Heard Thru the Grapevine: Niman Ranch

I subscribe to some interesting email lists populated by some very passionate people -- all fellow health and food freaks. If it weren't for these people on these lists, I would feel like a real weirdo. These people share my obsession/compulsion. You know, the tourettes-like compulsion that makes me spout the virtues of clean, traditional, artisan-produced foods every chance I get.

Yea, these people on these lists, they walk with me through the valley of the shadow of transfats, GMOs, pesticides, and high-fructose corn syrup. We are brothers and sisters.

When I read particularly good passages from my peeps, I will try to pass them on to you. Recently there has been conversation on the topic of bacon and nitrites. I hope you will find this comment on Niman Ranch and pork (from an employee of said ranch) as interesting as I did. My pop-up-video-like comments will appear in red.

Hello. I need to begin this response by saying that I am a former Niman Ranch employee of 6 years and recently quit after the birth of my son. You may find this response biased but I think it's important that I share what I have learned as a meat industry veteran.

I have learned about the issue of nitrates from a charcuterie master named Francois Vecchio who began working in his family’s meat shop in Switzerland when he was eight years old. He is now in his seventies. He was able to explain to me two very important components of curing that have not yet been raised on this topic. The first is the quality of the meat used and how that meat was raised. The second is curing time.

Niman Ranch pork contains more fat and is from healthier animals than the majority of the pork raised in the US. The last time I asked, Niman Ranch  was working with about 450 small family hog farmers, located mostly in the Midwestern part of the US. I hope this doesn’t sound too much like a marketing pitch, but without the premium paid by NR, many of these farmers would have had to give up raising hogs. I know some people think Niman doesn't go far enough, but in my book, saving small farmers from bankruptcy is pretty important. Hogs are a critical part of a diversified farm and crop rotation. One primary reason the quality of the meat is superior to most pork out there is because of the old-fashioned breeds the farmers use. They carry more backfat which enables them to live outdoors in the heat or cold. Most pigs today have been bred to be lean because there’s no market for fatback and lard. Fascinating. This is the opposite of grass-fed cows. Grass-fed cows produce leaner meat than their conventionally-raised brethren.

These farmers follow a strict set of protocols that were developed with the Animal Welfare Institute. These include things like space requirements and forbid common industry practices such as tail-docking. When pigs are kept in confinement and are stressed, they tend to bite each others’ tails which can lead to infection. There are also provisions in NR protocols to insure that ground water isn’t polluted. The commercial hog industry allows waste lagoons which are open cesspools that can easily leak into local waterways. Hello, e. Coli.

The curing time of the products like Niman Ranch bacon and hams is longer than what most modern processors allow. Apparently, the extra time allows the nitrate (NO3) to transform into nitrite (NO2) and then to nitrous oxide (NO) which can then dissipate. This means that the finished product should not contain nitrites or nitrates. When heated to very high temperatures, nitrate/nitrites become carcinogenic nitrasomines.  

The extra time also means better taste. The lacto bacteria that consume the nitrite give the meat a tangy, slightly acidic flavor while also killing harmful bacteria and giving the meat a pink color. My grandfather cured his own sausage and I distinctly remembered this delicious tanginess. For those who really enjoy that delicious cured flavor but strictly avoid nitrites, good-quality prosciutto is made with salt alone and is usually cured for at least 14 months. I love the stuff but in the past have held back because I always thought it was high in nitrites. Halleluja.  Check the label.

The other product I have recently tried that I hear uses good quality pork (some Niman Ranch) is the Fra Mani salame from Paul Bertolli, the former chef at Olivetto in Oakland. Love Fra Mani. Will do a post on them soon. These are made locally and in an artisanal/slow way. I’m sure he uses nitrates but because he doesn't rush the curing process, I’m not concerned. That doesn’t mean I eat pounds of cured products every night either. I bought a Fra Mani salami from Say Cheese in Cole Valley, SF, the other day and the guy at the counter said there are no nitrites. Fra Mani sausages taste like my grandfather's. -God rest his soul-

The last I heard, Wellshire bought its pork from Du Breton, the largest pork producer in Canada. They claim to have good protocols but it’s not clear if they really work with family farmers. I have not been able to find this out myself. It seems that their practices are purposefully elusive, but I encourage anyone to find out more. I know I prefer the taste of Niman Ranch bacon and hams much more over theirs.  -Virginia

Comments

[F'cked by Ikea]

OK, then. I'm going to eat prosciutto today! I found out that Boulange de Cole will add Cambozola to their prosciutto/fig/parmesan sandwiches, which is pretty much to die for. Like really, you will die. But it's good.

[Carla]

FBI,
That is disgusting. I hate the Boulange de Cole Valley. I would never go there.

~Carla
(tewtally kidding) (and half-dead from those fricken sandwiches)

[loveporkfat]

i heart Niman Ranch.
they care, not only about the people who buy their product, but about the product themselves. they treat pigs with a natural honor, making sure they are healthy, happy and well taken care of. Bravo Niman Ranch! Bravo.

[miby]

Niman Ranch founder challenges new owners:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/22/MNHM15ME01.DTL