Sugar Hill Farm: Pork

Red Tamworth Pork

Every year at Sugar Hill Farm we raise the Red Tamworth pig. Red Tamworth pork is a heritage breed known for great tasting, lean meat with good texture. The piglets are purchase in the spring and raised until the fall.

The Red Tamworth pigs gain weight slower than commercial breeds and can’t stand up to the conditions in a confinement facility. Therefore they have fallen out of favour with large factory hog farms. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) has stated that there are fewer than 1,000 annual North American registrations of the Red Tamworth and have estimated fewer than 5,000 globally. The ALBC list the Red Tamworth pig as a “threatened” farm animal.

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Included in a typical side

Bacon: 10-11 lbs, in 1 pound packages (unless specified for a different amount)
Hams: 2-3 (3-4 lbs each), can be cut into ham steaks if wanted
Side Ribs: 1
Pork Chops & Loin Chops: 30
Shoulder area can be kept as roasts (approximately 2) or butt chops (7-8)
Hocks: 1 bag

If the hams are not smoked, they are called roasts. Roasts can also be cut into steaks.

If the bacon is not smoked, it will be side pork. This is pieces of thick pork like those found in cans of pork and beans.

Also available by request

Jowls
Sausage (4 lbs)—like Oktoberfest sausages in size, with a filler that makes it taste like a farmer’s sausage, about 4 in 1 pound.
Breakfast patties—about 3 in 1 pound. Breakfast link sausages are not available.
Ground pork (like hamburger) about 4 packages. It is only ground pork, there are no spices, no additives, no binder.
Lard for baking is available only if we know early enough so the butcher can save it.
The jowls, hocks, and even the shoulder area (since it is the fattiest roasts from this area called Picnic roasts) can be put into sausages, patties, and/or ground pork.

If you do not specify a choice of sausages and/or breakfast patties and/or ground pork then the butcher will package up the bits and pieces into ground pork for you.

Customize your order

You can decide how thick the chops are cut (normal thickness is ¾ inches for chops), how many wrapped in a package, and size of the roasts/hams. The rind on the pork chops is usually taken off while it remains on the roasts.

Vacuum packing is available for a price/pkg however, brown butcher paper wrapping is standard.

How we process our pork

Our pork is processed at a local abattoir. The carcasses hang for a week, and are then cut and wrapped in accordance with the customer’s specifications.
Hams and bacon can be smoked. Pork sausages and sausage rounds are available.
A side of pork generally weighs between 90 and 100 lbs. Carcass weights are based on the industry standard called the “hot hanging weight” also known as “rail weight”.
There is a slight loss in the final product due to loss of moisture, trim, and bones that are discarded.