{"product_id":"smoked-jowl-bacon-rr-homestead","title":"Pork Jowl (Smoked)","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKuneKune Smoked Jowl Bacon from Raising ’em Right Homestead, Hastings, Michigan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt \u003cstrong\u003eValor Provisions\u003c\/strong\u003e, we partner with American farms that can show you exactly how the animal was raised. \u003cstrong\u003eRaising ’em Right Homestead\u003c\/strong\u003e in Hastings, Michigan is a first-generation family farm raising \u003cstrong\u003epurebred KuneKune pigs\u003c\/strong\u003e on 30 acres of rolling pasture. This is their \u003cstrong\u003eSmoked Jowl Bacon\u003c\/strong\u003e: the cheek of a slow-grown, grass-grazing heritage pig, cured and smoked like bacon, and richer than any belly bacon you have had.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat Jowl Bacon Is, and Why KuneKune Jowl Is the Best Kind\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJowl bacon is cured and smoked pork cheek. It is the cut Italians turn into guanciale and the South has fried next to eggs for two hundred years, and it is the most flavorful bacon on the pig: more marbling, a softer fat, a deeper pork taste. On a KuneKune that is doubled. The breed is known for its fat, silky and faintly sweet, and the Rausers keep it that way with a daily fermented ration of \u003cstrong\u003enon-GMO barley, wheat, oats, alfalfa and beets, with no corn\u003c\/strong\u003e, on pigs that take roughly two years on pasture to reach weight. Fry it as a bacon, or treat it as a seasoning: a few strips rendered into a pot of beans, greens or carbonara does what no belly bacon can.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You’ll Love It\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeritage KuneKune Pork\u003c\/strong\u003e – KPPA certified purebred herd, every pig with its own pedigree.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePasture Raised and Rotationally Grazed\u003c\/strong\u003e – 30 acres of Michigan hills, managed to rebuild the soil, not strip it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNon-GMO, Corn-Free Ration\u003c\/strong\u003e – Fermented barley, wheat, oats, alfalfa and beets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRicher Than Belly Bacon\u003c\/strong\u003e – More marbling, softer fat, deeper flavor; the cut chefs ask for by name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFamily Raised\u003c\/strong\u003e – Josh and Jessica Rauser and their four kids, first-generation farmers since 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to Cook It\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJowl carries more fat than belly bacon, so go low and slow. Start strips in a cold skillet over medium-low heat and let the fat render until the lean turns deep mahogany and the edges crisp, 8 to 12 minutes. Or cube it and render it as the base for beans, collards, pasta or a pot of greens. Save the fat; it is liquid gold for eggs and cornbread. Always cook thoroughly before serving. Approximately 0.8 lb per pack.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Raising ’em Right Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJosh 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Raising 'em Right Homestead","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46959842492463,"sku":"RRSJB08","price":18.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0629\/4585\/3487\/files\/SMOKEDJOWLBACONCOOKED.png?v=1791915490","url":"https:\/\/valorprovisions.us\/products\/smoked-jowl-bacon-rr-homestead","provider":"Valor Provisions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}