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| Ossabaw Pork Chop |
Sally rushed into the crate intended for "Ham" for transport to the processor.
Sally has gone on to a good home.
Sally is very tasty.
The pigs have 24/7 access to pasture and are fed whole and skimmed milk at least twice a day. We supplemented with too soft apples as well during the winter. They mostly eat the grass. When we had a thaw after a freeze, they'd select the mushiest stuff. When we got mud, they would dig up the dandelion roots and spit out the tops. They like new grass when it is first coming up, but seem to prefer the stems over the blades now that the grass is more mature.
The color is gorgeous. The taste was wonderful, tender and moist. I haven't eaten a pork chop in 15 years, but I remember them being very dry and bland. What stood out for me the most was the nature of the fat. We didn't feed any grain. The milk was from our own grass fed cows. The texture of this pork back fat was similar to the denseness of tallow (ruminant fat) but with the "lighter" taste of pork. I don't usually eat the fat, but render it with the bones to make broth. This stuff was amazing with just a little salt. I ate it straight. Wow, yum.
The satisfaction of eating something I have cared for personally definitely added to the experience.
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What lovely pork - it looks just amazing. It's wonderful you are raising your livestock so well, no wonder you are getting such good meat from them! Thank you for sharing this post with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend that just bought some ossabaw hogs that had babies. Ive heard that Ossabaw hogs are super healthy and would fit in very nicely into my grass fed, free range diet. So, I told my friend i would buy one of her hogs when it matures and have it processed. Within the last few weeks Ive noticed that she feeds them grains and whatevrr dead animals and kitchen scraps she finds. Im thinking that has to negate the health benefits of the meat. Id like to hear your thoughts on that. It would be great if you could e mail me @ mistypearson@rocketmail.com as I won check back here for a respnse. Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteAny hog is only as healthy as what it is fed, its fat(lard) will mirror the level of grains and legumes in the diet. High PUFA's (polyunsaturated fats) in, high PUFA's out. Their digestion is very much like ours. I don't eat grains, beans, seeds or nuts, so I don't feed it to the pigs.
ReplyDeleteAs for dead animals...pigs (and chickens) are opportunistic...they will eat what is available. If it's fresh, they would eat it in the wild. I can't speak to the quality of the meat though...I have no experience there.
Thanks!!
ReplyDelete