AMERICAN MULEFOOT HOG ASSOCIATION

The Mulefoot Hog is an American hog breed that is named for its most distinctive feature, the solid, non-cloven hoof which resembles that of a mule. The characteristic will occasionally occur in other breeds as a gene-mutation, which occasionally produces “Mule-footed.” The origin is unclear although theories have arisen that they emerged from Asia or Europe. Most likely the hogs descended from Spain, when the Spanish brought the hogs to America. The Mulefoot hog has a long history of agriculture use in the United States.

The Mulefoot hog shares some similarities with the Choctaw hog, and may be possibly related to it. By the year 1900 the Mulefoot officially became a standardized breed. The Mulefoot was valued for its lean production of meat, lard and especially hams. Mulefoot hogs were most common around the Mississippi River Valley where farmers range their hogs among the islands in the river, putting them in forage in the spring months and collecting the hogs in the fall. By the early 1900s there were two Mulefoot breed associations and over 200 herds registering purebred stock. Some characteristics of the Mulefoot hog, is that they are solid black in color with white points occurring occasionally. Some pigs have wattles on either side of their necks, and the pigs have their ears pricked forward. Mulefoot sows weigh around 450 pounds and boars weigh around 550 pounds.

As of 2006, the Mulefoot breed became critically rare, fewer than 200 purebred hogs were documented. One breeder, R.M. Holiday of Louisiana, MO established what would become the last herd of purebred Mulefoot pigs in 1964. Mulefoot hogs are an endangered species but still popular around the Midwest regions, due to tremendous breeding efforts to keep this breed alive. We at Midwest Mulefoot Ranch are doing our best to see this breed make a true comeback.

Mulefoot pigs are very hardy and are well renowned for this trait. People have been known to call these hogs “bulletproof”. Mulefoots thrive best when raised in pastures or kept in free range pig farming system, such as our process at Midwest Mulefoot Ranch. Mulefoots are excellent forager. Sows are most often calm mothers and can carry an average of 4-6 piglets but may also carry up to as many as 12. The Mulefoot breed is said to be immune to hog cholera (Classic Swine Fever CSF). Characteristics of Mulefoots are things many alternative farmers would be looking for; active forages, docile temperament, and produce a medium breed size fairly quickly. Mulefoot Hogs are well known for their unique qualities of meat which provide excellent taste. It may seem odd to use rare heritage breed pigs for pork, but without using them in a market system, these animals cannot be preserved. This is why we call our system “Gourmet Preservation”.

A brief description of the flavor of the meat is very tender, rich in color, and tends to have a juicer- and richer-tasting than most commercial pork. Pork for heritage breeds are moister typically, and have better texture and flavor, opposed to pork from other pork hybrids. Mulefoot pork has freckling’s of marbling and is red in color, similar to beef. The meat is dense, but not too tough and the fat melts slowly if you were to cook using braising. Studies have shown this density of the meat vs. commercial pork, but it is unknown if this translates to a more nutritious and delicious cut (we believe it does). The price of the Mulefoot does cost a more money, but for good reason. Heritage breeds, such as the Mulefoot takes longer to reach the appropriate market weight than conventional breeds.

This has much to do with many farmers not packing them full of grains, and trusting that consuming what is on pasture will bring them to a more flavorful and healthier pork. Fewer of the pounds in Mulefoots consist of marketable cuts, thus creating a study demand of consumers willing to pay a steeper price for high quality pork.

Mulefoot is said by many to be the most delicious of all the pork breeds. Some would assert that it is the most healthy as well. We cannot prove this from testing, but it does appear that it is healthier based on what our customers report. Many say that they are food sensitive or allergic to commercial type of pork.

They often report stomach aches, bloating, gas, and other bowel issues when this is the case, and they are food sensitive or allergic. We find that our pasture raised Mulefoot does not have that effect on these people. So many of them can enjoy a healthy and delicious cut of pork, for the first time in years. We are happy to help all!