Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor

Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor - Adorable little piggy with spotted black fur sitting on sunny farm enclosure near pig mom

This might be a very silly question, but I'm sort a pork newbie.

Anyway, I recently went to the butchers and bought a big slab of pork belly, to make crackling.

Immediately, I noticed it had a very "farm-y" smell. I rinsed the pork belly but the smell was still there, mostly in the skin. I prepared it by steam cooking it in the oven for about three or four hours. But the smell made it impossible to eat, as the barn yard stench permeated the entire pork belly. It was nothing like what I'm used to when eating pork belly in a restaurant for example.

My question then is: Did I screw something up in the preparation, or did I get a bad piece of meat or what happened?

pork


Best Answer

Having raised hogs I can say that the actual feed can make a difference on the taste and smell of the finished product. Clean feed and a clean lot can make a difference. There is also a difference in hogs fed on an open lot (grassy) v.s. a confinement.

Corn blend with soy protein - one flavor. Alphalfa pellets, another flavor. Open lot with wild onions or other strong products, another. Wood lots (acorns etc) another. It depends on what is desired, as these also will impact the texture and fat content percentage.



Pictures about "Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor"

Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor - From above cute black and white piglets with funny curvy tails playing together on rural barn ground
Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor - Closeup top view heap of delicious scrumptious pork bellies bacon cut into small slices before cooking process
Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor - Whole smoked pig on broach near metal table with various utensils in yard of countryside house


Why does pork smell like a barnyard?

Boar taint is caused by two naturally occurring compounds known as androstenone (a pheromone which is responsible for a sweat/urine scent) and skatole (produced in liver and large intestine, responsible for an even less pleasant fecal aroma).

Why do you put vinegar on pork belly?

White Vinegar helps dry out the skin \u2013 but it has a secondary purpose of removing the odour! If you are prepared, place the Pork in the Fridge UNCOVERED overnight \u2013 the skin will dry out. When you pre-heat your oven, remove the pork from the fridge and let it return to room temperature.

Why do you pour boiling water on pork belly?

Once you've scored the rind, boil the jug, put the roast on a rack in the sink and pour the boiling water all over the pork, which shrinks the skin where the scoring is, helping heat, salt and oil penetrate deeper once you get to step 5.

How do you make pork belly not smell?

Depends on how you're going to cook it but here are some methods I like to use:
  • Blanch the meat! ...
  • Use ginger, bay leaves, garlic, onions, leek, fermented soy paste, instant coffee, cinnamon sticks, apple/pear juice etc.
  • soak the meat in some water to get rid of the blood overnight or for a few hours before cooking.



    • Easy Crispy Pork Belly Cooking / Eating Crispy Pork



    More answers regarding preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor

    Answer 2

    just seen this, I know it's a few years on but better late than never. The smell is probably testosterone because the pig was male over 60 kilos and had not been castrated.

    Answer 3

    Its hard to say without knowing more about this 'farm-y' smell you mention.

    I would say though that steaming pork belly probably isn't the way to go. Its a fattier cut that benefits from roasting, this will help release a nicer, less 'farm-y' smell. Plus you get nice crisp crackling.

    Here are some recipe links I can personally vouch for:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/11/nigel-slater-recipes-pork-belly

    Answer 4

    I have had this exact experience with the last two pieces of pork belly I cooked: the first one reeked of what smelled like fertilizer immediately upon open the package, and if anything got worse after cooking. The second smelled fine at first, but by the time it was cooked had a faint version of the same awful smell. I don't think it's "barnyard" so much as chemical - some sort of nitrate?

    Answer 5

    Let me chip in if you have not solved the problem. Try blanching in boiling water for a minute or two and see if it works.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Brett Sayles, Brett Sayles, Karolina Grabowska, Skylar Kang

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