The sorry state of pork flavor in the US

Anyone noticed over the years (at least..those of us old farts)..that the average store bought pork here in the States these days is....bland?

Ever traveled to the Caribbean and had pork there..and go "WOW! What great flavor? Pork doesn't taste like this up north anymore!"

I've been turning to brining in an attempt to bring back some flavor.

It isn't only pork, I haven't eaten chicken in years and don't buy my beef in any grocery stores anymore. I buy all my pork and beef from a local grower here in Kentucky and it is aged properly and feed properly. I buy generally whole pigs and beef rough butchered for select pieces such as steaks, roasts and ribs. The animals have normal amounts of fats and are not the overly lean stuff you see in the stores. It also isn't injected with salt water to give it a longer shelf life and keep it pretty. All of this kills the flavor of the meats you buy. Lean meats by nature have little taste as the fat is what gives them both tenderness and flavor.

As for chickens they are just plain horrible, from egg to your food store in 6 weeks means faster production so growing methods include many unpleasant substances hence chicken meat is now yellow and larger than a normal chicken. It also tastes different and the texture is all wrong. I've gotten a couple of naturally grown chickens in the last month from a local Amish grower that where like the chickens tasted like the chickens we raised on the farm as a kid.

About 15 years ago my gf and I stayed at her aunt and uncle's house in rural OK. They had raised two hogs and had them butchered. That night we had pork chops for dinner, and to this day it was the best tasting pork I've ever had... Diet and farm conditions definitely make a difference...

I feel the same about milk and fresh eggs
When we were growing up, we got milk straight from the local farmer's cooler.
When I got married and moved, we bought our whole milk and eggs from the supermarket. BLICK! Just not the same thing!

Definitley meat & produce from the big supermarkets does not compare to butcher/farmstand product.

I believe Pork in particular is the victim of some very large scale commercial farming (smithfield) that is all about quantity over quality. They have also bred out a lot of the fat content which I think has something to do with it

when I was a kid we had a family friend who had a small farm I will never forget the taste of the pork and sausage they had there which was butchered from their own piggies.

Sadly for convenience I am usually stuck with the major groceries and it is quite disappointing.

In addition to pork what they pass off as tomatoes is horrifying... at least they are easier to grow in your back yard than bacon

Growing up in Jersey and having our own tomatoes, as well as local growers, I have to agree.
Corn too.
But yes, I didn't know if the meat was because I was buying from the supermarket, instead of local sources. I do feel I'd do better at a butcher, but still wouldn't be able to know if it was a comparison of today versus the past, or one source compared to another source. I don't think my taste is that refined, especially when the meat is cooked with spices or sauces.

Just to say;
Chicken skin is like eggs, some chicken's skin is one color and others another, being either white or yellow. Technically the meat is supposed to be the same between the different breeds. I've purchased chickens in the local Giant Eagle and Walmart that had different colored skin.
And, certain breeds known as "meat birds" grow that fast all on their own using a high protein feed. It isn't all done with methods and hormones, a lot is genetics.

That said, an actual farm raised chicken is supposed to have a different taste and texture, which some say is better and some say is an acquired taste.

We use a local farm shop where they raise beef and chickens traditionally (they won't go organic). He also buys in pork, but from an equivelent source. The meat is full of flavour (and not that much pricier than store meat - other than the value ranges). I also usually buy in bulk which keeps the costs down. I paid just over £400 for a hindquarter of beef and half a pig a few months ago.

Yup...agree with everyone....
from chicken, to beef, eggs.
Vegatables 'n herbs are a granted..nothing can beat your own garden produce.
Or going out and catching your own fish, crabs, or clams.

Where I lived...a little farm down the road..he sold eggs fresh from his buncha chickens in the back. Wow making breakfast with those! Nice deep orange colored yolks.

I try to buy the bulk of my meat from a local farmer who raises his animals on the land. It does taste different and seems to be hardier than the crud in the stores.

All I can say is commercial mass production is probably what made everything so bland and generic.

YeOldeStonecat said:

Or going out and catching your own fish, crabs, or clams.

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Don't get me started! I'm suffering from severe Cabin Fever! The only real thing that's stopping me from going is that I can't catch any shad for catfish bait right now.

I don't like grasshopper chickens or fatty, strong tasting pork. As for flavor, that's all in how you season and cook the meat. That's just me.

Constance said:

As for flavor, that's all in how you season and cook the meat. That's just me.

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All personal preference I recon.....
Sometimes I want to just taste the pure product. A top grade thick slab of steak....keep that seasoning off....I want to taste good beef!

