Disapporkment

So, I stumbled across this nice-looking section of pork loin at Gary's Family Foods, 7am Sunday morning; a quarter inch rind of fat across the entire top, something you rarely see in stores here, despite being in the heartland and near to some of the best pork that can be raised. I was determined to slow roast it on a charcoal grill for Sunday evening.

I did this and served with some German mustard and other condiments; it seemed good, not great, but good. A little disappointing in that respect...

As I’m cleaning up after, I cut up into slices to bag for work and I cut a little 'bonus piece' that I wolfed down without any condiments... and oy, there it was: the taste of manure. Not a metaphor, manure. It tastes like a hog confinement house. Nearly threw it away right there, but needed something for lunch.

This is not the fault of Gary's (mentioned above) or any purveyor of meats in particular. We've accepted this sort of pork in the US for so long, as a culture, we simply don't know anything different. Economies of scale have made 'ok' pork or 'less-than-ok' pork the norm, especially when smoked or heavily seasoned.

Tasting last night's loin today, it's dropped much of that nasty flavor for the slow smoke from the grill, but there's that tiny after-taste. The premium pork I knew growing up comes from small and local farmers; don’t look for it in your big box grocery stores, except from small grower consortium brands like Niman Ranch.

Once you get a taste of a premium pork product, you'll be hard pressed to enjoy anything else. The meat is tender with a clean, fresh, savory flavor; the fat on the other hand, is so wonderful (think: lobster meets candy) you will eventually adopt the habit to cut it off first so you can have a small piece of it with every bite.

Best bites,
James