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Acorn Fed Pigs

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Ray Griffith

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Acorn Fed Pigs

by Ray Griffith » Thu Jan 18, 2018 12:58 pm

I have heard of these over the years. Are there any local restaurants or butchers that serve this pork?

http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/01/ ... gunst-pork
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Robin Garr

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Robin Garr » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:55 pm

I don't know, but my first guess would be either Harvest or Red Hog, Ray, or Bistro 1860. I think there are two issues: There are lots of small farms raising pastored pork and heirloom pigs now, but the question is whether acorn feeding is going on.
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Adriel Gray

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Adriel Gray » Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:04 pm

We did this once years ago for Ed Lee at 610 Magnolia. If I remember right, we just took a young hog and raised him seperately on acorns Ed had sourced from another local farmer. It was interesting and a cool learning experience. It was also a pretty intensive and expensive experiment. Not something we are set up to do in any volume but was fun as a one time thing. I know of no one doing it currently in the area. The acorns are the hard part.
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Steve A

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Steve A » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:16 pm

Four or five years ago IdeaFestival sponsored ‘Snout to Tail: The Whole Pig’ class at Winston. Barbara attended, and came home with acorn-fed pork that was out of this world for flavor and texture.

I believe that the meat came from Black Oak Holler Farm in WV. You might want to contact them to see if they supply restaurants or meat markets in Louisville.

Bonus question, name the movie: "That'll do, pig. That'll do."
"It ain't a matter of pork 'n beans that's gonna justify your soul
Just don't try to lay no boogie woogie on the king of rock and roll."
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Alanna H

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Alanna H » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:21 pm

Oh, Steve.

You're such a Babe.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Robin Garr » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:54 pm

Alanna H wrote:Oh, Steve.

You're such a Babe.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
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RonnieD

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by RonnieD » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:41 pm

Poor pig must get positively sick of eating acorns. Doesn't anybody have an apple or some corn for Wilbur's sake!
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Gordon M Lowe

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Gordon M Lowe » Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:06 pm

An acorn diet is not something I would associate with pigs, but hey if it works, that's great. :)
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Iggy C

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Iggy C » Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:42 am

Gordon M Lowe wrote:An acorn diet is not something I would associate with pigs, but hey if it works, that's great. :)

I know they feed acorns to the pigs they make jamon iberico out of, but i was under the impression that it’s just for the final months rather than their entire lives. I wonder how Ed Lee’s experiment turned out.
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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Stephen D » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:04 pm

Iggy C wrote:
Gordon M Lowe wrote:An acorn diet is not something I would associate with pigs, but hey if it works, that's great. :)

I know they feed acorns to the pigs they make jamon iberico out of, but i was under the impression that it’s just for the final months rather than their entire lives. I wonder how Ed Lee’s experiment turned out.


I think that's right. They finish in that season free-ranging on a natural diet.
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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Joni L » Sat Jan 20, 2018 1:34 pm

I can attest to acorn-fed pork! I had Iberico ham at a restaurant several months ago, and the flavor was incredible! You could literally taste the fresh nuttiness from the acorns.
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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by TimT » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:02 am

I'll second Joni's comment. It's a flavor you won't forget. Hard to find outside big cities. D.C. and Miami come to mind or any of Jose Andres restaurants. Lots of other great hams though. Colonel Newsom's from little Princeton KY is one of my favorites. I stop there on my way back home after visiting Louisville to buy a ham once a year. Nancy was honored in Italy for her version of a proscuitto style ham.
"I dined at my favorite restaurant last night. It was like Heaven, only better. They let me in".
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Adriel Gray

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Adriel Gray » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:45 am

Stephen D wrote:
Iggy C wrote:
Gordon M Lowe wrote:An acorn diet is not something I would associate with pigs, but hey if it works, that's great. :)

I know they feed acorns to the pigs they make jamon iberico out of, but i was under the impression that it’s just for the final months rather than their entire lives. I wonder how Ed Lee’s experiment turned out.


I think that's right. They finish in that season free-ranging on a natural diet.


Oh pigs eat any and everything. I don't want anyone thinking that this thing was force fed acorns like some foie gras goose. Pigs are amazing omnivores and even if Farmer Brown only brought acorns to the pig it would be eating bugs, grass, and roots etc etc all day. For our pig Ed Lee brought lots of scraps and bits from the restaurant along with acorns galore. He was well fed, scout's honor.
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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Andrew A » Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:33 pm

Robin Garr wrote:I don't know, but my first guess would be either Harvest or Red Hog, Ray, or Bistro 1860. I think there are two issues: There are lots of small farms raising pastored pork and heirloom pigs now, but the question is whether acorn feeding is going on.


Red Hogs pigs are not acorn fed. Their diet is mainly barley and a small amount of mast at the end of the cycle which may include a few acorns and walnuts.
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Andrew A

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Re: Acorn Fed Pigs

by Andrew A » Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:51 pm

Steve A wrote:Four or five years ago IdeaFestival sponsored ‘Snout to Tail: The Whole Pig’ class at Winston. Barbara attended, and came home with acorn-fed pork that was out of this world for flavor and texture.

I believe that the meat came from Black Oak Holler Farm in WV. You might want to contact them to see if they supply restaurants or meat markets in Louisville.

Bonus question, name the movie: "That'll do, pig. That'll do."


Black Oak Holler slaughters 2-3 times a year in the winter and I don’t believe they have anymore before this fall . The hams are all cured and what fresh meat is left is usually snatched up immediately by restaurants mostly in the Cincinnati area. Like Red Hog their diet is mainly barley with some rotational crops like squash and rape. They are only turned out into the mountains in the fall when the mast drops. Even then it’s not strictly acorns. Hickory nuts, walnuts, pawpaws, chestnuts, etc. are in the area they forage. If anyone is really serious about getting their hands on some fresh meat I can pass their info along.

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