More Pork

I've been "volunteered" to make pork belly three times in February. Recently found a local source for "Duroc" a heritage breed for 3.99/lb. Same source has what he terms a "plain white pork" belly for 1.99/lb. Can anyone tell me what I can expect the difference to be if I drop the coin on the Duroc? TIA.

Fresh high quality pork has more porkiness and a hint of sweetness. The biggest improvement is in the juices. Also a smoother texture. Once you try the good stuff you'll never go back.

The difference between good pork and utility pork is unreal. Nice clean tasting fat , that is crystal clear and a beautiful texture. Just try a lb of the duroc if you want to test it.

Duroc for 2.99 a pd is a great price. Can you pass the cost along to whomever volunteered you?

Heritage pork bellies are likely to have a much thicker layer of subcutaneous fat and better marbling.

Some of this is due to how they're raised (organic, pastured, etc.), what they eat and when they're harvested (usually a few months older than 'commercial' hogs) but genetics/breeding play a part too.

The Mangalista breed is bred specifically for lard and they have incredibly thick fat layers. Some info/pictures here and can be purchased here. They used to have full and half bellies for sale but that seems to have gone away.

Info on other commonly available hertitage breeds: http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/farmers.php#1

This book got me into luxury heritage pork: Pig Perfect.

is there any difference in how the pig is treated while alive (besides diet)? Also is the slaughtering different?

Anything that can be done to reduce stress on the animal will result in higher quality product. To that end some hog farmers strive to create the most natural habitat possible. The chapter in Pig Perfect covering the hogs used to make Iberico hams was quite interesting: they mostly run free in oak forests and fatten up on the acorns. Some farmers in the mid-western US are doing the same. Once nice benefit of acorn (or peanut) finished hogs is the resulting higher proportion of monounsaturated vs saturated fats.

9mmbhp said:

Anything that can be done to reduce stress on the animal will result in higher quality product. To that end some hog farmers strive to create the most natural habitat possible. The chapter in Pig Perfect covering the hogs used to make Iberico hams was quite interesting: they mostly run free in oak forests and fatten up on the acorns. Some farmers in the mid-western US are doing the same. Once nice benefit of acorn (or peanut) finished hogs is the resulting higher proportion of monounsaturated vs saturated fats.

Click to expand...

I watched a show on this. The farmer was loving his hogs like dogs.
They're very smart animals, it makes sense.

Mangalitsa porn from Sausage Debauchery featuring one 18# belly cut into 4 pieces.

One for bacon (applewood smoked):


the others for pancetta tessa, three different cures:


Lots of other impressive cured pork at the blog.

I wish I could find some Duroc for that price. All the local farms I have found want at least $6. Heritage is the way to go, I have to special order most I get though, it's awesome.

Can you lay eyes on the pork? That will tell you what you need to know.

Duroc/Berkshire cross is my favorite for bacon because the fat to meat ratio is pretty even in the bellies. Mangalitsa makes kinds crappy bacon because it is too fatty and I found the fat to be a little unpredictable in sausage application, but the loins are incredible.

If you are doing a braised/sous vide/roasted belly type thing Duroc might be a good bet for you, but there is no substitute for seeing what the fat meat ratio is like and what the skin looks like. It will definitely have a deeper more complex flavor than commodity pork, but maybe not a huge advantage over pigs of other breeds from the same producer.

Thanks for all the guidance. I picked up a Duroc belly. The fat layer looks like cream on top. I'll try and get a pic during daylight.

The supplier, Master Purveyors in Tampa, also has Duroc loins. I don't think I've ever had a pork loin with any flavor, except feral and while they have flavor its not always good flavor... , I'm going to lay in a couple when I pick up the next bellies. Feb is going to be a good food month.:hungry:

FIrst half of belly I smoked. Did not go to plan and temp got to 195F. (I wanted about 140 - belly didn't stall at plateau or it went through it very quickly) Opened the smoker to let it cool down some.

Damn Dog. Hadn't seen him for a couple min so I went looking...

I invoked the 5 second rule. The dog lives.

I hear dogs are very sterile Dave.

Ouch. Looks good though!

Looks good. You can pull out an old Cochon trick on those loins, pound and butterfly, stuff with Tasso and pimento cheese, bread with buttermilk, whole grain mustard, and breadcrumbs, and pan fry. WT cordon bleu, and one of my better memories from that restaurant.

and cajun seasoning on the outside!

Six bucks is cheap quit yer belly aching and buy it. Here in CA we have pork belly sold at hipster boutiques for twice that.