Berkshire Pork

Sunday's trip to the market was fun when I stopped by the butcher case.    One of my favorite butchers was on duty and he pointed me to a new item they are now carrying, pork from a Berkshire hog.  The Berkshire is an old English breeed of black pig.  Labeled Kurobuta pork this is basically the pork equivalent of Wagyu (Kobe) beef.  Compared to the regular pork the market carries this chop had much more marbled fat in the lean parts and more fat surrounding the lean parts.    It also carries a price tag just a little more than double regular pork.

The chop was grilled outdoors with just some minimal seasoning. One bite was enough to convince me it was a better product.  It stood up to the temperature of the grill better than regular pork.  This was more like eating a beef steak because the marbling retained much more moisture in the chop.  It did not develop the dryness I dislike in grilled pork.  The mouth feel was much better and the taste was excellent.  There was some fresh corn and pasta salad to accompany and the last glass of the Domaine de Gachon Saint Joseph discussed below.  The wine was still good.  The pork was delicious.