Noticed a big shift in pork quality over the last 5 years

I've been cutting meat for about 12 years now, mostly at a shop in rural Ohio. I started noticing around 2018 that the pork shoulders we were getting felt different. They were bigger but had way more water content. You'd open a cryovac and a puddle would come out. The texture changed too, it got softer and almost mushy when you'd try to slice it. I think it's the breeding, with farms pushing for faster growth and leaner pigs. The fat cap got thinner and the intramuscular fat dropped off. We had to change how we dry rub and smoke because the meat would dry out faster. Now I look for heritage breed pork when I can find it, the difference in how it holds up on the cutting board is night and day. Has anyone else seen this swing in their regular supply?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithwalker19d agoMost Upvoted

Is this really a big deal or just how pork always was?

alicew6819d ago

Did you catch that recent segment on the news about old vs new processing methods?

terry_lewis2119d ago

Yeah, I read something about selective breeding causing that. Water weight is a huge issue now.