Sex of pig affect taste?

[belial]

Hi everyone !
I'm new to the forums.

I have 1 question.
Does the pig meat tastes diffrent if the pig was male or female or it was young?
I never noticed a diffrence, but I wonder... the meat of a male pig couldn't taste the same as the meat of a female pig? The female pig wouldn't it be softer than the male pig?
The young would be even softer? No? I'm thinking but I'm not sure...
Anyone can help me figure this out please?

Thank you in advance !

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

As with all meat, the older the animal when butchered, the tougher it will be. Also, older meat has more flavor. Male/female makes no difference in the flavor. Age does.

But even pork from an older animal can be tender and succulent if cooked properly. Contrary to the current trend, look for fat marbleing in the meat. This will add flavor, and make it more tender. Also, dont' overcook it. It should reach a temperature of at least 145' to be safe. But it doesn't have to be much, if any, hotter than that. The degree of doneness that you like is up to you. If you are a die-hard well-done pork eater, brown it in a pan, add broth, onions, salt, and garlic, then cover and braise over low heat for an hour or two. The final temperature of the braised meat should read about 195' F.

Suckling pigs are more tender by nature, but have less flavor than their adult counterparts. They are easier to cook by many methods.

Grilled and barbecued pork is wonderful, if it's either cooked to no more than 150', or slowly barbecued to 195'. It picks up that wonderful grilled flavor that compliments so many meats.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[justplainbill]

In many species (e.g. whitetail deer) the males are more muscular. I prefer cock to hen pheasants.

 

[sparrowgrass]

There is definitely an unpleasant taste in boar meat--by boar, I mean an uncastrated sexually mature male hog, wild or tame--they stink, and their meat stinks.

If you have an old boar and you want to utilize the meat, you have to castrate him, and then wait a month or so for the hormones to disappear.

We have wild hogs here in Missouri--old boars are shot and left in the woods, after the hunt.

Those whitetail bucks, the old ones with big antlers, do not taste as good as a doe of the same age.

 

[nanie]

Why would you shot an old boar and just leave him in the woods. That sounds cruel.

 

[taxlady]

Why would you shot an old boar and just leave him in the woods. That sounds cruel.

I don't know the particular circumstances, but they might be a nuisance animal. They may not have any natural predators any more. If the meat is left in the woods, something will eat it. It won't go to waste. But, I don't know why people wouldn't use it for dog food.

 

[Uncle Bob]

There is definitely an unpleasant taste in boar meat--by boar, I mean an uncastrated sexually mature male hog, wild or tame--they stink, and their meat stinks.

If you have an old boar and you want to utilize the meat, you have to castrate him, and then wait a month or so for the hormones to disappear.

So true!!! About five years ago I bought a twin pack of pork butts...It didn't take long to know one of them was boar meat...Nothing works to disguise the smell and flavor..."Boar taint" is awful...Once you ever smell or taste it, it is permanently ingrained in your senses... Today with modern hog raising/processing etc it's rare to see it.....one does slip through on occasion however...

 

[sparrowgrass]

Wild boars are a real nuisance here, Naney. They root up the woods, destroying the undergrowth, eat baby fawns and turkey eggs, and spread disease to domestic animals. They have no natural enemies, and they reproduce like mad. Some are European wild boars, escaped or released for hunting, and some are domesticated hogs that have gone feral.

Our Department of Conservation has declared open season on them. You can trap them, bait them with food, or shoot them, as many as you can kill. A three hundred pounder was killed near here a couple of years ago, and they get bigger than that.

 

[nanie]

Oh Dear,
I didn't know that.Thanks for the info.

 

[CharlieD]

I for one think that there is for sure differencein taste between different gender animal.

As far as killing wild boar, I still do not understand why would they live in the woods and not take it and cook it. If prepare proparly it is wonderful meal.

 

[joesfolk]

Also, dont' overcook it. It should reach a temperature of at least 145' to be safe. But it doesn't have to be much, if any, hotter than that. The degree of doneness that you like is up to you. If you are a die-hard well-done pork eater, brown it in a pan, add broth, onions, salt, and garlic, then cover and braise over low heat for an hour or two. The final temperature of the braised meat should read about 195' F.


Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

I can't agree with you more on this point. The government (and lawyers) make folks say that meats must be cooked to death for safety's sake. But meats properly handled and cooked at home don't usually require the high levels of heat that are specified in most recipes or that come with many appliances. IMHO a turkey cooked to 165 degrees probably has dry breast meat. Today I actually heard a food network cook say that the thigh meat of a turkey needs to be at 180 degrees. Well, you can eat yours like that if you want. Do what you think is safe. But as for me and my house, we want our meat moist. Oh, and just for the record, some folks do seem to be able to tell the difference between a tom and a hen turkey. I am not one of them.

 

[buckytom]

from my turkey monger, tom turkeys and hen turkeys are nearly identical in taste, with the hens having only slightly more breast meat.

most animals are slaughtered so young that neither gender has the chance to develop much more muscle than the other one, so beasts like chicken and pigs would be similar.

as far as wild boar goes, they're delicious when browned then simmered in a spicy ragu.

 

[belial]

Yes. The information is very very useful. Thank you very very much all !!!

Thank you !

 

[Constance]

The pigs are castrated when they are young, so when you buy "modern" pork in your local supermarket, you really can't tell the difference.