What to pay attention to when buying pork

Not all pork is raised, fed, or processed equally, and finding the best quality meat can be a difficult task.

Here are my top tips to consider when buying pork.

Shopping tips

- The color of the pork should be visually pink to cherry red, never pale or white.

-The fat should be white and creamy, without dark spots.

-The best tasting pork is marbled with a vein of fat running through the lean meat.

-Fresh pork should never have unpleasant odors.

-The pork tenderloin should not be "springy" when pressed with your finger.

-Avoid pale, soft pork that is in the package and "floats" in liquid.

-Try to buy ground pork that is ground the same day it is purchased. It is recommended that the grinding takes place in front of your eyes, from the piece of meat you have chosen. In this way, you will know what is "in the bear's stomach".

- If the origin of the pork is important to you, look at the composition of the product, there should be an indication there.

-Avoid buying "enhanced" pork. Some producers inject the pork with a solution of water, salt and phosphate to prevent it from drying out. The percentage of water is usually around 8 to 15 percent. It has a soft, rubbery texture and a slightly sharp or bitter taste. Take into account that in this case you are buying water.

- If you think that you have found pork at a very attractive price, always think about why it is so, because you may have found something of very poor quality.

Type of storage

-After purchasing pork, refrigerate or freeze it as soon as possible.

-If you refrigerate pork, be sure to cook or freeze it by the “use by” date on the package.

-If you plan to keep the pork in the freezer for more than two weeks, pack the meat in freezer bags or, if possible, in vacuum bags to prevent freezer burn and freezer odors from absorbing into the meat.

-To prevent the risk of bacterial growth, always thaw frozen pork in the refrigerator.

We, at Piebalga Kūpinatava, cooperate only with the best Latvian pig breeders who have similar quality values ​​to us. The fresh pork we sell will never have water injected, it will always be fresh, high quality and tasty.