[Mama Lu]

Farmers markets are great for finding these small operators. I buy meat from a family farm that raises their animals without antibiotics, and since they have their own feedmill, the feed is as "natural" as they can make it. When it started to cost more to raise a pig than they got from the slaughterhouse, they began an adopt-a-pig program, where you pay half down and the balance when they deliver the meat cut, wrapped and frozen. It works out to under $2 a pound and the meat is wonderfully tender and flavourful. Last night we had braised pork shoulder—pig heaven. They also sell ranged chicken, duck, beef (pastured in the summer and fed haylage in the winter), and lamb. Since it's direct from the farmer, it doesn't cost much more than buying meat from the supermarket, and buddy is going to save some wool for me (I'm a spinner) when he shears later this month.

[Wyvrn]

Didy and Lessliz -
We get most of our meat from thunderinghooves.net in Walla Walla. It's all pasture raised, no grain finishing. They deliver to the wet side - check out the buying clubs. We get a month's worth at a time, various cuts of beef, lamb, pork and goat when they have it. It works out to be under $5/lb including some nice stuff like T-bones. Very happy with it overall - the steaks are the best I've ever had - though I found the ham to be a bit over-cooked tasting.

[Sandollar]

I always ask my butcher for chops with lots of fat on them and he always looks at me in disgust. I'm starting to hate him!

[daisyboo]

I always ask my butcher for chops with lots of fat on them and he always looks at me in disgust. I'm starting to hate him!

I go to the butchers at a supermarket chain here called Waitrose, their meat is awesome and they are the nearest i can find to the traditional butcher shop. I regularly buy pork belly, steaks, braising steak without the fat trimmed, we talk about fat alot and he thinks its awesome that i'm not scared of it, i guess he's used to customers who want it all trimmed off and are terrified that if they so much as look at it it will attach to their bodies as they are running down the aisles trying to get away :lol:

[Didy]

Didy and Lessliz -
We get most of our meat from thunderinghooves.net in Walla Walla. It's all pasture raised, no grain finishing. They deliver to the wet side - check out the buying clubs. We get a month's worth at a time, various cuts of beef, lamb, pork and goat when they have it. It works out to be under $5/lb including some nice stuff like T-bones. Very happy with it overall - the steaks are the best I've ever had - though I found the ham to be a bit over-cooked tasting.

Thanks for that link! I'll check 'em out! Quick question for you though, being just pasture fed, did you find that the meat had enough fat in it? We used to have a small hobby farm and I actually prefered the beef that we grain finished (grains make us fat!) over the pasture fed. Wondering if you find that true with Thunderinghooves?

Thanks again!

[Didy]

I go to the butchers at a supermarket chain here called Waitrose, their meat is awesome and they are the nearest i can find to the traditional butcher shop. I regularly buy pork belly, steaks, braising steak without the fat trimmed, we talk about fat alot and he thinks its awesome that i'm not scared of it, i guess he's used to customers who want it all trimmed off and are terrified that if they so much as look at it it will attach to their bodies as they are running down the aisles trying to get away :lol:

Man, I'm jealous! I asked the butcher of our local supermarket for some pork belly and he had no idea what I was talking about....comforting for sure....

[Wyvrn]

Thanks for that link! I'll check 'em out! Quick question for you though, being just pasture fed, did you find that the meat had enough fat in it? We used to have a small hobby farm and I actually prefered the beef that we grain finished (grains make us fat!) over the pasture fed. Wondering if you find that true with Thunderinghooves?The meat is definitely leaner. In general not TOO lean but definitely without the large globs of fat that I would tend to find excessive, even though I try to keep my percent of fat up around 75%. The only thing I found to be too lean was the trimmed beef brisket. They do offer the option of not trimming the slab of fat off that so next time I'll order it that way. Cuts like New York and T-bone were delicious, with a very different flavor to the fat that supermarket meat. Almost a fishy flavor, which probably doesn't sound very appetizing but I thought it was much better. Maybe because of the larger proportion of omega-3?

