Heritage Breed Pigs | Pasture Raised Pork (2024)

FAQs

What does "heritage raised pork" mean? ›

Like heritage tomatoes, heritage pigs haven't been crossbred, so they're fatter, which means their meat is juicier and more flavorful. Most farmers avoid antibiotics, hormones and chemicals. And their pigs eat a rich vegetarian diet, grazing in pastures rather than spending all their time in cages.

The Berkshire pig is still by far consistently the most decorated and award-winning pig for taste and flavor (followed by the Duroc). Over centuries, professional taste tests by novices and professionals alike have confirmed that meat quality on the Berkshire is unrivaled.

Pork from heritage breed pigs needs just two simple ingredients: time and nature. The reward is exceptionally tasty meat and the fat makes incredible crackling!

As you may have guessed, the term “heritage” denotes an original breed of pig, which was the majority (in fact the only at one point) found on pig farms before the industrial agriculture boom.

Hampshire and Other Heritage Pigs

This breed has a distinctive coat: primarily black with a white ring across its shoulders and front legs. The meat is known for succulence and tenderness.

The parasite is not found in domestic pigs raised in confinement, but can be found in pigs raised outdoors in close contact with wildlife and rodents. Trichinosis infection is relatively rare in the United States.

Whole Pig: Approx. $820 ($5.13 lb.)

Heritage pork is renowned for its intensity of flavor, juiciness, marbling, and tenderness. It's nothing like the bland, dry pork you often get at the grocery store. Heritage pork is also nutritionally superior because heritage breeds are pasture-raised with plenty of space to roam and play.

If you're looking for the best pork in the world, then you need to try Ibérico pork. Ibérico pigs are native to Spain, and they are known for their high-quality meat. Ibérico pigs are fed a diet of acorns, which gives their meat a unique flavor that is unlike any other pork in the world.

Hampshires produce high-quality, lean carcasses. Their superior ability to produce lean carcasses has led them to become one of the most popular breeds to use as sires.

What is the best heritage pig for bacon? ›

Traditionally known as the best "bacon hog”, Tamworths are a thrifty, hardy breed, originating in Ireland, generally larger in size with lean athletic builds. They are known for being a great "dual purpose" pig, producing both stunningly good pork and exceptional bacon.

Farm grains are the most common and best source of food to feed pigs. Most typically corn-based feeds are used because they are high in digestible carbohydrates, low in fiber, and cost effective.

Heritage berkshire Pork is the world's Best!

Berkshire Pork is coveted for its tender bite, its flavor, and its succulent fats and juices, and is featured in some of the finest restaurants around the world.

The Duroc breed, a result of careful breeding, combines the best attributes of various pig breeds, resulting in meat that is remarkably flavorful, juicy, and tender. The meat's balanced marbling contributes to a more robust and complex taste, making each bite a sensory journey through layers of indulgence.

Though the Duroc breed evolved from red pigs from another part of the world, it is considered one of the few “all American” breeds we have today.

A true heritage breed can be traced back prior to the advent of industrial farming, meaning that they are directly connected to the beginnings of agriculture 5000 years ago. Each breed comes from a unique culinary tradition, with its own pure genetic line, and boasts a different, wonderfully nuanced flavor.

Meat from pigs raised on pasture contains a significantly better ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty-acids compared with pork raised in an intensive free range environment.

High Quality Fats: pastured pork has a significantly better ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty-acids comparted to factory farm raised. Green grass and leaves are major sources of Omega-3 fats, which is what the animals at TC Farm thrive on.

Heritage berkshire Pork is the world's Best!

Berkshire Pork is coveted for its tender bite, its flavor, and its succulent fats and juices, and is featured in some of the finest restaurants around the world.