Website: https://bigtuffyfarms.com/
Big Tuffy Farms, LLC is a farm located in Cane Ridge, Tennessee, in the greater Nashville area, that raises and sells ethically and humanely raised pigs. The farm specializes in purebred Mangalitsa and Mangalitsa/Hampshire crossbred hogs, which it sells as live animals or as meat in quarter, half, or whole quantities. The operation describes its mission as providing “ethically and humanely raised hogs, for a fair price, for your personal use,” letting customers decide whether the animals serve as breeding stock or meat production.
Products
Big Tuffy Farms offers pork sold on a per-pound basis by live weight, priced at approximately $4.00 per pound, with processing fees included that range from approximately $0.50 to $0.55 per pound. Hogs range from 250 to 350 pounds per animal, and the farm notes that only approximately 30 to 40 percent of the live weight consists of lean meat due to the breed’s higher fat content.
Purchase options include a full hog (250 to 350 lbs live weight, yielding 88 to 123 lbs lean meat), a half hog (125 to 175 lbs live weight, yielding approximately 44 to 62 lbs lean meat), and a quarter hog (63 to 88 lbs live weight, yielding approximately 22 to 31 lbs lean meat). Roaster hogs of 90 to 125 lbs are available on request at $4.00 per pound, and live hogs and piglets are available by contacting the farm directly. After a reservation is made, the farm provides a cut sheet so customers can make their meat selections.
About
The Mangalitsa is described by the farm as a curly-haired Hungarian native and one of the oldest pig breeds in Europe, known for highly marbled meat. According to the farm, the breed dates back to the 1830s, resembles a sheep in appearance, and carries a name that means “hog with a lot of lard.” The farm notes that 60 to 70 percent of the Mangalitsa’s body weight consists of fat, leaving only 30 to 40 percent as lean meat, compared with roughly 50 percent fat in most other pig varieties. It describes the highly marbled meat as melting in the mouth with a flavor and texture unique to the breed, so prized that the breed nearly went extinct in the 1990s. The farm also states the meat contains health-related components including omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamin D, and monounsaturated fat, and can be used for both cooking and baking.
The farm emphasizes letting its pigs forage across grass pastures and mature stands of oaks, hickories, and persimmons, stating that it believes in “letting our pigs be pigs.” Named breeding stock includes Blondie and Piggie (Shirley), both Mangalitsa sows; Big Mama, a Hampshire sow; and Champ, a Mangalitsa Swallow Belly boar. Offspring of Big Mama and Champ display dominant Hampshire belted markings and produce meat with some marbling while staying leaner than purebred Mangalitsa.
Location & Contact
Address: 5979 Cane Ridge Rd., Cane Ridge, TN 37013. Email: [email protected]. Phone: (615) 594-4919.
Additional Information
The farm’s website includes The Farm, Mangalitsa History, Pricing, Make a Reservation, About Us, and Contact Us sections. Customers reserve a hog and then receive a cut sheet to customize their selections, with processing fees included in the per-pound price.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (bigtuffyfarms.com).