The other day we got some pork sausage from a local place (Brick Farm Market in Hopewell, NJ). Grilled it up and wow was it good. Some of the best sausage I’ve had. Turns out to be made from Ossabaw pork, which comes from pigs originally from an island off Georgia (our Georgia, not theirs!), that are descended from pigs originally brought by the Spaniards. So it’s related to jamon iberico–at least according to the internet! Anyone else had this?
Now I need to make the 20 minute drive down to Hopewell
I think the meat is quite nice I seem to remember DNA tests on this breed that indicated that they weren’t “pure” Iberican swine, but rather had a string Canary Idland bloodline
Yes it would be amazing if there weren’t something else mixed in, after all
that time.
Their lunches are very good too!
Have had ossabaw pork several times. Always expensive. There is ongoing breeding of this breed…and it is around the US.
There are books written about this breed and the attempts in the past, to preserve it. Ossabaw Island Hog - Wikipedia
Apparently, the spaniards parked the pigs on that island way back…and there was nothing else there to interbreed with.
My recollection is that the thought was that they were interbred before being brought here
I live in Chapel Hill, NC now, and one of the local farmers market vendors is actually a breeder of Ossabaw pork: Pigs – Cane Creek Farm
The meat is very flavorful and juicy, and definitely worth trying. It’s probably not quite as good as Iberico I’ve had in Spain and southern France, but it could just be my cooking.
Ironically enough I grew up in Hopewell, NJ. The food scene in the late 80’s was pretty mediocre - glad it’s really come to life!