Closeup of Mosefund's carcass: 2.5 inches or more of fat.Mosefund killed their first batch of Mangalitsa!
They are about a year old, originally bred and farrowed in Washington (by Wooly Pigs), grown in the Midwest (Wooly Pigs farm#1 ), sold and delivered to Mosefund and finished in New Jersey on a special diet designed to optimize their fat quality.
I picked the biggest ones out last August, knowing that they'd be Mosefund's first pigs. They were about 40# the last time I saw them. From the moment they received the pigs, the clock was ticking - they started feeding them their finishing diet to prepare for their big day. In the meanwhile, they managed to make the New Jersey Star-Ledger in a story about Mosefund and Mangalitsa.
If they'd have been smarter, they'd have realized that when strangers get in your pen and others strangers take pictures of you, something is probably going on. When they load you in a trailer and drive you somewhere, something is definitely going on.
They look quite fat to me. That's a lot of leaf lard in that pig. It isn't easy to see, but these pigs were about 350# live. They were very heavy for being only one year old, evidence that we fed them on a high plane of nutrition.Soon, Michael Clampffer will deliver the pork to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Elements (Princeton) and a few other fancy places mentioned in the article.
The Mangalitsa dinner at Elements (Princeton, NJ) is really going to be something:
- 9 courses
- $130 for food. Alcohol additional.
- first 3 courses done family-style
3 comments:
Heath,
Will you have Mangalitsa leaf lard at the u district farmer's market this weekend? What is the price per pound for that? I tried your pork just recently, and I really like the fatty part. Thanks.
Anonymous -- I don't have much Mangalitsa leaf lard right now. I've got some Mangalitsa x Berkshire fat, which when rendered, would be close in quality to the Mangalitsa leaf lard.
The price depends on how much fat you buy. If you buy a little, $5/lb. If you buy a lot, $2/lb (or less, if you call ahead).
If you just want to render it for lard, I'd settle for fatback too. At least, buy some of both, try making lard from each and see if you really have a strong preference for one over the other. You easily won't.
You'll probably prefer any of our pork fat to alternatives from other producers - because of our philosophy, which puts fat quality first.
Hence, even my Berkshire fat is better than alternatives.
Here's guys at the French Laundry, excited to work on my Berkshire pork, back before they could get Mangalitsa old enough to make great cured products.
Hi Heath,
Thanks for your reply. It's my first time attempting lard rendering, so I'm thinking 5-8 lbs for a start. How many cups of lard does 5lbs of leaf lard render? I'm curious whether fatback is cheaper since you suggested it as an alternative.
I saved the fatty part from the Mangalitsa chop to grease the pan when cooking. I love its aroma, that's why I want to try making lard from your pork. So I'm only interested in Mangalitsa or the cross-bred, but probably not Berkshire lard.
How can I call ahead to get a better price quote? I probably want to order a cross-bred or Berkshire pork belly as well. (I'm afraid the Mangalitsa one would be too fatty.)
J. (same Anon. above)
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