A Road Trip to Bubba's Berk's

Last year, after competing in Wetsmont's Red, White and BBQ, I've been on a mission to cook with the freshest ingredients I can find.  A very good friend of mine had told me about Berkshire hogs and the unusual quality associated with them.  So with a little research we found a hog farmer in Varna, Il that breeds Berkshires - Bubba's Berk's. 

Zach "Bubba" Siwinski along with his father Mike and mom Kathy own and operate Bubba's Berk's.

After placing an order for myself and two good friends, me and the boys road tripped it to Varna yesterday.  Varna is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Glen Ellyn.  And as expected, Mike greeted us with a very firm handshake and offered me and the boys a tour. We couldn't resist.

Bubba's Berk's uses no growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics and the hogs are pasture raised rather than being kept in confinement.

For being 100% natural, Bubba's Berk's is priced very competitively. Shoulder was $2.50 lb; Spareribs $2.75 lb and BabyBacks were $5 lb. Needless to say, the quality is outstanding and when I'm investing hours in a cook, I have absolutley no problem paying that little extra. 

Today, I was having the in-laws over and decided to smoke some Bubba's Berk's spare ribs.  The meat is gorgeous, nice and pink, good fat throughout. It doesn't get more fresh than this.

 I rubbed them with my homemade blend and smoked them using maple wood...

Glazed and finsihed them on my Weber...

The final product...gone within minutes.

If you are as serious about BBQ as I am, I'd highly recommend trying Bubba's products. His pork loin is second to none. You can call the farm at (815) 452-2935.