[NoWhammies]

huh - I'll be heading up to one of the farmers' markets mentioned in the article to try and find some of that pork. I buy a lot of our meat & veggies at our local farmers' market, and find the quality much better than the grocery. If I can't find what I want there, then I will go to Whole Foods - they have a good selection there, as well, and the quality is better than the typical supermarket.

[Dodger]

Fatty pork does taste a lot better than lean pork. It's also much easier to cook.

[PilotGal]

for those of you that live in an area where they don't process animals for food consumption, go to your local grocers and ask for pork belly. it's the chunk of bacon that hasn't been salted and cured for bacon. (no nitrates)

[waywardsis]

Another good source for meat are Mennonite and/or Amish farms - if you have any communities around you, you may also have a butcher shop that sells their meat and other goods. I just discovered one here in Toronto where you can place an order ahead of time, and they'll deliver your cuts to the shop for pick up.

The nice thing about getting friendly with farmers (via markets or butcher shops) is that you can get off-cuts, like heart, liver, sweetbreads etc, fat for rendering, and bones for stocks/marrow. One farm I deal with will take special requests, and then bring them to the market I frequent. Nothing like walking out of a farmers market teeming with vegetarians while holding an enormous cow heart :)

[Baerdric]

I always ask my butcher for chops with lots of fat on them and he always looks at me in disgust. I'm starting to hate him!LOL... Remember, "Living well is the best revenge"!

Imagine how he will feel as you continue to lose weight...

[Squarecube]

Didy, snip The one thing I would like to find, and haven't, is someone raising fat tailed sheep. I know there are people in central Washington who do but haven't located anyone yet.

What's a fat tailed sheep? I fear I'm missing out on something good.

[LessLiz]

You are. In a lot of the world -- particularly the Middle East -- fat tailed sheep are raised to be eaten. Their wool is considered inferior from what I have read, though I ain't no sheep farmer so that isn't first hand info, but the meat is delicious. I am told that most of the sheep raised in the US are Suffolk or some derivation of Suffolk, and I read that they produce okay wool and okay meat -- sort of a trade off. I have eaten fat tailed lamb and mutton a handful of times, and it is amazingly good.

[The Munch]

Fatty pork does taste a lot better than lean pork. It's also much easier to cook.I buy pork at Food for Less (Kroger). The cheapest cuts have plenty of fat:

pork neck bones (78 cents/lb)

country style pork ribs (boneless)

pork shoulder blade steaks (fat not trimmed)

...and so on. I bypass pork chops, pork sirloin, and other lean cuts that are beyond my budget anyway. Once I bought pork shoulder cubed -- ugh, way too lean. Linda Sue (low carb recipe gal) recommends buttering lean meat... makes it easier to "choke the stuff down." LOL.

I've done that. Tastes delicious but I would rather eat pork fat.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend Kroger for optimal health benefits or humane animal husbandry. Nor most other supermarkets.

[Sandollar]

LOL... Remember, "Living well is the best revenge"!

Imagine how he will feel as you continue to lose weight...
:lol: EXACTLY!!! He will grow to "want" me...and then I will SHUN him! :lol: :wave:

[Baerdric]

:lol: EXACTLY!!! He will grow to "want" me...and then I will SHUN him! :lol: :wave:Heh.. that might be fun. But remember what E.A.Poe said about revenge, it's no good unless the transgressor knows exactly what the revenge is for, who it came from and how it will be worked out upon their hapless flesh.>8-)

[Sandollar]

Heh.. that might be fun. But remember what E.A.Poe said about revenge, it's no good unless the transgressor knows exactly what the revenge is for, who it came from and how it will be worked out upon their hapless flesh.>8-)
:lol: :lol: Then I lay supine on his butcher block with a fatty chop in my mouth....!!!When he approaches lasciviously, I will saunter away...looking back just once. :lol: :lol:

Oh...HE'LL KNOW. :p

[PilotGal]

a great way to incorporate more pork fat into your eating is to saute up some shredded cabbage w/pork belly.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

[The Munch]

also good.

[gwynne2]

I bought some pork fatback this week, and have no idea what to do with it. Googling has been somewhat inconclusive. Something about boiling it with beans. Thoughts? It's in filet-shaped chunks.