Watson Farms — Attraction in Chester

This is my experience with Watson Farms.

Ordering the whole pig was easy, making the deposit was easy. Kelly was good at communicating with me as the expected delivery was about 2 months away. I got an email about what cuts I wanted and specifications for processing.

During this time I also ordered a beef rib roast to be delivered with the pork. The rib roast was going to be Christmas dinner. I paid for it through the online shop and it included the $12.95 delivery fee. I was assured that I wouldn’t be charged twice and I wasn’t.

I received an email about the hanging weight (213 lbs.) and the final cost minus the deposit. I received a text alerting me for delivery the day prior with approximate times. This was automated and do not reply. I found that pretty cool and it indicated that Watson farms had their act together. When delivery day came, I received another automated text telling me the driver should arrive within 30 minutes. The truck arrived, backed up to my driveway and unloaded 5 big boxes. It was Matt Watson himself. He’s friendly and amicable.

The pork came cryo-vacced in plastic and labeled with a description and weight in pounds. I ended up with 163 pounds of pork. The final cost was about $5.35 per pound for pasture raised pork.

I got most of the items I wanted but not all. I don’t know what is legal to sell in North Carolina from the processor that Watson farms utilizes. During my email exchange with Kelly she informed me that pigs feet were unavailable. I have previously received pigs feet from a South Carolina packing company. I did not get the liver or ears that I had requested but I got the tail and some bones. Next time I’m going to request everything available.

Is the pork good? Yes, very good although I haven’t tried all the cuts yet. The pork is reddish-pink and not lean. This is good because I don’t want “The other white meat” which is dry and flavorless. The pork chops taste good. The bacon is both fatty and meaty in good proportions. The breakfast sausage and bratwurst however did not weep out a lot of grease when cooked. I think that’s good because it shows a nice balance of meat and fat.

Is the beef good? Yes, very good. It was bright red and well marbled. It cooked up beautifully for Christmas. Later it made a great hash and even later we made sandwiches. Overall, I’m very satisfied with ordering from Watson farms. I’ve told lots of friends and acquaintances about them and recommend them.

4/27/22 Update on whole pig The pork has been excellent. It’s all well marbled with fat. Recently, I’ve smoked some hocks and bones. Those will go in a batch of red beans (and rice). I smoked some ham and the tail. The tail I requested so I could make Brazilian Feijoada. Kelli was very accommodating with that. She also made sure I got the shoulder skin-on. It made delicious Cuban style pork roast. Watson farms is very customer friendly. If you haven’t ordered yet, you’re...

I went in once and purchased two bags of meat and when I got home I realized I was given the wrong bag but equal in value with the bag that they did not give me that I purchased ($40). I went back in the next day with the meat but they were closed. So at that point with the inconvenience of not getting my other bag of meat, and not being able to return the meat we used the meat. I went in again with no problems and the lady acknowledged her mistake and gave me my bag back and said I was all set and I purchased another $70 in meat. Then I go in today and the office lady (owner) comes at me with an attitude and says “you need to purchase that bag that we accidentally gave you, you never tried to return the meat.” I said yes we did, you were closed, and she said that’s not her fault. I said “I can pay for the meat that you accidentally gave me, but we did not want that meat. I also think you are wrong in coming at me yelling like I stole meat, your employee made a mistake and as the owner of the farm I think you should take responsibility for the roughly $40 order that was given to me as an accident, and the inconvenience that has on me.” She said “That’s it just take your order that your purchasing now and don’t come back! You’re not allowed back! You want free stuff!” I said “No I said I have no problem paying for it I just think you are wrong for that- your employee made the mistake, I didn’t do anything wrong I’m just shopping and was given the wrong bag.” She did not take accountability, kicked me out, and is willing to lose a customer over their $40 mistake. That I said I would pay for, but she was not understanding at all so hostile yelling and kicked me out, instead of working with me in anyway, she treated me if I was nothing to her, I almost feel as if she was treating me different because of my race. Crazy experience, walked in, in a good mood left in a...

I started getting monthly deliveries about 6 months ago. I had done a-lot of research on Watson Farms, so I knew that they were providing humane and natural conditions for their animals. I also knew that the meat would be nutrient rich and not susceptible to using chemicals or growth hormones to achieve desired end state. The animals are raised and fed naturally. I knew all that going in. I was surprised though by the high quality of the product, not just the quality of the meat (I assumed it would be good), but the packaging, the delivery, the customer service, the communications. They have not made a mistake in any of the orders, the delivery vehicle is clean, neat as are the boxes and egg cartons. Everything is done with high quality. The meat is very well labeled and very well packaged. You can tell it is fresh frozen and the color of the meat is very natural. It looks rich and healthy, unlike the pale meat that you will get at the grocery stores. The chickens are not puffed up with a saline solution. The eggs have deep yellow, almost orange yolk. You can tell that everything is fresh and raised properly. I love this farm and the products they produce. I'm almost afraid to share my thoughts for fear that too many people will sign up and they will have to ration...