Lazy S Farms’ Beefy, Buttery Red Wattle Pork
Whole Hog Dinners, March 14-17, 2017
Reserve online or call 510.547.5356
Lazy S. Farms is a 200-acre spread in Cloud County, Kansas owned by Larry and Madonna Sorell. Since the 1970s, they’ve been farming and raising several heritage breeds, including Red Wattle Hog, a species that is now part of the Slow Food Ark of Taste.
Because of their docile tempers, Red Wattle Hogs were once popular amongst small, independent farmers, but they fell out of favor as farmers sought pigs with a high enough fat content to provide soap and lard. They roamed the hills of Eastern Texas and were hunted to near extinction, when H.C. Wenger found a herd foraging wild in a Texas forest. Robert Prentice found a similar herd five years later. By 1999, there were still only 42 registered Red Wattles in the country. When Larry decided to come out of retirement to raise these hardy pigs for Heritage USA, he drove 18,000 miles over 3 to 4 months in search of pure stock to start his herd. It is in major part due to Larry and Madonna’s work that the breed is no longer considered endangered, and is listed as threatened by the Livestock Conservancy.
Red Wattle Hogs are named such because of two small wattles at either side of the ruddy pig’s neck. Its meat is juicy and tender, and is sometimes described as sweet and buttery. Others have called it beefy.
We’re looking forward to honoring this breed as part of our Whole Hog Dinners. We hope to see you then!
Our Whole Hog Line-up:
A whole pig will be roasted each night. We’ll be sharing the full menu later this week!
March 14 (Tuesday) – Cinta-Berkshire from Front Porch Farm
March 15 (Wednesday) Red Wattle from Lazy S Farm
March 16 (Thursday) – pure Berkshire from Morgan Farm
Friday 17 (Friday) – Berkshire cross from Devil’s Gulch