Homemade Sausage Making

Are certain heritage breeds of pork better suited for specific preparations? For example, Iberian pigs having great intramuscular fat in their legs for a well marbled jamon or Mangalista pig`s lower fat melting temperature vs. other hogs, producing a superior lardo. Conversely, are there certain breeds that are NOT well suited for certain charcuterie preparations?

It has always been my understanding that breed plays a small but important role but the feed and the age of the hog at butchering plays a greater role. Here is the states hogs are much leaner than they were 60 years ago because of the market demand for leaner meat. I have read that the Chinese are not pleased with American export pork because they consider it to be too lean.
I recently purchased a pork loin that was as devoid of fat as eye round beef and just as dry.

As Ross had indicated, breed is a major factor in the quality of pork, as well as age at time of slaughter. I have the good fortune of living in a rural community where a farmer friend of mine raises Landrace/Yorkshire cross hogs. They are fed his blend of a ground barley/wheat/oats, with the result that the meat is well marbled and has a nice fat rind on the hams, backs, and shoulders, while the sides and bellies are quite lean. The internal fat makes some of the best fat to add to any sausage recipe, or for that matter to render out as lard for cooking. His sow herd is small, coming from his own stock, thus the chance of disease in the feeders is minimal, resulting in drug free pork. All boars are brought in from similar situations. The price is always right!!!! Half a pork for lots of beer(that we both sop up) & help with butchering and around the farm when I can. Barley, blended with various percentages of wheat and oats are the mainstay hog feed in Western Canada, resulting in a white fat, rather than the yellowish color of Eastern Canadian or U.S. corn fed pork.

ssorllih wrote:It has always been my understanding that breed plays a small but important role but the feed and the age of the hog at butchering plays a greater role. Here is the states hogs are much leaner than they were 60 years ago because of the market demand for leaner meat. I have read that the Chinese are not pleased with American export pork because they consider it to be too lean.
I recently purchased a pork loin that was as devoid of fat as eye round beef and just as dry.

I agree completely with this. I have begun to search near me for a farmer that has also recognized this and is raising hogs for sausage makers that also recognizes the situation. So far no luck.

I'd kill to be back in NY with access to so many farms. Out here in San Diego I've only found one or two local farms and they're still pretty far away!

story28 wrote:Are certain heritage breeds of pork better suited for specific preparations? For example, Iberian pigs having great intramuscular fat in their legs for a well marbled jamon or Mangalista pig`s lower fat melting temperature vs. other hogs, producing a superior lardo. Conversely, are there certain breeds that are NOT well suited for certain charcuterie preparations?

This is an interesting topic. It would be great to hear from more of you on the subject. I've never encountered a discussion of this issue on other forums. It could be helpful to find out where your favourite commercial sausagemaker gets his pork?

Keep them cards and letters comin' in folks!

I think the importance of feed, weight at slaughter, and conditions of slaughter are all well understood variables in quality of meat, but my interest is in the breed's influence. If specific breeds are prized and saught after, they must have characteristics that make them exceptional beyond the previously mentioned influences. If that wasn't the case, there would be no reason to seek out any particular breed at all.

This may be a difinitive site for your question. http://bigpictureagriculture.blogspot.c ... reeds.html

Hi Ross, Thanks for sharing that information. Goodness gracious, that Meishan Chinese pig #10 has got the face that would scare the roaches away! I`ll bet a bowl of Rice Krispies wouldn`t even talk to that one! That oinker would make an onion cry! Sure would like to taste one though.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

The only explaination I can think of for a pig that looks like that is that his owner just couldn't bring himself to killing such a critter, so they let it reproduce. What started as a small ugly pig ended up as a new breed.

Chuckwagon wrote:that Meishan Chinese pig #10 has got the face that would scare the roaches away! I`ll bet a bowl of Rice Krispies wouldn`t even talk to that one! That oinker would make an onion cry!

If we weren't both so dang 'good lookin' I would have to make a comment.

So, I'll take the highroad again and just thank Ross for a great link!

I've already found a local farmer who breeds a variety of exotic swine for officianados.
His prices are about double that of the retail market but I'm going to buy a ham and see how much difference there is.

I'll let you know.

I have been doing some research on Ossabaw Hogs and how well suited they are to salumi being that they are descendants of the Iberian pig. But, I have also read that they are listed as critical on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, yet many charcutiers and restaurants are featuring products made from these animals. Does anyone know more about this situation?

We can all do our part and get a brood sow and just harvest the barrows.

This goes back to the argument that the best way for a species to survive is to be tasty. If we as humans like a product we will do what we can to keep the product available, thus the american bison. While there are many conservationists who want to keep this animal alive because of it's historic and intrinsic value the reason that the stocks keep growing is because we want to eat it.

The more ossabaw we seek out and purchase (either in raw form to use ourselves in transferred into charcuterie) the more the farmers will understand the demand and increase production.

maybe it is the wild population that is endangered and not the domesticated?