Pig killers!

[techs]

Don't get me started on how tasty and tender pork chops used to be 20-30 years ago. Todays pig looks more like a dachsund than a pig. Breeding has produced a tasteless, chewy and bland hunk of meat that is only fit to be fed to a ..well, pig.

I just got lucky and found a tray of dark, creamy looking pork chops with a 3 dollar off sticker because it was the next to last day it was labelled for sale. Apparently todays shoppers were turned off by the different way it looked. Let me tell you, it was delicious! Todays pork chops are lighter colored than chicken due to their low fat content.

Restaurants used to serve pork chops regularly. Today you rarely see a pork chop on the menu. And when you do its smothered in something else to add flavor.

Cooking todays pork is nearly impossible. It goes from just right to worthless piece of chewing exercise in about 6 seconds.

/rant

 

[Mai72]

This is how I ate pork in South Korea. The only ingredients we used were garlic and red sauce. We wrapped the pork with ingredients in a green leaf and ate it. Kinda like a taco.

 

[Thebobo]

Square pigs are the future

 

[DaveSimmons]

It's like with chicken -- people want the dry bland chicken breast instead of the more moist and flavorful dark meat.

I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup yesterday and the big chunks of dry white meat were not tasty at all.

 

[Markbnj]

It's true. Getting a good pork chop with enough fat on it is a challenge. We have a good butcher in the town next to us that sells delicious chops, but he charges a premium.

 

[Carson Dyle]

You nailed it.

A few years ago there was a short-lived (two seasons) TV series made of the popular radio series This American Life. Season 1, episode 6 was titled Pandora's Box - an examination of unintended consequences.

One of the segments in the episode was about factory pig farming in Iowa. They visit a modern farm and discover just how bizarre the whole thing is. The animals are raised in a completely enclosed and controlled sterile environment. They've been bred from extensive university research into creating the "perfect pig" with lots of lean, white meat. The unintended consequences are that the pigs now have virtually no immune system and need to be handled with extreme care. And the breeding has bred virtually all of the flavor out of them, and the producers only now realizing that it needs to be fixed.

If you get a chance, watch it.

 

[Jaskalas]

Restaurants used to serve pork chops regularly. Today you rarely see a pork chop on the menu. And when you do its smothered in something else to add flavor.

Logan's Roadhouse serves a thin bone-in pork chop that sometimes just melts in your mouth. Pork is amazing when it's done right.

 

[Fern]

Don't get me started on how tasty and tender pork chops used to be 20-30 years ago. Todays pig looks more like a dachsund than a pig. Breeding has produced a tasteless, chewy and bland hunk of meat that is only fit to be fed to a ..well, pig.

I just got lucky and found a tray of dark, creamy looking pork chops with a 3 dollar off sticker because it was the next to last day it was labelled for sale. Apparently todays shoppers were turned off by the different way it looked. Let me tell you, it was delicious! Todays pork chops are lighter colored than chicken due to their low fat content.

After living in Europe many years our food products generally suck. It's not limited to just pork either.

Restaurants used to serve pork chops regularly. Today you rarely see a pork chop on the menu. And when you do its smothered in something else to add flavor.

They're commonly served in restaurants down here. Then again, we're basically 'the' pig state.

Cooking todays pork is nearly impossible. It goes from just right to worthless piece of chewing exercise in about 6 seconds.

/rant

Try pork roast and use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.

Fern

 

[BladeVenom]

After living in Europe many years our food products generally suck. It's not limited to just pork either.

Yep, everything nowadays is breed for size or shelf life with little regard to flavor.

 

[MtnMan]

Cooking todays pork is nearly impossible. It goes from just right to worthless piece of chewing exercise in about 6 seconds.

/rant

Perhaps cooking isn't your thing.

 

[Iron Woode]

I am seeing a lot of fail in this thread.

