Iris Hill Farm of the Ozarks

10/28/2024

Taking orders for 2025 pork!

It's time to start dreaming about delicious pork from our farm!

Now taking orders for 2025 pork in 1/4, 1/2, and whole hog quantities so you can stock up and feed you and your family for the year. The pork comes from our heritage hogs, raised on pasture, and treated with dignity, and it will be ready in August or September.

We offer payment plans to suit your budget. Contact your farmer (me!) by direct message on this page. I'm pleased as punch to feed you!

07/08/2024

The last of our 2024 hogs just left the farm. My pal Andy raised them, and they've spent the last couple of months in the woods, eating lots of nuts plus berries and other goodies. That's them in the picture, below. I am having both knees replaced this year (1 down, 1 to go), so Andy offered to raise the hogs. He bought the pigs I want, raised them on pasture and in the woods, and raised them to a year of age as I do. He'll raise them again next year so I have a year to heal.

With that being said, I have to plan a year ahead. I'm starting the buyer list for next year's pork, so please let me know if you want to be on it. Wholes, halves, and quarters available, ready in September next year, most likely.

Heritage hogs, raised on pasture, treated with respect

03/03/2024

Where's the beef?? Pastured pork from heritage hogs. You don't have to marinate this meat. And the porkiness is incredible. Yes, from our hogs. Sometimes it's a deep rosy pink, all the way to this rich red.

02/26/2024

I've had a half hog come available, going to butcher in June. Please PM me if interested. Heritage hogs raised on pasture, treated with integrity

02/25/2024

Part 4 of the pork tutorial, perhaps your favorite??

Part 4 of the pork tutorial, perhaps the one you have been waiting for: bacon! And spare ribs! I'm getting hungry just thinking of them.

The spare ribs come from the rib cage, with the side meat and belly (i.e. Bacon!) removed. There is one long section, or rack, of ribs per side. Often, the ribs are divided in half, horizontally or vertically, so be sure you specify your preference to the butcher on your cut sheet.

The side/belly meat is known as pork belly (raw) or as bacon (cured and smoked). It represents only about 10% of the carcass weight, which is why you just never get enough of it. If you want both pork belly and bacon, you can ask if the butcher will cut the flitch (side) of bacon in half and cure/smoke half and leave the other half raw for pork belly. The answer may or may not be "no."

I try to select long-bodied hogs to maximize the amount of bacon you will get, but sadly, it never is enough. Which is why I suggest that bacon lovers get the jowl meat cured, smoked, and sliced like bacon.

01/30/2024

Part 3 of the pork tutorial - the loin. High on the hog. And so many options. So pay attention.

Above all else, the loin is where chops come from: rib eyes, loin chops (like T-bone and porterhouse equivalents), sirloin chops, in that order from front to back. It provides a lot!

Chops come as bone in (my favorite!) Or boneless. ***if you opt for baby back ribs, all the chops will be boneless! And some of that chop meat will also go to the ribs*** Specify your preference to the butcher up front. Chops can be cut very thin or as thick as 2", your choice. I personally opt for 1".

A standing crown roast also comes from the loin. It's an impressive roast, especially with the bones Frenched. That's not kissing, btw. ***If you opt for loin roasts, you will get few to no chops!***

The tenderloin, a delicate little tender cut, comes from the underside of the spine near the back end of the loin. It is a delicious option. You will only get 1 per side of the hog, and it won't be big. ***If you opt for the tenderloin being pulled, you will not get the t-bone-like loin chops. The tenderloin is one of the muscles in that cut, and the rest of the meat will be b***d and put into the grind***

The loin section is certainly full of hard decisions, and it is one of those primal cuts that can make you wish there were enough for all the possibilities. Sadly, while it is one of the larger parts of the hog, it is not big enough. Decide well in advance so you can fill out a cut sheet you can be at peace with.

01/16/2024

**SOLD**
Had a customer cancel on pork, so I'll have one whole or 2 halves of pork ready in the June-July time frame. Better pork than you get at most fine restaurants, and you can enjoy it all year! PM me if you want some of this fine porky goodness. Heritage breed hogs raised on pasture and treated with integrity. Get some. Thanks for supporting the farm!

12/28/2023

Part 2: pork shoulder

Part 2 of the Parts of the Pork tutorial: the shoulder.

The shoulder yields many options, and thus many decisions. The green dots subdivide the shoulder into: (upper) the Boston Butt and (lower) the picnic. While the picnic can be cured and smoked like ham, or cut like a raw ham roast, generally we take the shoulder as a whole, and I'll treat it that way for the rest of the tutorial.

The shoulder can simply be b***d and ground to yield more sausage or ground pork, if that's something you really like. The shoulder meat is the perfect mix of fat and lean for that option. But the shoulder also makes great roasts and larger cuts for pulled pork or barbecue or just a fine, slow cooked roast for the table. Or it can be cut into 1" steaks that are great cooked out on the grill. If you are a bacon lover, see if your butcher will use the top part of the shoulder to make a type of bacon known variously as: Arkansas, Cowboy, Country, Buckboard, or Hillbilly bacon. You will get less shoulder meat for other uses if you do. Shoulder meat can be b***d or bone-in, your choice. We prefer bone-in. There's less cutting loss, and the bone provides a lot of flavor, especially in braises. The lower, shank section of the shoulder can be cured, smoked, and cut up like ham hocks, and makes a tasty addition to soups, stocks, and pots of beans.

12/18/2023

Hello, farm friends. I'm starting up a bit of an informational tutorial for those who want to know what part of a hog provides which cuts. There are options, as you'll see. If it's not for you, scroll on!

We'll start with the head and neck. The blue outlined area is where the jowls and cheeks are. Those may be taken as whole parts; or the jowl may be cured, smoked, and sliced as bacon (very flavorful!); or you can ask that it be added to your sausage grind. The butcher will also remove and save the tongue if requested. It is quite delicious when confitted. The butcher will do little else with the head, so if you want more, you'll have to arrange ahead of butchering for the head to be saved and you'll have to do the dirty work yourself.

The neck meat (green area) can also be added to the grind, but neck bones make a flavorful dish when slowly braised (as one would do with shanks or osso buco), or they can be saved to add to the stockpot for bone broth. Once again, specify with your butcher if you want the neck pulled and saved, and specify whether you want it whole or cut into sections and packaged.

When filling a cut sheet, I like to start at the head and move backwards, so I don't miss anything. I'll be moving through this series of tutorials the same way. If you use the cuts we are reviewing in a way that I missed, please comment below! And, as always, questions are welcome.

09/24/2023

We also give ours a longer life.

08/22/2023

Change of plan: we will indeed have pork next year, the same tasty, tender and juicy pork that you love! There are even payment plans. I will provide whole, half, and mixed quarters of pork. As always, our pork comes from heritage animals raised out on pasture, treated with respect. I'm making up the list right now so that I know how many hogs to raise, so please drop me a message if you are interested. And I always appreciate your referrals to others. Thanks!