There will be no new pork in 2020
Due to forces beyond our control (including a car accident) we have been unable to source pigs of acceptable quality for this year. Sorry for any inconvenience.
We are planning on raising 16 pigs in 2021 (twice as many as in years past) but we will see what life throws our way between now and then.
2019 versus 2018:
- Same breeder: I like the conditions in which this breeder raises the pigs. They all get plenty of daylight, plenty of straw bedding, and the nursing sows and piglets can see the rest of the herd for better socialization.
- Similar breed: since this breeder raises robust crossbreeds every year the mix of breeds is a bit different.
- Same butcher: All smoked products (e.g. bacon, hams) are smoked with real cherry wood for a lighter less-salty flavour that lets the meat shine through more. Cuts are vacuum packed and labelled.
- Pre-orders: This year I solicited pre-orders from past customers. All ribs, fresh chops, pork belly, and tenderloins sold out in pre-orders. In 2020 I intend to solicit pre-orders near the end of April.
- New products for 2019:
- Bone-in 3-pount loin roasts: the butcher made a mistake and included the back ribs and tenderloins in the loin roasts. This is some of the best meat on the animal but it is a weird cut so I am pricing it at only $8/pound (normally $10/pound).
- Pricing:
- Most pricing is unchanged (most items are $8 to $10 per pound).
- Sausages and ground pork have been increased from $8/pound to $9/pound.
- I have eliminated volume discounts.
Why the premium pricing?
Our pigs were pastured with an organic ration supplemented by some of our certified organic veggies. That organic ration costs about double the conventional ration, but it excludes medications (80% of the antibiotics used in North America are fed to meat animals), pesticide residues, and residual feed streams (like manure, feathers, and pork meal (eww!)).
NO chemicals in their feed or bedding (just a little sanitizer for the stables after last year's pigs). NO GMOs or animal by-products in their feed. NO antibiotics or hormones.
Our pigs ate, slept and played with the sun on their backs and the breeze in their hair. This takes more equipment, skill, and time than just raising them in the dark on bare concrete or metal slats (which is how most store-bought pork is raised).
No fillers in the sausages or ground pork -- just meat, spices, and sometimes a little water -- so they are gluten-free.
Cuts Available:
As of April 2020 the only cuts left are roasts.
Each section below (bacon, chops, hams, ribs, roasts, other) lists the cuts alphabetically. When a cut is known by multiple names, I have tried to list all the ones I know of.
[TO DO Photos of the cuts show you what you will be getting: frozen, vacuum packed, with a tape measure to give an indication of size.]
Some folks have sensitivities or preferences for certain ingredients, so the ingredients are listed with each product. Smoking (the "natural smoke" ingredient) is done over cherry wood; not liquid smoke or any other artificial smoke. Cherry wood gives a milder smoke flavour letting more of the flavour of the meat shine through. All our pork products have their ingredients printed on the label.
Everything is gluten-free, vacuum-packed, frozen solid, and produced in government-inspected facilities.
Bacon
Back Bacon: SOLD OUT. $10 per package. This is the loin brined, smoked, and sliced. Each package is about one pound and includes about 16 slices. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium nitrate, spice, sodium erythorbate, natural smoke.
Peameal Bacon: SOLD OUT. Sold by weight at $10/pound. This is the loin brined, rolled in cornmeal, and sliced. Each package is a chunk a bit over one pound. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium nitrate, spice, sodium erythorbate, cornmeal.
Sliced (A.K.A. Side, Regular) Bacon: SOLD OUT. $10 per package. This is the belly brined, smoked, and sliced. Each package is about one pound and includes about 16 slices. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium nitrate, spice, sodium erythorbate, natural smoke.
Chops
Fresh Loin Chops (A.K.A. Centre-Cut Loin Chops): SOLD OUT. $10 per pound. Two chops per package; each package weighs about one pound. These are the pork equivalent of a T-bone steak, including a bit of bone and a bit of the tenderloin. Ingredients: pork.
Shoulder Chops (A.K.A. Butt Chops): SOLD OUT. $8 per pound. Two chops per package; each package weighs about 1.5 pounds. Ingredients: pork.
Smoked Chops (A.K.A. Quick 'n' Easy Chops): SOLD OUT. $10 per pound. Two chops per package; each package weighs about one pound. These are brined and smoked centre-cut loin chops. They don't need seasoning (i.e. heat and serve) but they need to be cooked through; they are not partially cooked. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium nitrate, spice, sodium erythorbate, natural smoke.
Hams
Black Forest Ham (A.K.A. California Roll): SOLD OUT; NO LONGER AVAILABLE. The butcher bought a bigger machine to make these and can no longer do a run with just my hams.
Regular (A.K.A. Old Fashioned) Ham: SOLD OUT. Bone-in. About 5 pounds each. Priced at $8 per pound. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium nitrate, spice, sodium erythorbate, natural smoke.
Ham Steaks: SOLD OUT. An oval slice of a regular ham; bone-in, about 2 pounds each. Just heat through to serve (not partially cooked). Priced at $8 per pound. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, sodium nitrate, spice, sodium erythorbate, natural smoke.
Ribs
Back Ribs: SOLD OUT. These are from the loin (i.e. they form the bones in centre-cut loin chops); two per pig. Priced at $10 per pound. Ingredients: pork.
Regular (A.K.A. Side) Ribs: SOLD OUT. These are from the side; two per pig. Priced at $8 per pound. Ingredients: pork.
Roasts
Butt Roast: SOLD OUT. $8 per pound. This is the cut for pulled pork. Each bone-in roast weighs about 5 pounds. Ingredients: pork.
Leg Roast: $8 per pound. This is a ham without the brining and smoking. Each bone-in roast weighs about 5 pounds. Ingredients: pork.
Loin Roast: $8 per pound. This is the cut for pulled pork. Each bone-in roast weighs about 5 pounds. Ingredients: pork.
Picnic Roast: $8 per pound. This is the cut for pulled pork. Each bone-in roast weighs about 5 pounds. Ingredients: pork.
Other
Pork Belly: SOLD OUT. Packaged in chunks of about 2 pounds each. Skin on but hair removed. Priced at $8 per pound. This is the same part of the pig used for side bacon but without the brining and curing. Ingredients: pork.
Pigs' Ears: SOLD OUT.
Pigs' Feet (A.K.A. Trotters): SOLD OUT.
Ground Pork: SOLD OUT. $9 per package. Each package weighs about a pound. Ingredients: pork.
Pork Hock: SOLD OUT.
Smoked Pork Hock: SOLD OUT. Ingredients: pork, natural smoke.
Pork Liver: SOLD OUT.
Lard: SOLD OUT. Each tub contains almost a pound. Priced at $4 per pound. Lard is shelf-stable for months. It is the secret ingredient of many award-winning pastry recipes, and is one of the best substances to season cast iron cookware. Produced in a commercial kitchen as required by food safety regulations. Ingredients: pork fat.
Mild Italian sausages: SOLD OUT. $9 per package. Each package weighs about a pound and contains four sausages. The sausages have a basil flavour and just a touch of spicy heat. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, spices, herbs.
Smoked Garlic Sausages: SOLD OUT. $9 per package. Each package weighs about a pound and contains four sausages. The sausages are smoked; not just the garlic. Ingredients: pork, water, salt, spices, garlic granules, natural smoke.
Tenderloin: SOLD OUT.
Pig Tails: SOLD OUT.
Tongues: SOLD OUT.