How Should I Cook Berkshire Pork?
Berkshire pork is great barbecued, grilled, fried, smoked or roasted. If you have a adopted the modern practice of cooking pork to medium rare (145F) you might like to cook this pork to medium (160F). Berkshire pork has a slightly higher melting point than other breeds. The result will still be tender and juicy thanks to the marbling.
What Makes Berkshire Pork So Delicious?
It’s what pork used to taste like, sweet and succulent, before producers built hog breeds that produce lean, flavourless pork. Supermarket pork is “water injected” to overcome the dryness caused by the lack of marbling. The fat content and marbling of a Berkshire compliments the rich and distinctive flavour profile of the meat to naturally produce a result that is flavourful and tender.
Where does Berkshire Pork come from now?
The modern breed was founded in 1875 by the American Berkshire Association which created the first Swine Registry to be established in the world. Berkshires are now bred in many countries, including Japan where they are known as Kurobuta (“black pig”) and are considered to be the “Kobe beef of the pork world”.
What is the history of Berkshire Pork?
The Berkshire is a British heritage breed with a history that extends back to the 1640s when (according to legend) it was discovered by Oliver Cromwell's army in the county seat of the shire of Berks in England. The excellent quality of the Berkshire hog made it an early favourite with the upper class of English farmers – for years the Royal Family kept a large Berkshire herd at Windsor Castle.
