Pork

Dave in Florida · January 2018

I know this is probably like asking which lump is best. But, if you had the property to raise a couple of pigs strictly for the purpose eating. What breeds are best as a meat pig, what breed would you choose to raise?

theyolksonyou · January 2018

@20stone @caliking @The Cen-Tex Smoker

DMW · January 2018

Paging @20stone @caliking @Foghorn @The Cen-Tex Smoker

DMW · January 2018

theyolksonyou said:

@20stone @caliking @The Cen-Tex Smoker

Jinx

GrillSgt · January 2018

Red Wattle

bgebrent · January 2018

DMW said:

Paging @20stone @caliking @Foghorn @The Cen-Tex Smoker

Let the clock have a couple ticks. The aforementioned knuckleheads will give you valuable information.

dmourati · January 2018

Isn't duroc up there? I think my butcher raises a blend of Berkshire, Duroc, and Ossabaw breeds.

Focker · January 2018

Berkshire.

gdenby · January 2018

dmourati said:

Isn't duroc up there? I think my butcher raises a blend of Berkshire, Duroc, and Ossabaw breeds.

Ossabaw is spectacular, but the fellow I met who was raising them said they were really difficult. Very fast runners. Hard to move from pens to pasture. But the little I had from him was the best pork I've ever had. They adapted to feast and famine on Ossabaw island, so they gain fat really fast. He had a grove of black walnuts where the hogs foraged, so their flavor was incredible.

GrillSgt · January 2018

http://heritagefoodsusa.com/blog/heritage-breed-tasting-chart/

Dave in Florida · January 2018

GrillSgt said:

http://heritagefoodsusa.com/blog/heritage-breed-tasting-chart/

Thank you. That surely helps.

Foghorn · January 2018

So, as the least knowledgeable guy in our group I'll chime in. If anything I say is inaccurate, hopefully one of the more knowledgeable guys will be along before you make a purchase.

Black Mangalitsa is actually the fattiest of all pig breeds - considered the pig equivalent of Kobe beef. We butchered one in the summer of 2016. It is great for everything except bacon. The best pork chops that many of us have ever eaten came from that pig. The belly was 99% fat - the muscle strip in it was about 1 millimeter thick. That pig couldn't have done a situp to save his life.

We have a couple of Mangalitsa/Swabian Hall mixes. This is a great option. Great meat all around including great bacon.

We are aware of someone in Texas breeding Iberian pigs (pata negra). We have not pursued that option (yet).

We still have 2 more to butcher and have a hard time coordinating our schedules as we all have jobs/families/etc getting in the way.

That's about all I know. Hopefully the others will be along soon with more info.

caliking · January 2018

I was about to say essentially what @Foghorn already did.

I would add that the fat from our butterballs yields A LOT of lard - leaf for baking, the rest for tamales, vegetables, pancakes, etc. The abundance of fat also results in other sausage ventures (beef, lamb) which we have enjoyed.

@pigfisher should be able to give you some good info too. Whatever you do, don't talk to @20stone. Unless you want to end up with a 20-pig farm and your wife wondering if you still live with her or not.

gdenby · January 2018

Foghorn said:

We are aware of someone in Texas breeding Iberian pigs (pata negra). We have not pursued that option (yet).

Ossabaw are direct descendants of pata negra gone wild. From what I know, not quite as fat as Mangalitsa over all, but thicker layers. Might be worth raising just to keep them from going extinct.

hoosier_egger · January 2018

Great. Now I want to raise f'in hogs

buzzvol · January 2018

caliking said:no

I was about to say essentially what @Foghorn already did.

I would add that the fat from our butterballs yields A LOT of lard - leaf for baking, the rest for tamales, vegetables, pancakes, etc. The abundance of fat also results in other sausage ventures (beef, lamb) which we have enjoyed.

@pigfisher should be able to give you some good info too. Whatever you do, don't talk to @20stone. Unless you want to end up with a 20-pig farm and your wife wondering if you still live with her or not.

So hypothetically how many acres would be needed to raise say 20 pigs? Asking for a friend.

jeffwit · January 2018

Realistically, what kind of space and fencing does one need to raise a couple of hogs? I’ve got 10 acres, but most of it is wooded and none of it is fenced.

theyolksonyou · January 2018

This is one time I will not get sucked in.

jeffwit · January 2018

theyolksonyou said:

This is one time I will not get sucked in.

Skeered?

Sea2Ski · January 2018

A close friend of mine has 5+ wooded acres and rents some more from his neighbor and has a varying number of mangalista pigs of various ages at different times of the year. This picture was taken late spring.

These pigs are wild and pure bred. Mean ba$tards... they eat thorn bushes as a snack. I kid you not. You need a powerful electric fence and you have to “teach” them what it is when they are young. They will demolish an area of undergrowth of any woody growth less than 2” in diameter.

The amount of fat compared to other pigs is significantly higher and thicker. When skinning you do not need to be nearly as careful because you have to get through a lot of fat to hit muscle.

