How to Cook Heritage Pork (It's Different From the Store)

If you've cooked a lot of pork from the grocery store and then tried cooking ours for the first time, you may have noticed it behaves differently. That's a feature, not a bug — but it does mean a few adjustments are worth knowing.

Heritage Pork Has More Fat — Lean Into It

Commercial pork has been bred over decades to be extremely lean because that's what mass-market buyers wanted. Heritage breeds like the Berkshire and Tamworth pigs we raise are the old genetics — they're fattier, more marbled, and much more flavorful because of it.

Cooking Temperatures

The USDA updated its pork safety guidelines a while back — pork is safe to eat at 145°F internal temperature (with a 3-minute rest), which will give you a slight blush of pink in the center. This is correct and safe. Do not cook to 160°F unless you're doing ground pork.

Pork Chops

Our pork chops are thick. Here's the method we love:

1. Pat completely dry and season generously with salt and pepper
2. Sear in a cast iron pan over high heat — 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown
3. Drop to medium heat, add a knob of butter, some thyme, and a smashed garlic clove
4. Baste continuously for another 3–4 minutes until internal temp hits 140°F
5. Rest for 5 minutes — it'll carry up to 145°F

Roasts

Low and slow is your friend. A bone-in pork shoulder at 275°F for 8–10 hours will give you something extraordinary.