KuneKune Cajun Sausage from Raising ’em Right Homestead, Hastings, Michigan
At Valor Provisions, we partner with American farms that can show you exactly how the animal was raised. Raising ’em Right Homestead in Hastings, Michigan is a first-generation family farm raising purebred KuneKune pigs on 30 acres of rolling pasture. This is their Cajun Sausage: ground heritage pork seasoned Louisiana-style, from a slow-grown, grass-grazing breed whose fat carries spice the way commodity pork never will.
Why KuneKune Pork Belongs in a Cajun Sausage
Cajun sausage is built on pepper, garlic and paprika, and all of that needs fat to ride on. KuneKune fat is silky, clean and faintly sweet, and the Rausers keep it that way with a daily fermented ration of non-GMO barley, wheat, oats, alfalfa and beets, with no corn. In the pot it renders slow and carries the spice through a gumbo or a jambalaya instead of pooling on top. The meat is deep red and comes from pigs that take roughly two years on pasture to reach weight. The heat builds rather than punishes, so it works at the breakfast table as well as in the Dutch oven.
Why You’ll Love It
Heritage KuneKune Pork – KPPA certified purebred herd, every pig with its own pedigree.
Pasture Raised and Rotationally Grazed – 30 acres of Michigan hills, managed to rebuild the soil, not strip it.
Non-GMO, Corn-Free Ration – Fermented barley, wheat, oats, alfalfa and beets.
Louisiana Seasoning, Michigan Pork – Pepper, garlic and paprika on a heritage hog that can carry them.
Family Raised – Josh and Jessica Rauser and their four kids, first- generation farmers since 2020.
How to Cook It
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Brown loose in a heavy pot over medium heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F, then build your gumbo, jambalaya or red beans on top of the rendered fat. For patties, form by hand and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side. Crumble over dirty rice or fold into a skillet of eggs and peppers. Always cook sausage thoroughly before serving. 1 lb pack.
The Raising ’em Right Story
Josh and Jessica Rauser were city kids. In 2020 they moved their growing family out of Minneapolis and started over on seven wooded acres in central Michigan with a garden, a couple of goats and a few KuneKune pigs. They outgrew it fast and settled on 30 acres in Hastings, where they now run one of a small number of KPPA certified, AKKPS registered KuneKune farms in the country. They opened a store on the property so more than 30 neighboring families could sell what they grow and make. Every pack keeps a Michigan family farm, and the community around it, in business. That is the Valor mission on a plate.
