Mangalitsa pork - OT

sheetmetalpete

A family donated a whole Mangalitsa pig (with processing) to a nearby school fundraiser for their silent auction this weekend.  They claim the value at $850.

I've ordered Duroc hogs before but I understand these are considerably different- very marbled meat and much fattier.  I'm wondering what I'd be looking at if I win the bid.  Anyone with experience?

lkapigian

@sea2ski @The Cen-Tex Smoker @20stone. hopefully will chime in...id process cured meats and sausage 

That's some fine pork for sure 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

We raised 2 mangalitsa and 2 manga crosses and we have bought several crosses to butcher over the past few years. 

Mangas have beautiful red marbled meat that looks more like bluefin tuna than pork. 

The fat on the ones we raised was insane. 4”thick back fat and bellies that had no discernible meat in them at all. I have no idea how they kept themselves upright. 

We found the meat to fat ratio really good for sausage but we didn’t get great yield out of the loins. Tons of fat with small bits of meat. The meat we did get out of them was delicious. 

$850 sounds really cheap for a full grown manga. They can grow huge and we can buy them for $7-ish a pound on the hoof (before processing).  The last one we raised  was well over 400#. Even one half that size would be $1500 before processing so this seems like a really good deal. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

This is one of our mangas before his “one bad day”. For reference, That is a 200lb pig back by his butt. This dude was a beast. 

The pic below is a loin chop! 4” fat and 2” of meat! 

Good example of how red the meat is. We made a prosciutto from this leg that hung for 2 years before we cracked it open. We just finished this one and we have another that we did a year later that is ready now 

caliking

That’s a good price indeed. Does the price include processing? 

Manga’s are piss poor for bacon, but just about every other cut from them is pretty damn fabulous. 

thetrim

are they good for pork chops and applesauce?

caliking

thetrim said:

are they good for pork chops and applesauce?

Re: pork chops - best evah. 

You don’t need any kind of pig to make applesauce. Just apples IIRC. 

YukonRon

We actually used thier fat in making sausage. Marvelous addition to the mix and $850.00 is as modest a value as you can get.

Foghorn

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

This is one of our mangas before his “one bad day”. For reference, That is a 200lb pig back by his butt. This dude was a beast. 

The pic below is a loin chop! 4” fat and 2” of meat! 

Good example of how red the meat is. We made a prosciutto from this leg that hung for 2 years before we cracked it open. We just finished this one and we have another that we did a year later that is ready now 

Here are a couple of pics of the prosciutto. @20stone probably has some better ones. 

But I must say that I am distressed to learn on an internet forum that “we” finished the first prosciutto.

sheetmetalpete

Thanks guys.  I'm intrigued.

We heard from the family donating it that their males average 250-275 lbs hanging and they are including the processing.  They estimated the value at $850 but it will be sold at a silent auction.  I'm not sure if these Midwestern folks will bid it up or not.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

sheetmetalpete said:

Thanks guys.  I'm intrigued.

We heard from the family donating it that their males average 250-275 lbs hanging and they are including the processing.  They estimated the value at $850 but it will be sold at a silent auction.  I'm not sure if these Midwestern folks will bid it up or not.

My only comment on that is that 100% Mangalitsas take much longer to mature and marble out than a normal pig. Where a "normal" pig may be ready in as little as 6 months, a Manga is more like 18-24 months. This is why they can be so large when you process them. I could be totally off base here but a 250-275 manglitsa sounds small and therefore. possible fairly young.  If you are in a position to ask how old they are when they slaughter them it may help you determine if it's worth it. I personally would not buy a manga under 18 months but I only have limited experience (even though I somewhat participated in raising 2 of them and 2 manga/swabian hall crosses). We have been buying crosses with mangalitsa in them for this reason They are ready sooner and they have more meat to fat than the 100% mangas that I have seen (and that would be a grand total of 2 so take that with a grain of salt).

The Cen-Tex Smoker

@Foghorn

"But I must say that I am distressed to learn on an internet forum that “we” finished the first prosciutto"

by "we", I meant all of us at the last sausage fest. It's not exactly finished but we pretty much killed that OG leg down at the ranch. I stripped it down and bagged the rest so there is still some left. we have the other whole prosciutto ready to crack open after its 2 year nap so we figured we would start on that one while it was in its prime. We are still long on prosciutto and other cured meats

Foghorn

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

@Foghorn

"But I must say that I am distressed to learn on an internet forum that “we” finished the first prosciutto"

by "we", I meant all of us at the last sausage fest. It's not exactly finished but we pretty much killed that OG leg down at the ranch. I stripped it down and bagged the rest so there is still some left. we have the other whole prosciutto ready to crack open after its 2 year nap so we figured we would start on that one while it was in its prime. We are still long on prosciutto and other cured meats

Fair enough.  It wasn't exactly clear to me how much was left after our last get-together.

