The pork I bought smells a bit. Is it bad? The pig head I just bought smells bad. What's going on?

We all know that pork is a common meat food. It has a variety of ways to eat, tastes delicious, and is rich in nutrition. It is loved by people and many people eat pork frequently. Some people will find that pork has a bit of odor when they buy it. So why does the pork you just bought smell a bit? Let's take a closer look!

The pork I bought smells a bit bad. What's going on?

1. The pork may not be fresh enough, or it may be that the pork that is about to go bad has been simply processed. When you buy it, you can't detect it. When you put it in a plastic bag and take it home, for example, in summer, the outdoor temperature is relatively high, and the hot and stuffy environment in the bag accelerates the corruption and deterioration of the pork. So when you take it home, you can feel that it is obviously spoiled and smell a distinct odor.

2. The pork has not been deacidified. Pork that has not been deacidified will also have a fishy smell similar to that of a foul smell. Deacidified meat is actually a kind of fresh cold meat. Specifically, deacidified meat refers to the pork that has been slaughtered and cooled for 24 hours to deacidify, and then processed, packaged and sold. All the links must be carried out at low temperatures. This kind of meat will taste more delicate and will also have much less fishy smell.

3. This possibility is relatively small, that is, the purchased pork is replaced with another piece of spoiled pork in the process of being put into the black packaging bag. However, the reason why this possibility is relatively small is that when individuals buy pork, the quantity is not too large, at most 2-3 pounds of pork, which is not much money. The possibility of substitution exists, but it is risky to do so, and it is not worth it for the meat stall to do so.

What are the different types of pork odors?

1. Fishy smell

That is, the smell, mainly refers to injured pigs, stressed pigs, and old sows. The industry calls it "urgent slaughter pigs", which means that they must be killed and bled quickly, otherwise once they die, they will become "pursed lips", and the blood will coagulate and cannot be released, gathering in the body and becoming "red goods", which cannot pass inspection and quarantine, and thus cannot be put on the market for trading. This kind of pork may be injected with medicine or injections before slaughter, and the medicine is not fully absorbed, resulting in a peculiar smell; it may also be that the bleeding is not thorough, resulting in a fishy smell. There are also problems with pig feed, such as swill pigs. These pork can smell peculiar when they are raw, and the smell can be reduced by soaking in cold water, blanching, and adding heavy seasoning.

2. Smelly

Mainly boars, late castrated pigs and uncastrated pigs. Once a boar matures, a "hard cap" that looks like fat and skin grows on its back, and the pork smells bad. As it matures, the "hard cap" gets bigger and the smell gets stronger. But you can't smell it when it's raw, but once it's cooked, the smell is so strong that it makes you want to vomit.

At present, most fattening pig farms in China only castrate boar piglets but not sows; while European and American countries emphasize humane breeding and neither castration of males nor females is performed. Due to the effect of formulated feed, boars can go into estrus at 5 to 6 months old, and there is a high probability of producing a foul odor.

3. Rancidity

That is, it will go bad. First, my country implements designated slaughtering of live pigs. In principle, a district or county only retains one designated slaughtering enterprise, which is a quasi-monopoly operation. The slaughtering volume is huge. Some pigs are slaughtered early. In a high temperature environment above 30°C, the shelf life of pork is less than 10 hours. The pigs slaughtered at 12 o'clock last night will definitely go bad by 12 o'clock noon today. Second, nowadays, fresh cold meat and acid-discharging meat are advocated. After the live pigs are slaughtered, they must be placed in a cold storage at about 4°C for about 12 hours; especially after the outbreak of African swine fever, some areas changed "pig adjustment" to "meat adjustment" and cold chain transportation. The transportation distance is long, the slaughtering time is too early, and it has been in a low temperature environment. Once the ambient temperature changes, it is very easy to deteriorate. Third, the shredded meat, sliced ​​meat, and meat filling that have been washed and seen raw water will breed bacteria quickly. Fourth, customers are accustomed to using plastic bags for shopping, which are airtight and airtight. Pork is packed in a high temperature environment for more than an hour and will produce odor.

How to choose high-quality pork

1. Buy meat that has been slaughtered and quarantined. Normally, pork sold in the market must be slaughtered at a regular slaughterhouse and accompanied by a quarantine certificate. We cannot check it every time we buy meat, so try to buy it in markets and supermarkets that are managed in a standardized manner, and don't buy it at the morning market or night market just to save money.

2. It is recommended to buy "cold fresh meat" or "deacidified meat". Cold fresh meat is generally kept in an environment of 0-4℃ for a period of time after slaughter, and then stored and sold in a refrigerator. When buying pork, sensory inspection is very important. First of all, look at the color. Good pork is light red or bright red. Try not to buy meat that is too red or dark red or purple-red. The quality of the meat can be judged by the color, appearance, smell, etc. of the meat. High-quality pork, normal pork, subcutaneous fat and lard are white and hard, and have a fragrance. The outside of the meat often has a slightly dry membrane, the meat is tight and elastic, and the depression recovers immediately after the finger is pressed. After buying such fresh pork, the muscle tissue is loose and soft after cooking, the tenderness is very good, it is elastic, the cut surface is juicy, and the broth made into dishes is transparent, and has a pleasant aroma and taste. It is easy to cook and chew, and the nutrition is better.