Berkshire pork...anybody try it?

RRP

Our local fish wrapper carried this newsy article about a family in a nearby town raising pure bred Berkshire hogs. The meat is marbled and tastes better. It sounds like something I'm going to pursue - buying the meat that is - not breeding hogs! :laugh: Anybody buy it now elsewhere in the country?
http://www.pjstar.com/features/x1385390920/Berkshires-bred-to-be-better

Austin Smoker

Cooked some Bershire Baby Backs on my last rib cook. They were excellent..the family and neighbors said best yet? Of course, it was also my first non-foiled batch, so can't say what the "cause" of the good results was. They were fresh ribs, not vac packed...hey, the better the beef, the better the steak..why would it not be true of pork?

I know this, I'll buy again!

RRP

Where did you find them? I'm thinking I might start with a pork butt as I "know" what I can expect time after time so I should get a sense if it tastes better and is more moist etc. Recall what your ribs cost vs. what is the normal price in your area?

Rusty Rooster

We ordered some chops off the internet a few weeks ago. I posed about them when we did it. Tasty, well marbled but also very pricey. A nice treat but not a every week cook for us.
Tom

Mike in Abita

I cooked some babybacks a few months ago. While tasty they weren't worth the extra $1.50 a lb. I won't be doing that again. I might try a butt or chops just not the ribs.

Inksmyth

Tried some babybacks. Although they were good I did not think they were good enough to be priced the way they were. The ones I bought were fresh.
By the way we had a similar article here in Kansas City.

Austin Smoker

Bought mine at Central Market here in Austin, on sale - they were the within pennies of what I pay for Morrell product at HEB.

Austin Smoker wrote:

Cooked some Bershire Baby Backs on my last rib cook. They were excellent..the family and neighbors said best yet? Of course, it was also my first non-foiled batch, so can't say what the "cause" of the good results was. They were fresh ribs, not vac packed...hey, the better the beef, the better the steak..why would it not be true of pork?

I know this, I'll buy again!

Marc from IL

Ron, Thats got my interest to try their pork also!

Buster Dog BBQ

I used Berkshire pork for all 12 of my competitions this year and scored higher in pork then I did the previous year.

I got butts and spares. The butts were about 10lbs each and take about 14 hours to cook. There was more of a pork taste to them.

My ribs were already cut St. Louis style. Yeah, they cost a little more but if I bought them at Sam's it would be about 1-2 pounds of scrap from cutting so it works out about the same. Spares sometimes took me about 5 - 5 1/2 hours. Can't do them too hot because they do seem like they aren't as meaty but they do taste good. And when done right they are much better then wholesale ribs. IMHO.

Next year I plan on using the same products again.

Besides, can't be buying from a local farmer where you know it is fresh.

RRP

I thank everyone for their responses and especially you for sharing your experience! The town listed in the article is small and I'd be buying direct. I'm leery of product that ends up in supermarkets that calls it farm fresh etc - yea, right - Farmer Joe just dropped it off at the loading dock in his 18 wheeler, huh?

Buster Dog BBQ

Place I get mine from goes to the packing plant every Thursday so it is easy to get a custom order.

The best butt I did was about mixing some apple juice and john henry's pecan together and injecting. Man, wish I remembered how much of each.

pouchman

It's funny that you are writing about it. I got 2 pork butts today! I am doing my first BBQ Cook off event this weekend outside Chicago, I got Berkshire Pork, an all natural Pork Butt & a domestic Pork Butt. I am going to cook off all 3 and turn in the best one. The marbling looks great! I have never tried to inject one?? I use a Bbq Guru & the butt comes out great everytime!

Jeff