KuneKune Fresh Chorizo 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 Fresh Chorizo: Mexican-style raw chorizo, ground and seasoned for the skillet, from a slow-grown, grass-grazing heritage breed with the richest fat in the pork world.
Fresh Chorizo, and Why the Pig Matters
This is fresh chorizo, the Mexican kind: raw, ground, seasoned with chile and spice, and meant to be crumbled into a hot pan, not sliced like the Spanish cured version. Chorizo lives on its fat, and KuneKune fat is the point. It 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 skillet it renders into the red, chile-stained fat that makes chorizo and eggs, chorizo and potatoes, or a pan of queso fundido worth getting up for. The meat is deep red and comes from pigs that take roughly two years on pasture to reach weight.
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.
Fresh, Not Cured – Crumbles straight into the pan for tacos, eggs, tortas and fundido.
Family Raised – Josh and Jessica Rauser and their four kids, first-generation farmers since 2020.
How to Cook It
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Cook loose in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until it darkens, the fat turns red and it reaches 160°F, about 8 to 10 minutes. No oil needed. Push it to one side and scramble eggs in the rendered fat, or spoon it over crispy potatoes, into warm tortillas, or over a skillet of melted Oaxaca cheese. 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.
