What's a preferable breed of hog?

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 17:54

8 foot tall chain link fence with razor wire on top. Not much else will be enough.

crustyo44 · Post by **crustyo44** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 20:47

Hi Unclebuck,
I have to agree with you about corn fed pigs.
Many years ago when making salami with Italian friends down south, all the pigs were fed on hammer milled wheat, barley, some apples and lots of acorns, every day for several months.
My friends refused to feed them on corn.
Regards,
Jan.

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 22:34

crustyo44 wrote:...and lots of acorns, every day for several months.

Hey, Jan, the Iberian hams that are supposed to be such a delicacy come from hogs raised on mostly acorns. Maybe it's not so good for bacon, but for high-end ham, animals on that diet might be a good opportunity. What are your thoughts? (...rather specialized use, I admit.)
Russ

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 23:22

http://www.ans.iastate.edu/report/air/2 ... AS1954.pdf A definitive study of the effect of feed type on pork quality. Quite a surprise and a serious myth breaker.

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 01:02

ssorllih wrote:8 foot tall chain link fence with razor wire on top. Not much else will be enough.

Mt. lions are incredible jumpers. We've had a lot of trouble with them. They get a taste for a certain type of animal (goat, for instance), and clear the whole neighborhood. Worse, they hang around your house and you never know where they are. For a lion proof pen I use hog panels along the bottom, sheep fencing up to 8 feet, and then a roof - either wire with a tarp over it, or roofing panels.

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 01:23

ssorllih wrote:http://www.ans.iastate.edu/report/air/2 ... AS1954.pdf A definitive study of the effect of feed type on pork quality. Quite a surprise and a serious myth breaker.

From the link you posted....

"Pigs fed barley diets did have lower iodine value content within the
subcutaneous fat indicating that the fat is of firmer quality."

"Barley does however have a significant impact on the hardness of pork fat."

The hardness of the fat is where the big difference in quality lies, for several reasons, including flavor, stability of the fat in sausages and cured products, no fat-out during cooking, little or no smear during grinding and stuffing, easier slicing, no weeping in dry cured sausages, etc.

Soft fat will turn rancid much easier than hard fat.

Corn is high in PUFAs.
PUFAs lead to soft fat.

Italy sets limits on PUFA levels in feed to ensure high quality fat.

http://woolypigs.com/articolo-01.pdf

Other European countries share similar standards.

Pork fat quality in Canada tends to be better than in the US because they feed more barley.

Americans used to take the quality of pork much more seriously than they do now.....

http://books.google.com/books?id=lqG2AA ... &q&f=false

More info....

http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedi ... -345-w.pdf

http://www.pic.com/Images/Users/1/Sales ... Q10New.pdf

http://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/prod/groups/ ... 356794.pdf

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 02:05

I suspect that there are indeed significant differences that can be detected by people that have long experience with many pork carcasses. I venture that most of us will never process enough sausage or cured and smoked meat to ever be able to articulate the differences.

Post by **redzed** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 02:11

ssorllih wrote:I suspect that there are indeed significant differences that can be detected by people that have long experience with many pork carcasses. I venture that most of us will never process enough sausage or cured and smoked meat to ever be able to articulate the differences.

Ross, I think you underestimate some of us around here.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 02:12

In what regard?

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 10:08

Cabonaia, you wrote:

Mt. lions are incredible jumpers. We've had a lot of trouble with them. They get a taste for a certain type of animal (goat, for instance), and clear the whole neighborhood. Worse, they hang around your house and you never know where they are. For a lion proof pen I use hog panels along the bottom, sheep fencing up to 8 feet, and then a roof - either wire with a tarp over it, or roofing panels.

I'm quite surprised that Morgan Hill would have the big cats. Most people never even get a glimpse of them in their lifetime. In my more active and mis-spent youth, I was one of the few people to ever shoot one. Got it's photo hangin' on the wall above my desk.

atcNick · Post by **atcNick** » Sun Nov 04, 2012 18:09

I would like to use some of the pork for dry curing but most will go to sausage, and chops, etc. What should we do or avoid in raising the pigs to avoid trichinae. I know they can get it from dirt but that seems unavoidable to me if they are outside and foraging. And we're not going to be feeding them any raw meat scraps/carcasses.

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 21:37

Chuckwagon wrote:I'm quite surprised that Morgan Hill would have the big cats. Most people never even get a glimpse of them in their lifetime. In my more active and mis-spent youth, I was one of the few people to ever shoot one. Got it's photo hangin' on the wall above my desk.

CW - Now that is a picture I would like to see. I'll bet they grow bigger in the Rockies than the California coastal range.

In my youth they were extremely rare like. Then CA passed a law against hunting them, and we are overrun. We see the all the time. Also overrun with deer, their favorite snack. A perfect storm! I think the hunting season for deer is about 15 minutes. Lots of bobcats, too. One crossed the road ahead of me on my way to work this morning. Incredible numbers of wild turkey, and plenty of wild boar (ask Sawhorsey!), fox, coons, and of course coyotes. AND skunks! Amazing how much wildlife you run into (or over

) just a few miles outside of a major metropolitan area (San Jose/Silicon Valley - 2 million). Last year a lion laid down and died on our next door neighbor's doormat.

atcNick · Post by **atcNick** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 21:41

Pics of the piggies we got. Blue butts. My son feeding them some acorns he gathered up. They seem to love acorns

Baconologist · Post by **Baconologist** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 02:29

atcNick wrote:What should we do or avoid in raising the pigs to avoid trichinae.

Unless you can ensure that the pigs will not come into contact with rats at any time during their life, which is next to impossible, there's no way to guarantee that they won't become infected.
Rats are carriers and pigs will most certainly munch on a rat if given the chance.

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 05:40

So, how do they produce "certified" pork? Is it certified after butchering and inspection, or are there special ways of managing the hogs from cradle to table?