Are all pork bellies created the same?

One of the many perks of my food sales job is the occasional need to sample a product we sell to better describe the physical attributes, teach how to use it and to thoroughly understand the taste profile. This week brought out Tail and Trotters pork belly short ribs, an old favorite, to answer the lingering question: are all pork bellies created the same? 

Who Is Tail and Trotters Pork?

Inspired by the regional cured hams of Europe, Tails & Trotters is the Pacific Northwest’s first signature pork producer developed from pork finished on local hazelnuts. The pork is mirrored after the famed Jamon Iberico from Spain; crafted from the Pata Negra, or black-footed Iberian pigs who roam the oak groves of south and southwest Spain feasting on acorns. Using the resources of this region, co owner and founder Aaron Silverman substituted hazelnuts for acorns and the result was the development of a distinctive variety of Pacific Northwest pork.Aaron's pigs are fed a diverse diet that is specifically formulated to their growth needs, and most are raised by Aaron's grower, including wheat, barley, triticale, peas and flax.

Hazelnuts

While the Northwest isn’t good acorn country, it is renowned for its hazelnuts. It’s what makes Tails & Trotters pork so special. Traditionally, pigs produced for prosciutto are fed a special “finishing” diet for their last 60–90 days where a large portion of their feed is replaced with hazelnuts. Finishing provides increased flavor to the fat and meat, as well as produces the necessary intramuscular and subcutaneous (under the skin) fat cover necessary for prosciutto production—our main long-term objective.

But are their pork bellies really that much better?

The single word response is YES. I would add infinitely if I were allowed a second. It is hard to explain taste profiles between two very similar products, so let me explain the difference using eggs as an example. Have you ever tried an egg just laid that day on a small family farm? It's yolk is bright orange, and when cooked it has the creamiest, rich flavor you've ever eaten. You think to yourself, 'my god, this is the perfect egg, how lucky am I.' Then sadly you try a mass produced egg. The cracked egg slides into your pan, and the white just runs like water. No matter how much you season it, it still tastes flat and lipid and flavorless. Guess which egg Tail and Trotters pork belly short ribs are? Only settle for WOW, eat that egg[gallery size="full" type="rectangular" ids="7878,7879,7880,7881"]