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Kurobuta Ham & Snake River Farms Review November 28, 2016

One of my favorite parts of holiday season is all of the great food.  I hope this review helps you find a great Ham for your own holiday festivities.

I am a bit of a Pork lover and ham snob.  For the past year I have had my eye on a very specific type of pork known as Kurobuta pork which comes from the Berkshire pig.  The Berkshire pig is a rare breed of pig originating from the English County Berskhire.  According to Heritage Pork International:

“The Berkshire hog breed dates back to the 1600’s, rumored to have been first discovered by Sir Oliver Cromwell who prized Berkshire hogs for their superior meat quality.”

So what is Kurobuta ham?  In short, Kurobuta pork is the Kobe beef of pork.  In addition to being required to be a registered breed the pigs must be raised in a very specific manner to qualify as Kurobuta pork.  You can read more from the American Berkshire association.

This year I ordered an 8lb Kurobota Ham for Thanksgiving to go along with the Turkey and asked all the guests (12 of them) their opinion of the ham.  It was overwhelmingly positive!  I thought I was biased until I heard our guests complimenting the taste of the pork.  In actual scientific studies, the Kurobuta pork has shown to be more tender and more flavorful than commonly raised pork. In short, if you are looking for a great ham for a special event, you cannot go wrong with a Kurobuta ham!  I have eaten all the major brands (Honeybaked, Harry and David, Omaha Steaks, etc.).  While they are all very good, they pale in comparison (in my humble opinion) to the Kurobuta. At the risk of messing up the flavor, I did nothing…no glaze, no anything except to warm it in the oven (it comes pre-cooked and frozen).  Without glaze or anything aside from the smoke curing it still beat every ham I have ever tasted.  In short, amazing flavor, great texture and very tender.  You can cut it with a fork alone.  Truly is the Kobe beef of pork.

That being said, get ready to pay a premium for the meat.  An 8lb standard high quality, Spiral Cut ham will generally set you back about $60-$80. You can get an 8lb ham in the local supermarket for $25-$30.  A smoked (no glaze), uncut 8lb Kurobuta will set you back about $140 or so.  Keep in mind that these pigs are hand raised and of a very particular variety.  After having tried the Kurobuta and served it to guests, it is worth every dime!

There appear to be a few companies that can provide Kurobuta but I ordered my first Kurobuta Ham (and a rib roast) from Snake River Farms.  The first order was ‘mishandled’ by UPS and when I called Snake River Farms they were awesome!  They said that the meat was likely not good by that point so they (on their own dime) sent a new Ham and Rib Roast overnight!  When UPS again had a mixup, Snake River Farms stayed on the phone with UPS until it was delivered on time for Thanksgiving.

Hopefully, this post helps someone find a great new product to try or simply something that you may want to send as a gift.  Happy Holidays!