Commodity vs heritage type pork: how do they compare?

[jjdbike]

Hello folks,

I've got a question. Has anyone compared commodity pork butts (i.e. common grocery store pork) to the more expensive heritage breeds, e.g. Berkshire, Duroc, Red, etc.?

I know it's crazy, but I've only ever smoked the more expensive butts. I can tell you out of the package, they're much more marbled and a darker red color, almost looks like beef.

In my mind, I assume it's got to have a richer flavor and moister texture. But that's only an assumption in my mind. Now that I live in SoCal (not by my choosing) where absolutely everything is more expensive, I need to watch my spending carefully.

Can anyone here please share there comparison between the quality of the end product of smoked commodity and heritage type pork butt?

Thank in advance!
JD

[Mosca]

I haven’t compared butts, but I have compared ribs. Maybe my experience will help.

Some commodity ribs are pretty decent; Hatfield and Prairie Fresh are worth buying, IMO.

For heritage pork, I’ve settled on Cheshire. The others are excellent, but I am always just ecstatic with the results from Cheshire, and I feel it represents better value ($/lb). I would love to get my hands on some Mangalitsa, or Iberico, but that’s out of the budget now. I did have a Mangalitsa ham a couple years ago, it was the color of roast beef and it was incredible. Like, really incredible, you wouldn’t believe.

Most of the commodity pork at our local supermarket, Wegman’s, is Hatfield. Supposedly that is Duroc/Yorkshire cross. Their shoulders and butts are damn good. I’ve always been pleased with the results.

[jjdbike]

Thanks for that.

Where I always landed was if I’m going to spend that much time & effort preparing it, why not start w/ a great quality product. On the other hand, now that I need to be budget conscious, if I’m going to inject, rub, slow smoked, pulled & sauced, it may not be worth the extra expense.

I’ll look for Hatfield and compare what they get fit that vs heritage. I’m not sure what brands they carry here in coastal northern San Diego County.

I’ll get back to you.

I appreciate it.
JD

[Mosca]

You should be able to get Prairie Fresh. I wasn’t expecting much, but when I tasted the ribs I definitely raised an eyebrow, in a good way.

[realdocBBQ]

I dropped a coin on a Duroc ham last year, for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I think.

I didn't find it overly impressive compared to store bought hams. Of course, ham isn't a great cut for comparison, and once you cure it, I'm not sure that helps any, either. So it probably wasn't the best choice.

However, I think I'm going to try to get some really good ribs to try, and with my newfound love of S&P ribs, I think that would really help in differentiating the differences. I'm going to plan an experiment with some higher end heritage breed side by side with my local Prairie Farms WalMart ribs.

Stay tuned!

[jfmorris]

I've done many hundreds of commodity butts, and only a handful of heritage breed butts. You are right about the color - the heritage breed or pasture raised pork is always a deeper darker color. And it produces great results.

That said, it has been several years since I bought anything other than commodity grade butts at Kroger or Sam's Club. The fact is, *for me*, the long process of smoking the pork, the seasoning with good dry rub like MMD, the dry brining with kosher salt, then adding in a vinegar based NC style sauce that we like - I just can't tell enough difference in the results to make it worth the extra expense. If it weren't rubbed and sauced, and so smoky tasting - I probably would be able to tell a bigger difference.

Also, my experience with a couple of the butts I got from Porter Road was that they came out drier than I was used to, requiring me to mix in a sauce to moisten the meat. Once you do that, it really tastes the same as any other pulled pork.

I think I would spend my heritage pork money on ribs rather than shoulders, personally. Like those Cheshire ribs that Mosca is talking about. I tend to NOT use sauce at all with my ribs these days, so think I would be able to tell more a difference with those.

[Mosca]

Yeah. I look at heritage butts and they’re $9/lb, and the ones in the store are 99¢/lb. Right.

[rickgregory]

As with most really high quality stuff, you want to prep it simply to let the quality show through. Chops,etc? Definitely seen a difference when getting those from a farm nearby. But if you're going cure, smoke, sauce etc? Yeah, there will be some difference, but you're going to obscure a lot of it.

Obviously, there's also the issue of how the animals are treated on a corporate farm vs a smaller place but that's not directly relevant here.

[jfmorris]

This is a very good point. Steak and chops - the quality different will shine through, especially with a simple salt & pepper seasoning. Brined/rubbed/smoked/sauced - not so much.

[rickgregory]

jfmorris - yeah. Roast too. I think a porchetta with heritage pork would also be amazing. But for pulled pork etc I'm with you, commodity is fine, flavor-wise

[jjdbike]

I haven’t compared butts, but I have compared ribs. Maybe my experience will help.

Some commodity ribs are pretty decent; Hatfield and Prairie Fresh are worth buying, IMO.