@sheetmetalpete, one thing that may not be the obvious in this equation is that when a manga is 250-275 hanging weight, it's yield in "meat" will be much less.  Someone who has a use for the beautiful, buttery fat (sausage-making) that comes off the pig will get lot more value out of their purchase/bid - if that is included.

Sea2Ski

Hello!!

I agree with everything said above. I can not stress how good the meat is, especially the prime cuts. Even the “scraps” when cooked quickly are fantastic.  250-275 hanging for $850 is a very good deal.

Now for what else we have to take into consideration....  How is the animal fed/raised?  Mangas are excellent at foraging. The more they forage, the leaner they are, BUT you have to remember they are still a lard pig.  As stated above, tons of fat. And the amount of foraging and what they are eating will be the determining factor of how much fat it will have. The more grain, the more fat. We limit the amount of grain and only feed it in the winter and they still have lots of fat.  Can you guess which here was the manga? 

I am going to guess based on the weight,  you are getting a female that was bred once. Assuming the piglets were weaned a few weeks ago and she was fed well, you will indeed end up with a great product and probably a good meat/fat ratio, but more fat than your average Wilber.

I say go for it. Even if it is a little smaller or lighter and therefore a little overpriced, it is for a charity that you believe in. So you may pay a little more. Who cares. You are getting a heritage bred that you will enjoy immensely. 

What I would concentrate on now that we all decided you are getting it, is the processing. You say it is included in the cost. GET INVOLVED WITH HOW IT WILL BE BUTCHERED!!  Get the cuts you want. Be extremely specific in the thickness of the pork chops. Want a shoulder? Bone in or bone out?  How big do you want that shoulder?  Make sure you get the cheeks. What about the hams?  Fresh? Smoked? Cured? Get the trotters as hocks. If into making charcuterie get the stomach and bladder. These are the options YOU want to choose NOT the person donating it or the butcher. Get exactly what you want and how you want it.  You may need to pay a bit more to get exactly what it is you want (time is money) but it would be a shame for you to end up with cuts the wrong size or quantity for what will work best for your family. You do not want shoulder steaks unless you really want them. And remember, there are 2 sides to the animal.  You can get one whole loin and the other loin as bone-in chops. I can not stress enough to get involved and make the choices of what you are getting and in what quantities. 

One last thing -  please for the love of all things holy, have them render some of the fat to lard.  You should get gallons of it from your animal that is the best lard you can get. Get them to pour it in quart containers. It has a higher smoke point than olive oil and our body can easily digest it. I use it a lot instead of oil or even butter. In fact I just started a new quart of it. From a 400 lb animal I think we average 15 gallons of lard. It makes great gifts to people who know how to cook. 

I hope you win!! Report back please!! 

shtgunal3

@Sea2Ski I raised and had butchered a Duroc a few years back. I rendered some of the fat myself. Definitely the best lard I have ever had. Sadly I am out. @sheetmetalpete you definitely want the fat for lard. 

sheetmetalpete

Should I get in on it I will need to find ways to use the lard.  It would be a shame not to.

@Sea2Ski - The farmer says it's a barrow. From what I gatherhat will be a young one, correct?  I know of the farm.  They don't appear to have a lot of forage land so I assume they're primarily grain fed.  That doesn't bother me though.

Sea2Ski

As mentioned above, they are slow growers. The younger they are, the more muscle they have compared to fat.  I think you are in the sweet spot weight range for the meat/fat ratio based on the weight stated. Grain fed or not, it is great meat. As for the lard - I use it for omelettes, in the pan with veggies, I toss potatoes in it then season and cook. It is simply fantastic. 

WeberWho

So where is this silent auction you speak of? 

Sea2Ski

WeberWho said:

So where is this silent auction you speak of? 

@WeberWho, you are not allowed to hear about it.  It is silent. 

Sea2Ski

Hey @sheetmetalpete how did you make out with the pig?? 

Tip2Tip

I put on five pounds just opening this thread.  Time to loosen the belt. 

Botch

Tip2Tip said:

I put on five pounds just opening this thread.  Time to loosen the belt. 

Me too, and how in the hell is this thread "OT"???

sheetmetalpete

The auction was postponed.  Hoping it will happen in mid-May.

Moleman

Probably be 325 by May, good luck