# Where to buy pork fat?



## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Looking to try my hand at sausage making. Can't seem to find any store that has in hand or that is overly generous with information on when I could get some.

One place told me I'd have to order it 2 weeks or more in advance.

Some places say to use a pork butt or shoulder. I would think that would alter the fat to wild game ratio. Pork shoulder is about 30% fat.

Anyone have any tips?

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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

More and more of the meat counters are bringing the pork in already cut and packsged. When I ran a market I could buy frozen pork fat and cut into 5 lb chunks. Been retired for 5 years or so .I don't know how they are doing things now.:mrgreen:


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Head to Sams or Costco and pick up a pork Boston Butt roast. I've ground it up and used that before in my sausages. I don't think you can tell the difference. You just need the fat to act as a glue/binder for the lean meat.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Smith's has, or can get, pork fat/scraps. In Evanston they have chubs, a box, of pork scraps (fat). A chub is a 60lb frozen block. If I need say 10lbs I just ask them to saw 2 or 3 inches off the block. 

If I'm doing a lot of pork sausage recipes I will just order a 60 lb chub, partially thaw it out, use what I need and put the rest in vacuum bags. 

Bingham's in Morgan has pork fat. 

Pork butts are trimmed pretty lean these days and they are about 25% fat. That's the figure I use to calculate fat/lean ratio anyway. Costco butts have more fat, less fat trimmed off the outside of the shoulder. 

A lot of semi-cured sausage recipes call for pork fat but beef fat works fine. Beef fat is still readily available. I try to get beef fat when rib eyes or T-bones are on sale. Most stores still cut and trim beef steaks. I get beef fat for $0.49 per pound here in Evanston. Pork scraps are high, $1.29 to $1.49 on average.

During the big game hunting season you have to sign up, get on a waiting list, at the Evanston Smith's for pork and beef fat. You just reserve "X" pounds of fat. I try to get on the list early, a week before the antelope hunt. many times I just reserve a 60lb chub of pork fat or 50lbs of beef fat and share it with friends and relatives.

Note that there is some red meat in pork scraps (fat) and beef trim (fat).


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Always use pork fat for:

breakfast sausage
Italian Sausage
Polish sausage
knockwurst
bratwurst
liver sausage
sopressata
boudin
chorizo
duck/goose sausage
some others


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Dont forget at the start of the year when Covid started the lockdown, the meat plants were shuttered for a while and the feedlots were killing pigs and taking them to the landfills to dispose of the carcases by the hundreds of thousands. There's going to be a shortage of pig related items for a while.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-will-be-used-to-euthanize-hogs-peterson-says

-DallanC


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I have a couple places left to call in the morning. Some say they never have it while others say they don't share because they need it to make sausage.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

You might just need to go into the store and look for the fattest pork shoulder that you can find and then trim the fat off of it and make the rest into bbq pulled pork.

The last time that I tried to pick up even some beef fat I talked to the butchers in 3 stores and a week later I managed to come up with less than a couple of pounds.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I did have the foresight to save roughly 4lb of beef fat trimmed from a recent brisket. I'd use that but every recipe I've found calls for pork fat. Fatback if possible.

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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I get pork fat at Lucky's.


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