As Expected, Chef Jason Bond Killed a Pig

As expected, Chef Jason Bond killed some pigs.

He's got a gallery on facebook showing the results.

That's not a belly. That's fatback, with a chef's knife on it.

An extreme lard-type breed, the Mangalitsa puts the "fat" in "fat-prone".

It looks more fat without its hair.

His pigs had 75% Mangalitsa genetics. I think that explains why they got so big so quickly - purebreds grow a bit slower. The jowls look huge.

Tiny loin eye

I heard today of a chef who bought a Mangalitsa pig and was bothered that it was so fat. He expected it to have a carcass like a normal pig, but somehow just better tasting. He was tremendously disappointed by the very small yield of lean meat, particularly the tenderloins.

It is important to be realistic.

As these photos should make it clear, these pigs are very fat. When fed properly (which Wooly Pigs does), they produce a lot of wonderful fat. When fed improperly, they produce a lot of low-quality fat. Either way, they are likely to be the fattest pig you've ever encountered.

I suspect that Chef Jason Bond will make much money off the fatback (like Chef Stockner - an expert at using very fat Mangalitsa in a fine dining setting).

Not everyone can make money off such a pig, just like not all chefs can make money from expensive ingredients like foie gras, truffles and pacific salmon (the sort of stuff Foods In Season can get you).