Writer at Large

Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your meat grow? Forgive my bastardization of the nursery rhyme, but the simple premise deserves attention. It is my hope that we, as a society, are starting to think beyond the shrink wrap and Styrofoam holding the perfectly cut loin, chop and ham, and consider our food, and its life. So, going back to my “embellishment”, do you know how the meat that you’re buying is raised?

I’m writing a guide for a client, on Heritage Breed Pigs, which really has me thinking about farming, animals, ethics and our own healthy choices.

I understand that a lot of people don’t eat meat as a stand on their own strong feelings for the ethical treatment of animals, and I admire that. I, however, am a meat eater. A conscious meat eater, and after writing this guide, I’ve become even more conscious, and I feel compelled to raise awareness of how livestock is raised, and how they deserve humane, and ethical treatment.

While the bloodlines of Heritage Breed Pigs (HBPs) go back hundreds of years, and distinct breeds are grown to produce specific types of superior meat, they are raised by farmers who are advocates for ethical family farming. They are raised in an environment where they are allowed to roam and root free in open pastures all of their lives.They are grown without hormones or steroids…allowed to mature naturally, which takes time and money.

Unfortunately, it costs more to raise HBPs because of the natural way they live. Commercially grown pigs are usually confined, plumped up with hormones and steroids, and rushed to market two-to-eight months earlier as opposed to their Heritage Breed cousins.

Which leads me to another question. How does the meat of a commercially grown pig compare to that of a Heritage Breed Pig? I did a taste test last week, and compared the two side-by-side, taste-by-taste. In my opinion, it’s like eating a handful of Styrofoam packing nuts and a rib eye steak. Just one bite of a well-prepared HBP is a mouthful of smokey heaven with tastes that round themselves out before hitting the back of your tongue with a caramelized fat cap that explodes in your mouth along with the braised juices that nearly makes your knees buckle. It is art.

Unfortunately, this art is endangered of being lost forever. Heritage Breed Pigs are critically rare, but they can be saved. They can be saved by consumption…tried and true supply and demand.

A main message of the guide is to inform the public about these breeds, and how to create a demand for them to ensure that these wonderful animals around for future generations.

Heritage Breed Pigs may be found in butcher shops, farmers markets, restaurants, and specialty food markets. Start asking. Create a dialog. It’s worth a few dollars more to experience a superior tasting hog that was raised in a natural environment.

Below is a picture of a Red Wattle Heritage Breed Pig. An extremely rare U.S. breed, prized for its tender, lean meat, splendid hams and sirloins. Its pork is exceptionally lean and juicy with a rich beef-like taste and texture. The breed displays a gentle temperament, and mothering abilities.

It’s just one of a long list of breeds that are endangered of being lost forever. Pork enthusiasts, conscious meat eaters, foodies, and non-foodies alike, let’s join together and start a dialog. More information about each breed will be posted when the guide is finalized. Until then, experience the taste yourself at a Cochon555 event…coming to a city near you.