Forest Hog Is Back! Rare Breed, Amazing Flavor

You can't find pork like this in the grocery store!

Posted on Sep 18, 2023 by Annie Rowland

Our Forest Hogs are one of our most premium items and come in just once per year. They are truly unique and we love offering them to TC Farm members as a special once-a-year treat!

What Makes Our Forest Hogs So Special?

Normal hogs are processed at about 6-7 months, but Forest hogs take over twice as long to grow. This huge investment of extra time is what helps make these so outstanding!

Smaller breeds like these are very uncommon. Originally bred as a lard breed to produce fat for cooking and domestic needs, most lard breeds are now extinct. They require hand feeding every day to prevent them from getting unhealthy. So our farmer, Kerry, feeds them exactly what is needed every day for a year and a half!

Our Forest Hogs are a small lard heritage breed so there is even more marbling than our other heritage breed hogs.

  • The meat is moist and rich.
  • The chops are small and very thick cut, almost like a mini-roast.
  • The sugar free rosemary brats pair super well with the delicate flavor of the Forest Hog fat.
  • The fat tastes like butter!

Last year's hogs turned out to be even fattier than normal, this year we're expecting the fat & flavor to be much closer to the fattiness and flavor of previous years!

Learn more and explore what's available below!

New Forest Hog Packages Available for 2023

We've put together some new Forest Hog packages this year-

  • Forest Hog- Just Chops:
    • By popular demand, this package contains just the chops! About 11 packs in each order!
  • Forest Hog- Extra Chops Sampler
    • 4 packs of chops
    • Butt shoulder roast
    • Smoked ham roast
    • 2 packs bacon
    • 2-3 packs of ribs and/or Rosemary or WI style brats
  • Forest Hog Sampler
    • 1 pack rib chop
    • 1 pack bacon
    • 1 shoulder roast
    • 1 pack pulled pork
    • *Samplers with smaller roasts may also get a bonus pack of smoked herb back fat, great for cooking with!
  • Forest Hog Smoked Back Fat
    • One pack of herb smoked forest hog back fat
      *You can render the entire package at once and store in the fridge to fry your favorite veggies, eggs or potatoes -- or really anything you'd use an amazing flavored fat for! We often slice thin and fry in the pan to melt instead of butter or other oils.


Add Forest Hog to Your Next Delivery!

If you are a TC Farm member and would like to order Forest Hog, you can click here to add items to an upcoming delivery in the member portal.

Not a TC Farm member?
Sign up here so you can order Forest Hog and other local, sustainable delicious meat!


About the Farmer: Kerry Skelton 

These hogs are raised special for our members by our long time farmer Kerry Skelton.

Kerry started his farm to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a farmer. His farm is just down the road from our original TC Farm homestead and has been partnering with us almost from the beginning. Kerry rotationally grazes his animals which contributes to health of the soil, creates a natural habitat and actually acts as a carbon capture!

Kerry is passionate about rare breed preservation. He's the reason we started raising Forest Hogs many years ago. Now Kerry raises them on his own farm, making them available once a year for our members! We've also been lucky enough to invite our members to his farm for a previous year's farm tour!

Without our members' support, it would be difficult for Kerry to find a market for his heritage forest hogs raised to such a high standard.



Our Forest Hogs out in the pasture enjoying a sunny winter day


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