Feast! Fine Foods
Selection and usage tips
PORK
The most critical factor in any selection of meat is trust. Trust in the person selling you the meat and trust in the farmer who grew it in the first place. We welcome questions from our customers about how our meat has been produced and about the people who grow it for us.
Breed:-There are over 20 breeds of pig grown in Australia however the modern pig is a hybrid composite of just a few of these. Coloured pigs are discriminated against as most pork in Australia is sold "rind on" and coloured rind or hair is not wanted by the consumer. Some of the coloured breeds are however experiencing a resurgence in Australia particularly the Duroc and the Berkshire. These two breeds have superior meat quality attributes.
Feed:- Nearly all pork sold in Australia is grain fed. However a small portion of it is reared "free range" and has access to some grass and roots to supplment their diet. Pigs are very social animals and will group closely together even in the wild.
Ageing:-Pork doesn't age particularly well and the best method of longer term storage of pork is to convert it into smallgoods.
Meat Colour:- Pork has been sold in Australia as " the other white meat" which has done the Australian consumer no favours as lighter coloured pork is not as good to eat as pork that has a more reddish colour. One of the strongest tips we can make here at Feast Fine foods is to select the more red or pinkcoloured pork in preference to pale white coloured meat
Fat Texture :- Quality pork is very soft textured pork. This is a particular trait found in the berkshire breed
Fat Depth:- Pork that is extremely lean as a carcase can have problems in terms of consistency of tenderness it can also give a dense and rubbery product after cooking. A common criticism of lean pork is that it dries out. Best quality pork has a generous fat cover which can be trimmed before or after cooking.
Bones:- Meat on the bone has that extra special flavour whatever cooking method you choose. American Pork ribs are one of the most popular products we sell. Bone in meat does not have the same shelf life as boneless product and should be frozen or consumed as soon as possible after purchase.
Marbling:- This is the flecks of fat contained within the meat. These melt in the cooking process but act to prevent drying out of the beef in the cooking process. In the modern pig these is virtually no marbling present in pork which is what leads to drier, dense meat. The Duroc and Berkshire breeds do have higher levels of intramuscular fat.
Rind On or Off :- Most pork sold in Australia is sold with the rind on and hence most pork has been bred to have a very small layer of fat under the rind. However unless you are roasting the product you are better to buy rindless product that has been trimmed back. The only time the rind is a useful addition is if you are seeking to have crackling in which case you will generally find that the fat beneath the rind renders down during the cooking process.
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