Building A Better Pig
Other pig people say they've got the taste solution. Breeders have rediscovered traditional breeds like Durocs and Hampshires--the kinds of pigs my grandfather worked with. These pigs are chunkier; a Berkshire produces a pork loin with about 5 percent fat, compared with 2 percent in commodity pork.
Niman Ranch Pork Co. in Oakland, Calif., started selling pork from such breeds in 1997. "Our pigs are 48 to 51 percent lean, whereas the regular packers like 54 percent or even more," says Paul Willis, a farmer in Thornton, Iowa, who manages the company. Many of the firm's techniques are also throwbacks; pigs are raised in smaller groups with access to sunlight and pasture.
In a very unscientific taste test conducted on my patio, the darker, fattier Niman pork grilled up juicier and tastier than commodity pork. But it comes at a price. Niman Ranch chops sell at Whole Foods Market for about $8, while supermarket chops are often $3.
Chefs at high-end restaurants have embraced the new pork. "It's a beautiful flavor, beautiful color," says Paul Bertolli, chef at Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant in Oakland, Calif. Bertolli butchers a whole hog each week and features pickled pig's ear giardiniera as an hors d'oeuvre. Yet Tom Valenti, owner of Ouest and Cesca in New York City, says his customers aren't about to pop for a $30 pork chop. "There's an acceptable flavor level to commercial pork," Valenti says. Instead, he's trying moister cuts, like braised pork shanks, and experiments with cooking pork less. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking pork to 160 degrees to kill the parasite that causes trichinosis. But since pigs no longer eat garbage, cases of trichinosis have dropped to a dozen or so annually, almost all from eating wild game. Valenti now yanks a chop off the grill "five or seven minutes before I think would be prudent." The solution to the pig problem may lie in science or in a return to the pigs of the past, but it may also lie in having the guts to say, "I'll take my pork chop medium rare."
THE PERFECT PIG
Among the first animals to be domesticated, pigs were found to be adaptable, easy to raise, and the source of a variety of meats. Although in the past 50 years pigs have been bred to be much leaner, farmers are turning to traditional breeds to improve meat quality.
FERAL PIG: First domesticated in the middle east and central Asia 9,000 years ago.
1900 PIG: Bigger was better when lard was prized. Some pigs topped 2,000 pounds.
MODERN PIG: Lean and muscled, with a market weight of 260 pounds.
Stephen Rountree-- USN&WR
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