Black Hoof buys Berkshire pigs for restaurant

In an effort to make charcuterie bastion Black Hoof more self-sufficient, the owners have purchased two female Berkshire pigs—tentatively named Brunch and Dinner.

“I chose Berkshire because the meat is just so dark and purple, it’s got the best marbling, and the fat content is the perfect amount (read: lots of fat),” writes co-owner and chef Grant van Gameren on his blog, Charcuterie Sundays.

The porcine pair will, fortunately, not be cooped up in the restaurant’s back patio but will instead be cared for at a farm near Cobourg. They, as well as their offspring, will be raised on Empire Cheese whey and then finished on apples and walnuts.

Gameren expects it will take at least 10 months before Brunch and Dinner produce any edible pork, but he anticipates a party—pig roast themed, most likely—when that time comes.

• Black Hoof pigs [Charcuterie Sundays]