Pork chops are easy to get at restaurants here.

buying awesome pork chops or any other cut of pork is easy here.

cooking tasty pork is not that difficult. Maybe some of the posters here just need more practice at it.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Now that it's understood that animal fat isn't bad for you perhaps heritage pork will make a comeback. I was thinking of making a prosciutto, and I found a place where I could get a leg, but it's a 4 hour round trip. That's really too bad.

 

[Capt Caveman]

OP lives in VT and can get locally grown small farm pork, so I don't get the whine.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I am seeing a lot of fail in this thread.

Pork chops are easy to get at restaurants here.

buying awesome pork chops or any other cut of pork is easy here.

cooking tasty pork is not that difficult. Maybe some of the posters here just need more practice at it.

Some decades ago there was the belief that pork fat was bad for you. The marketers sold pork as "the other white meat" by replacing the pigs of the day with animals who were far far leaner. Leaner is dryer with less flavor and there is absolutely no comparison between what was and what now is. You may believe it's "awesome" but not compared to the original.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I love pork but, for some unknown reason, people in the southwest seem to not eat much. It's very strange considering the majority of people living in the large cities aren't from there.

 

[mmntech]

I am seeing a lot of fail in this thread.

Pork chops are easy to get at restaurants here.

buying awesome pork chops or any other cut of pork is easy here.

cooking tasty pork is not that difficult. Maybe some of the posters here just need more practice at it.

A lot of people overcook pork. Growing up, my mom was notorious for this. The English seem to go by the mantra of "if it's not black, it's not done". Today's pork should be cooked more like a streak. It's okay if it's a little pink inside. Doesn't have the parasites it once did.

It is hard to get good pork at the grocery store though, or really any meat for that matter. Sometimes you find some nice chops with a good layer of fat on them, and they're delicious. The whiter meat accepts marinades well too. Too bad it's getting so expensive.

 

[Iron Woode]

A lot of people overcook pork. Growing up, my mom was notorious for this. The English seem to go by the mantra of "if it's not black, it's not done". Today's pork should be cooked more like a streak. It's okay if it's a little pink inside. Doesn't have the parasites it once did.

It is hard to get good pork at the grocery store though, or really any meat for that matter. Sometimes you find some nice chops with a good layer of fat on them, and they're delicious. The whiter meat accepts marinades well too. Too bad it's getting so expensive.

this I agree with.

I am very fussy about the meat I buy.

shoulder chops have more fat than the other cuts.

 

[Howard]

It's fairly easy to find Tamworth or Berkshire pork (or even pigs) if you live in or near a major metropolitan center.

 

[NetWareHead]

No other animal converts food quicker to fat than a pig. Back in the old days, lard was a prized commodity. Lard was used in all kinds of recipes and baking. I went to visit some relatives in Italy who have a farm complete with home grown pigs. A staple snack is some home rendered lard spread on a slice of bread (like butter) with some chopped onions on top. Its delicious but try to sell a snack like that in the US. Lard got a bad stigma and a as a result, the pork industry needed to find ways to raise a pig with less of the worthless fat. Thats why you have today's pork.

There is a huge difference between real pork and what you find in a grocery store. If you have an appreciation for this sort of stuff, check out pork chops that are cut from a well raised pig and compare to pork chops in a typical supermarket cold case. The real pork is more red and has an inch of fat around the chop with plenty of intramuscular fat. it stands up to grilling far better and wont dry out as readily like store chops. It tastes better too. Tenderloin from a real pig is arguably better than beef filet mignon.

When I cook supermarket pork, I brine. Take your pork chops and prepare a brine mixture and soak them before hand. Its a good way to get some moisture into the meat and produces juicier cooking.

 

[NetWareHead]

After living in Europe many years our food products generally suck. It's not limited to just pork either.

This.

 

[sdifox]

I am seeing a lot of fail in this thread.

Pork chops are easy to get at restaurants here.

buying awesome pork chops or any other cut of pork is easy here.

cooking tasty pork is not that difficult. Maybe some of the posters here just need more practice at it.

American meats are quite different than Canadian ones. Though we seem to be moving in the same direction. Our pork chops have become bland as well.