I finally learned why a pig's diet matters way more than I thought

So I was reading this old meat science booklet my uncle gave me from the 80s, and it said that feeding pigs too much corn can actually mess with the fat texture in their bellies. Apparently it makes the fat softer and greasier, which is a nightmare if you're trying to do proper bacon slices. I tried an experiment last month with two different hogs from the same farm, one fed mostly barley and one loaded up on corn... the difference in how the fat held up on the band saw was night and day. The corn-fed one was almost sticky to handle. Has anyone else noticed a big shift based on what the farmer feeds them?

3 comments

3 Comments

brown.gavin1mo agoMost Upvoted

That sticky band saw mess is a dead giveaway the fat won't render right in a pan.

henderson.vera18d ago

Man I used to think the whole feed thing was just people being snobby about their pork. Like I'd buy whatever looked good at the grocery store and figured if it rendered a bit weird it was just my pan temp or something. Then I grabbed a shoulder from a guy at the winter market who said his hogs were on a mix of oats and alfalfa. First time I cooked it up the fat just melted into this clear, almost nutty oil that left the meat crispy as heck. No sticky residue, no soggy band saw mess. Totally changed my mind about how much the pig eats matters for the actual cooking. Now I'm super picky about where I get my pork from.

bettywood1mo ago

Oh man, you are speaking my language right now. I had the exact same rude awakening a couple years back when I was buying pork from a new supplier at the farmers market. His stuff looked beautiful but every time I cooked a chop it would puddle this weird, soft grease in the pan that just wouldn't crisp up. Switched to a guy who does a mostly barley and pea finish on his hogs and the difference was like night and day. The fat on those chops actually snaps when you bite into it and it renders out clean without that slick, almost sweaty feel. That sticky business you saw on the band saw is exactly what I was fighting with my chef's knife at home.