The meat is incredible though if they have a “wild” diet. He tries not to supplement their diet much, except with extra fruits and veggies from the local supermarket that are past prime or the outside leaves of cabbage, corn husks, lettuce etc... I have brought over buckets of acorns as I have a lot of oak trees. Acorns are their candy.

The meat is recognized around the world. On our trip in December, I saw this in a meat shop in Austria:

If you you want to talk to him, I would think he would chat with you for a bit. PM me.

Start raising them and document it like @kl8ton documented his chicken raising this past fall in his egg to egg thread.

Yea, we are enablers here.
You are welcome.

Focker · January 2018

Red Wattle would be my #2.

I wouldn't want fat cheap hogs after all of the work.

I can get Berkshire leaf lard for $1/lb.
And I can't tell any difference when using heritage vs non.

Each breed has it's pros, cons.
Ex. Tamworth being historically called the "bacon pig".

theyolksonyou · January 2018

jeffwit said:

theyolksonyou said:

This is one time I will not get sucked in.

Skeered?

Nope. Lazy.

thetrim · January 2018

What breed of pigs was in Hannibal?

milesvdustin · January 2018

I have a 22 acre place, have toyed around with turning a few cows and some goats loose.

caliking · January 2018

jeffwit said:

Realistically, what kind of space and fencing does one need to raise a couple of hogs? I’ve got 10 acres, but most of it is wooded and none of it is fenced.

I'm pretty sure you need an electric fence of some sort. That's what the guys (@20stone, @pigfisher) and gal (@20stonespice) put up for our hogs.

As for ease of moving, I don't think that is possible for any breed! There are videos somewhere of 20stone and crew cajoling hogs into barrels to scoot them around. Or trying to get one in a trailer. Then taking the one that runs in instead.

Teefus · January 2018

When I raised hogs for 4H, we started out with Hampshires and Yorkshires. They were both good eating. The last batch was Durocs. They seemed to be longer and leaner with more pronounced hams. The kids who came from commercial hog farming families mostly raised Durocs.

@jeffwit - You need durable fencing. Hogs are smart critters and can dig as well as a backhoe. We used woven farm fence that had been buried in the ground a foot or so. The base had an oak board all around the inside perimeter, nailed to the posts. Run a hotwire along that about 6" off the ground. They'll test the hotwire and they'll learn fast.

Webass · January 2018

Just don't let the kids name them!

Dave in Florida · January 2018

buzzvol said:

caliking said:no

I was about to say essentially what @Foghorn already did.

I would add that the fat from our butterballs yields A LOT of lard - leaf for baking, the rest for tamales, vegetables, pancakes, etc. The abundance of fat also results in other sausage ventures (beef, lamb) which we have enjoyed.

@pigfisher should be able to give you some good info too. Whatever you do, don't talk to @20stone. Unless you want to end up with a 20-pig farm and your wife wondering if you still live with her or not.

So hypothetically how many acres would be needed to raise say 20 pigs? Asking for a friend.

I don't know about 20 acres. But the 10 acres I just bought has a large pig pen already built on the property that could hold 4 or 5 pigs easily. So It got me to thinking about putting some quality pork in the freezer that I know what is in it.

Dave in Florida · January 2018

Sea2Ski said:

A close friend of mine has 5+ wooded acres and rents some more from his neighbor and has a varying number of mangalista pigs of various ages at different times of the year. This picture was taken late spring.

These pigs are wild and pure bred. Mean ba$tards... they eat thorn bushes as a snack. I kid you not. You need a powerful electric fence and you have to “teach” them what it is when they are young. They will demolish an area of undergrowth of any woody growth less than 2” in diameter.

The amount of fat compared to other pigs is significantly higher and thicker. When skinning you do not need to be nearly as careful because you have to get through a lot of fat to hit muscle.

The meat is incredible though if they have a “wild” diet. He tries not to supplement their diet much, except with extra fruits and veggies from the local supermarket that are past prime or the outside leaves of cabbage, corn husks, lettuce etc... I have brought over buckets of acorns as I have a lot of oak trees. Acorns are their candy.

The meat is recognized around the world. On our trip in December, I saw this in a meat shop in Austria:

If you you want to talk to him, I would think he would chat with you for a bit. PM me.

Start raising them and document it like @kl8ton documented his chicken raising this past fall in his egg to egg thread.

Yea, we are enablers here.
You are welcome.

caliking said:

I was about to say essentially what @Foghorn already did.

I would add that the fat from our butterballs yields A LOT of lard - leaf for baking, the rest for tamales, vegetables, pancakes, etc. The abundance of fat also results in other sausage ventures (beef, lamb) which we have enjoyed.

@pigfisher should be able to give you some good info too. Whatever you do, don't talk to @20stone. Unless you want to end up with a 20-pig farm and your wife wondering if you still live with her or not.

Great information...thank you. No pig farm getting started here. Just wanting to raise my own chickens, pork and beef, that I know what is in it, for the freezers. Since I now have the property to do it
.

Pork

Comments

Categories