Noir de Bigorre pork

Porc noir de Bigorre

What it is

By 1981 the Gascon black pig was down to thirty-four sows and two boars across twenty farms — too fat and too slow for the intensive sheds. The whole trade was rebuilt from those animals, and the AOP now requires at least twelve months on Pyrenean pasture, acorns and chestnuts.

In the kitchen

Cook it pink, to about 58 °C, and rest it — the intramuscular fat is the whole point and has to stay soft. Salting it the day before firms the flesh and helps it hold that pink.

Goes with

Espelette pepper Chestnut Garlic Thyme Piquillo pepper Olive oil Fig Black pepper

Same species

Andouillette Boudin blanc Natural casings Caul fat Chorizo Ciauscolo

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