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Bad Pork

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fevoice

Guest
My wife insists that some of the ribs I've made have had a sour taste to them and she claims that happens when a pregnant pig is slaughtered.

Tonight for instance we had some left over ribs that she wouldn't eat. I tried them and they didn't taste like they should. Not awful, but not like a rib should taste after being reheated.

Anybody else hear/know about this?
 
Never heard the pregnant pig argument, but, I have heard of bad sour pork, even a butt that got worse after I smoked it.
 
Never heard of it either but the next time I tank a category at a comp I will be sure to use it!
 
I heard a TV interview or read an article where a meat expert said there was specfic flavor differences between male and female hogs, as well as with beef.

So I'm guessing that's not so different with the concept of one being in heat or such when butchered. I bet our great grand parents could tell us!
 
I googled "pregnant pigs" I'm not even going to tell you what came up...

Where do you buy your ribs? Wally World? Are they "danish" ribs?
 
I ususally buy at the local Sam's Club. I think thier meat dept could use a better butcher. I've had to return a package of ribs that just stunk when I opened them and I switched to Baby Backs because their Spares were so thin and fatty.

Sledneck - all I can say is LOL!!!!!
 
fevoice said:
I ususally buy at the local Sam's Club. I think thier meat dept could use a better butcher. I've had to return a package of ribs that just stunk when I opened them and I switched to Baby Backs because their Spares were so thin and fatty.

Sledneck - all I can say is LOL!!!!!
Click to expand...

A off smell is normal for pork in cryovac packaging. Once you rinse the meat this smell should disappear.
Which brings up another point - make sure you rinse your meat good when you take it out of the cryovac, if you take it straight out of the pack and rub it down and smoke it, that is probably where your sourness is coming from.

Pregnant pigs?? that's a first for me
 
I've returned more pork to a local establishment (Smart & Final) more than I'd care to say because it just wasn't right when popping the cryovac. I'd rather have a quick gagging episode by smelling it beforehand, than to impose any risk on my quests. Whiff mod.
 
I've had bad smelling pork butts, I threw them out. I've even smoked pork and got rid of it, something didn't look right or smell right. I smoked one once and around the bone the meat was gray and nasty looking, out it went.
 
The cryvac meat always seems to have a sour smell to it. It can be rinsed off with fresh water. I can say that boar meat really stinks. I have worked in the pork industry and know what a boar smells like. If you have ever smelled it you will know what I am talking about. It's the testosterone that makes the meat smell. If you are buying really cheap cuts you might be getting boar meat. Not really likely but possible. Most Boars are used for grinding only, but some can slip through the lines sometimes. If it makes you retch after you rinse it off, better off to throw it out.

Seasoned Greatings.
 
I returned a sour smelling cryovac of ribs to the butcher once. He told me that nowadays the pigs are processed so fast that they don't have a chance to "gas" and lose the smell before being wrapped. I can understand what he is talking about because its the same with deer. They stink on the inside until after they have been washed out and hanging for some time. I've since bought many cryovacs that have the off smell until I rinse them and let them sit for a few. Just my two cents. I've never heard of the pregnant pig difference, but do know many times with animals if it came from a male that hadn't been castrated it will have a very different taste due to the hormones so I guess it could be true. The pregnant females would have a different hormone level than a non pregnant one.
 
hadnt heard of the pregant thing, but it could be. my grandfather has told me a few times to never butcher a sow in heat. when he was younger, they used to do the pigs as a family gathering, so they could do it all at once. they would never butcher a sow in heat because it would ruin the whole batch of sausage. i dont know, because ive never had a sow in heat, but he's not the type of guy to make things up. theres probably something to it
 
my two cents

Ok here's my 2 cents.
We raise pigs every year for the freezer (as well as a plethera of other animals).
Two things will Pucker up the meat quick as anything at butchering time
1) an uncut boar
2) a sow in heat
It will give the meat an off smell like stale urine or worse. In todays market the animlas are raised in very controlled conditions ( don't get me started on this subject), so unless you are buying localy raised meat from a local small farm there is zero chance that it was prego b4 it was slaughtered. Also there is zero chance that it was an uncut male as that is taken care of days after birth. they are usually slaughtered around 6-8 months depending on the breed and that is 99% of the time way beforte they come into heat for the first time. but it does happen from time to time that one may mature early enough to hit heat b4 it meets its maker.

ok class lesson over. My guess would be is that its the cryo vac or just bad meat but probably the cryovac...
 
Tweedle said:
Ok here's my 2 cents.
We raise pigs every year for the freezer (as well as a plethera of other animals).
Two things will Pucker up the meat quick as anything at butchering time
1) an uncut boar
2) a sow in heat
It will give the meat an off smell like stale urine or worse. In todays market the animlas are raised in very controlled conditions ( don't get me started on this subject), so unless you are buying localy raised meat from a local small farm there is zero chance that it was prego b4 it was slaughtered. Also there is zero chance that it was an uncut male as that is taken care of days after birth. they are usually slaughtered around 6-8 months depending on the breed and that is 99% of the time way beforte they come into heat for the first time. but it does happen from time to time that one may mature early enough to hit heat b4 it meets its maker.

ok class lesson over. My guess would be is that its the cryo vac or just bad meat but probably the cryovac...
Click to expand...

Issue solved. My uncle had a farm with a very large pig shed holding at least 1000 pigs. He was very careful about sorting this out. All the boars were outside in the mud. The male piglets were castrated bloody fast and fed and killed. The female pigs were left to mature more and some were selected for mating, The rest were sent to slaughterhouses.

It's a very precise business... it's probably the cryovac.

Cheers!
 
Cryovac bagged almost always smells bad. Always let rest and rinse well. The smell will go away. Meat also wil taste better also. My .02
 
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