I guess that's why I don't do much to beef. But pork 'n chicken..they can use a bit of help sometimes.

All I know is... we buy a pork chop here and I fry it up with olive oil salt and pepper and it's pretty darn boring. I buy one in Mexico and cook it exactly the same way and it's DELISH! It must be the meat.

So... is it what the piggy eats? Is it how it's stored after killing? What makes it different?

I grew up in the country, and as a child we always raised our own pork. Nostalgia aside, I dont think that a modern pork chop could even come close to what we had, and I would kill for just a pound or two of the sausage that we used to make right there on our own back porch. And it wasnt 80% fat, instead rather lean and seasoned so wonderfully. Even just thinking about it is sad. I am sure it must be available somewhere, but feel equally sure it is not close to me.

If you REALLY want good-tasting pork, get a hunting license, check your local hunting reg's, and go after feral hogs. They're a real nuisance here in OK. I've had a bit of feral hog ham, and oh boy, was that good! I could imagine what the sausage from that kind of piggy would taste like!

AllenOK said:

If you REALLY want good-tasting pork, get a hunting license, check your local hunting reg's, and go after feral hogs. They're a real nuisance here in OK. I've had a bit of feral hog ham, and oh boy, was that good! I could imagine what the sausage from that kind of piggy would taste like!

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You are so right about that!! We dont have any here, but a friend of mine who hunts in the other end of the state, gave me some pork shoulder a couple of years ago from a wild pig he killed and it was quite flavorful.

South Florida has wild pigs/boars. They hunt them there a lot, my second oldest son used to before his job took him to North Carolina.

Yep. We have wild boar here. Alot of young guys raise pitbulls to hunt with and go out in the middle of the night to hunt. I don't know of the 3, who's more viscious! LOL!
I wonder what the difference in taste might be though. Like farm raised duck and wild duck.

Yes it does taste different that farm raised pigs, they also don't tend to be as heavy. They can kill a dog pretty easily as well as a man if they attack. Their tusks are nasty weapons and they are much smarter than most dogs.

Your best bet is think like a deer hunter. Scout the area out. If you can find where the feral/wild pigs are feeding, set up a trail/game camera to try to get an idea of what time of day they are coming to that area. Then, set up a tree stand. When the piggies come by, you usually get one shot before they scatter. If there's no limit, try to line up two pigs so you can get a through-and-through on the first, with an impact on the second, if the rounds you're using are powerful enough.

Yes, they are smart, and will attack dogs and hunters. I'm a member of several fishing boards, and some of those also have hunting boards with them. One of those, a local one here in OK, had a picture of a 100 lb + feral hog that tore up two dogs pretty badly (I don't think the dogs lived). The hunter was faced with a situation where he couldn't use his firearm. He jumped on the pig and killed it with a knife. Gutsy or stupid, your call.

Here in OK, you just have to be legal for whatever is in season in your area to go feral hog hunting. If I'm not mistaken (I'm not really a hunter, just like to go fishing), coyotes are in season pretty much year-round.

I do know that a Wildlife Management Area about 10 miles from me has a pretty decent population of feral hogs, enough that the piggies are invading into the neighboring farmers fields and ripping up crops. There is also supposedly a small population of Cougars preying on the feral hogs.

My parents saw a cougar behind their house last year. Just recently, they had four Bobcats in their back yard (I've seen the pics). Probably a mother and three nearly-grown cubs.

They make kevlar vests for catch dogs if their owners want to protect them. It's become pretty hi-tech for a redneck sport (lol).

Here's how stupid my state is:
Two years ago, in the fall, some hunters were pheasant hunting about 40 minutes from me in some cornfields. They ran into 4-6 feral hogs, so one of them went home, got a rifle, came back and shot one. They butchered it and word got out. By December the State Game Commission had a law passed that said no more shooting wild hogs until they figure out what to do with them....
So I imagine it won't be too long before PA has a feral hog problem.

chowhound said:

Here's how stupid my state is:
Two years ago, in the fall, some hunters were pheasant hunting about 40 minutes from me in some cornfields. They ran into 4-6 feral hogs, so one of them went home, got a rifle, came back and shot one. They butchered it and word got out. By December the State Game Commission had a law passed that said no more shooting wild hogs until they figure out what to do with them....
So I imagine it won't be too long before PA has a feral hog problem.

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LOL! PA cant figure out what to do with it's own A**hole....

What they probably meant was until they figure out how to levy a tax on them... by the time they do this the wild hogs will probably have taken over Philly.... come to think of it I think a few live in the house behind me.