For heritage pork, I’ve settled on Cheshire. The others are excellent, but I am always just ecstatic with the results from Cheshire, and I feel it represents better value ($/lb). I would love to get my hands on some Mangalitsa, or Iberico, but that’s out of the budget now. I did have a Mangalitsa ham a couple years ago, it was the color of roast beef and it was incredible. Like, really incredible, you wouldn’t believe.

Most of the commodity pork at our local supermarket, Wegman’s, is Hatfield. Supposedly that is Duroc/Yorkshire cross. Their shoulders and butts are damn good. I’ve always been pleased with the results.

Just visited the Von’s grocery local to where we now live. Compared their store brand w/ Smithfield. The Smithfield was darker in color and more marbled & $2.99 a lb. I wonder what breed Smithfield uses? The heritage was 7.99 a lb plus $46.00 for overnight shipping. It’s a no brainer.
Thanks again,
JD

[Mosca]

“We firmly believe that Smithfield hogs offer a superior taste and eating experience. Our hogs raised today are a combination of three heritage breeds: 100% Durocs on the male side and a 50–50 cross between Landrace and Large White hogs on the female side.”

[jjdbike]

Thanks!
JD

[jjdbike]

Hey Mosca,
Would you assume Prairie Farms are better than Smithfield?
I heard Sprouts carries them. I just visited Sprouts. They had store brand butts $2.99 a lb. A little better marbling than Von’s store brand but same color. Smithfield was significantly darker in color. I asked Sprouts butcher about Prairie Farms. He said they randomly get them in mixed in w/ store brand. He insisted they’re no different. Said both are all natural and free range.
At this point I’m leaning towards a couple Smithfield butts.
JD

[Mosca]

Honestly, I wouldn’t know. Last I had Smithfield was long ago. We are in Eastern PA, and Hatfield is headquartered here, I got the Prairie Fresh at Restaurant Depot. But I trust them.

[jfmorris]

The Smithfields are a good commodity pork product. I use them when I can find them.

[DaveD]

Very timely thread for what I'd been thinking about pork myownself. Had noticed that the Smithfield butts gave results every bit as good as any heritage butt I've done in my short smoking career. Also had a Kurobuta butt that was super lean, almost like loin, and no surprise, it came out very dry. I likely won't order another heritage one.

Ditto on ribs, steaks, chops - the meat quality can really shine. Also had some heritage pork tenderloin recently that was superb.

[jfmorris]

This is the issue I had with a $68 pork butt from Porter Road. It was leaner and came out dry compared to most of the commodify Smithfield butts I've done. I wouldn't spend the money again when I can get a butt locally on sale for 99 cents per pound. It was a shame as while the flavor was good, the dryness required me mixing in sauce to salvage the cook. I bought 3-4 butts online just to try heritage pork back around 2019-2020, and won't do it again - not for pulled pork anyway.

[realdocBBQ]

Well, you guys have gotten me in serious trouble.



The Wife is going to birth a litter when she sees the payment today to Wild Fork foods!

[texastweeter]

If purebred sell em off and pay for the order. Maybe you will get lucky and she will crap a gold brick instead.

[58limited]

I have never cooked a heritage pork butt but I've cooked several Berkshire pork chops from Wild Fork. There is a difference between the Berkshire and commodity chops in both color and flavor to the point that I don't buy commodity chops for grilling anymore. I only use them for quick cheap meals like shake and bake or the venerable pork chops and rice casserole.

[Jfrosty27]

+1 on the Berkshire chops from WF. That’s the only chops I buy anymore. So good.

[Chuck in Charlotte]

I do moderately prefer the taste of heritage pork for pulled pork, but most often I'm only cooking for 2-4 people. Rather than blow the budget on a Berkshire shoulder I'll get a Berkshire pork collar from D'Artangan. It doesn't have a money muscle, but it is more evenly marbled all the way through. It's a smaller size with great flavor. More expensive than commodity but doesn't completely bankrupt me.

[texastweeter]

Big fan of Berkshire here. If you consider Piney Woods Rooter a heritage breed, i have cooked more of that than anyone i know.

[Dadof3Illinois]

We have several local farmers that raise Duroc hogs and I’ve bought several over the years. What we’ve found out for the butts they are best cooked to 175 internal and then sliced. This leaves more fat and better flavor in the meat. IMO Duroc is often leaner but has a pretty distinct flavor and much darker. The belly and hams are where they really shine!! But like others have said, commercial butts have a higher amount of fat and do better for pulled pork!

[texastweeter]

The meat IS much deeper red and less fat, that being served some of the best ribs and pulled pork i have ever made was with Berkshire. Best chop well its close but red wattle wins followed very closely by berkshire.