# berkshire vs black iberian?



## ryle123 (Apr 6, 2010)

i hear that the berkshire pig is best for food. but is it also the best for ham? they say spanish ham is the best, and the best of spanish hams is the jamon iberico(which is made from a black iberian pig).

also, does anyone know what the best climate to make ham is? does it have to be a cold place? how about california?


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Berkshire are known for marbling. This can be bred up in other pig breeds too. Lots of people say this or that pig is best for this or that. Many opinions.

My opinion is:

1) Find piglets locally. It will ideally be already somewhat already adapted to your climate.

2) Find piglets from someone raising them something like you want to do it. That way they'll already be somewhat adapted to to you management goals.

Pigs are very plastic, very flexible and able to adapt.

Most of all, enjoy your home grown pork. Delicious.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa


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## HeritagePigs (Aug 11, 2009)

Beware the marketing hype. Iberico ham is not the best ham; Berkshire is not the best pork; the best ham and pork is whatever you think it is. The same thing has happened concerning "Angus" beef. There is no taste difference between beef from an Angus cow and beef from any other beef breed cow. In fact, cheap dairy breed beef is very often considered better tasting than Angus or any other beef breed meat. You just think Angus tastes better because you paid too much for it 

However, there are some differences in pork from different breeds. Whether it tastes better is an individual judgment, but there are clear differences in cooking quality.

Some breeds, such as Berkshire, Large Black, Gloucestershire Old Spot and others are "micro-marbled". This means that the pig tends to grow fat inside the muscle, not just under the skin. Think of a ribeye steak; the marbling tends to keep the meat moist and tender regardless of the method of cooking. Also, as the fat renders during cooking, it adds a lot of taste to the meat. 

In contrast some other breeds, such as Hampshire, Yorkshire and the average farm Heinz 57, do not grow as much fat within the muscle. They grow their fat under the skin and are considered to have lean meat. This is great if you think that fat is not good for you or if you only cook your pork hot and fast. However, if you try to cook it low and slow, it will dry out long before it is done.

If you like to smoke your pork, or make slow cooked stews, or just barbeque, then marbled pork will generally be better suited for you. If it also tastes great, that's a bonus!

BTW, Red Wattle and Mulefoot pork has been considered the best tasting pork in several objective taste tests.

There are also differences in the manner in which pigs are raised that may impact your choice. Lots of people think that the only way to raise hogs is to put them in a small pen and throw corn at them. The hogs spend their lives eating pretty much nothing but carbohydrates and living in their own filth. Not my idea of a good source for healthy pork.

Modern breeds are mostly raised in confined facilities. They spend their lives crowded together on concrete. The farm managers have to inject them with antibiotics to try and prevent the illnesses that are common in these facilities. They also wean them very early (at fifteen days) and give them growth hormones to get them to butcher weight as quickly as possible. Because they are very common now, Berkshires are being raised under these conditions at some farms.

Rare breeds are mostly raised now on pasture and in the woods. This is partly due to the fact that there just aren't very many of them. This is also due to the breeders knowing that the best way to ensure that heritage breeds retain their most valuable traits, namely the ability to live well on pasture with very little human help, is to raise them that way. No antibiotics, no growth hormones, very little supplemental feed, and sustainable farming practices. This is how we raise our pigs and it is a good source for healthy pork. And, getting back to your original concern, it does make the best tasting pork.

Do some research and you'll also learn that Black Iberian pigs are raised on pasture and in the woods; just like most rare breed farmers do it.

As to your last questions, the best ham grows on the best ham pigs. Look for a breed with large hips, this is where the ham comes from. Choose a micro-marbled breed and the ham will not become tough after processing. Raise it on pasture and in the woods, cure the ham for a year (like Iberico ham) and I'll bet you can't tell the difference between your ham and that expensive stuff from Spain...

Good ham can be grown anywhere. Compare the climate of Spain and the climate of Central and Southern California and I think you will find many similarities.

Brian
Large Black and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs
HomegrownAcres.com


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## ryle123 (Apr 6, 2010)

thanks to both highlands and heritage for the extremely useful info. i will do more research about this and make sure i pick the right pigs. i don't have a place to raise pigs yet, but i'm definitely going to get one in the future to make my own ham and sausages.


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