"Les Noiracochon"
home of
The Black Pig Competition BBQ Team
home of
The Black Pig Competition BBQ Team
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The Story Behind Les Noiracochon: The Black Pig
When we hooked up to start our 'charcuterie club' to explore all that this age-old craft had to offer to our group of hardcore 'foodies', we had several goals in mind.
One was to share our common passion for food and also to bring in our own individual tastes and abilities.
Mike C and Bob had a history of making homemade sausages over the course of a dozen years.
Mike K was an award-winning barbecue cook with a trunkload of trophies to show for his efforts.
Mac an accomplished home chef with a taste and flair for the finest in wines and cutting-edge culinary developments. He also brought a sharp eye for photography, samples of which you'll find on this site.
Steve is the quiet guy who brings diverse tastes and skills to the table every time we gather.
Susan has a history and a knack for working with pastry but has no qualms about rolling up the sleeves and dealing with the inner workings of a 160 lb hog!
MikeC's kids and wife contribute when and where they can, with Barb having a steady hand when it comes to the casing of sausage. In fact it is through Mike's wife Barb that we came upon the name of Les Noiracochon for our group and cooking team.
Les Noiracochon:
What Does it Mean?
Quite literally, les noiracochon means 'the black pig'. Actually, to write or to say black pig in French you would write or say 'les cochon noir'. However, when it's expressed as 'les noiracochon', it takes on the meaning equal to the English phrase 'black sheep' and its connotation of an outsider, or of someone being the wild child of the family.
It's this meaning that we bring to our adventures in cooking and barbecue and charcuterie in particular. With full respect for the vast traditions in these areas it's our goal to bring new ideas, influences and some playful and whimsical aspects to these crafts.
As well, one of the most sought-after ingredients in modern charcuterie is the Berkshire Hog. This breed was somewhat forgotten in the recent trend to breed pigs leaner and milder. Now that people are finding that this new 'other white meat' low-fat pork is also lower in taste and depth of flavour, they are returning to a breed that never gave in to the low fat movement; the Berkshire, or the black pig, as it is known.
So now when you dig deeper into this website and you read about our exploits and experiments, you'll recognize that it's the 'black sheep'--Les Noiracochon--, traditionalists with an open mind to the future, at play once again in the world of bbq and charcuterie.
