Pig Farmers Please Help! Why Can't I Get Lean Meat?

[Tigs]

Anyone involved with pig farming, please help if you can.

I shop for meat at the local market which has a number of butchers. They are all as clean as you can expect from market traders and the meat looks good. When I have asked if the meat was fresh they will say 'yes'' and generally they claim the animal was killed and butchered early the same morning. It looks yummy, I will get two nice pieces of pork chop, take them home and either pan fry, barbecue or grill them, all with the same result. Chewy chewy meat. Is this just poor quality meat from badly kept animals or is it (as I think I read many years ago) because the meat is too fresh? I think I read somewhere there could be lactic acid and adrenalin etc in the meat as a result of the pig knowing it is about to meet it's demise. I need help as my wife's family do not eat red meat and as we live with the MIL at the moment until our house is finished cooking beef and lamb is a not an impoliteness I wish to display. I therfore rely on the trusty chicken and pork, but I am not sure my teeth can take much more of the old pork chop. Thank you in anticipation.

[teletiger]

The leaner the pork the tougher it will be, generally speaking. Anything up to 1 inch of backfat is the standard.

Pigs for the local market are normally killed by sticking. I.e. the pig is caged, left for 20/30 minutes to settle down, then a slim steel spike is pushed through his ribs into his heart. The pig squeals for about 10 seconds, settles down again and is dead within 10/15 minutes from internal bleeding. How the slaughter-houses do it I have no idea. Maybe batter them with sledgehammers as they do the cattle .

I've experienced the odd piece of tough pork, but on the whole, I find the pork in Thailand is top class.

Pig breeder farms do sell off their sows after 3/4 farrows and the boars at about 5/6 years (or earlier if they're not producing the goods ) These pigs are supposed to go to sausage makers, but as with all things in Thailand, these things are open to abuse.

In Europe, pig carcases are chilled overnight normally for the flesh to relax and ease of cutting the next day.

Change your butcher.

Fire the chef.

Keep 2 or 3 of your own pigs. Not difficult.

Regards.

[Tigs]

Thanks teletiger

I think I am getting my 'leans' mixed up with my 'tenders'. I just can't get a tender pork chop off the market. I think I will take your advice and sack the chef.....Me!

[Pdaz]

Pork in Thailand can be great.. But you have to select it carefully or you will end up with something as tough as a rubber ball..

Avoid overly lean cuts and pork that is dark red in colour.. Try to pick meat that is a pale creamy pink and has a good cover of pale white fat.. Avoid pork that looks/feels wet and slimy.. The meat should be firm and hold its shape. A lot of the pork here is uncastrated young boars and this can mean the pork has a strong aroma and a reddish tinge.. If the animal was stressed before slaughter this can add to that..

I've shopped in plenty of local markets but find that the pork available in supermarkets (foodland, lotus etc) is superior. If you want tender pork chops avoid the center loin and rump/leg cuts.. Go for the shoulder or rib end of the loin ( the end closest to the head) as they have a higher fat content and are the most tender. ( you can trim any excess fat before cooking) don't fry chops in a hot frying pan.. either grill slowly or roast them in the oven for best results.. If no oven.. braise them on the top of the stove in a casserole dish.. Belly pork and shoulder is great for this...

Basically; Don't be obsessed about fat and buy lean meat as it will usually be tough.. Buy meat with a good ratio of fat and trim it off before or after cooking..and choose forequarter cuts and you should get a decent feed...

This is about pork but the same can be said for beef.. But beef really needs to be hung to mature.. Pork is fine when eaten 'fresh'

hope this helps..

Edited April 21, 2009 by Pdaz

[Lickey]

Mrs buys pork joints at the village market, put in oven in a bowl with water, 1.5 hours, then drains off water, the skin crackels up and looks good, the secret is how to carve,, the normal way will give you tough slices, if you carve from the side of the joint, then the slices are tender,

Pork chops, perhaps simmer them in lemongrass for an hour then grill, mrs does this with beef slices and i make a meat madras from this, the beef melts in my mouth, Also for steak and kidney casserole, the cubed beef will need simmering for 1 hour before adding the veg ect, and another hour after, its not really the weather for casseroles, but its better than rotten fish covered in hot spices im sure,

Happy cooking, Lickey..

[scotbeve]

When I had a pig farm, the missus or myself would go out every afternoon and get 25 - 30 papayas as well as 2.5 - 3 bunches of bananas, dice up the papayas, half-mash up the bananas and feed them to the semi-open ranged pigs we raised. Then after all the excitement, they would get a good water-down. Can't say they were exactly lean, but the meat sure tasted good!!!