The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: heyhay1984 on July 01, 2015, 08:36:56 pm

Title: 'Watery' meat?
Post by: heyhay1984 on July 01, 2015, 08:36:56 pm

Hi
Just picked up pig from butcher and he said the meat was quite watery and the bones were a little brittle-any ideas? I can see what he means, it's quite squashy when you prod it with your finger, compared to what I normally get back.

Did exactly the same with this one as we have all our others, only differences have been that it was a modern breed and was hung an extra 4 or 5 days while waiting for the trichinella test to come back. Oh and he got a bit of sunburn when we first had him, only had him a month before he went but would have been raised very well by the breeder, I am 100% certain. No other problems at all just the meat is a bit odd!

Title: Re: 'Watery' meat?
Post by: nutterly_uts on July 01, 2015, 10:03:13 pm

I have a feeling this has a name, and I'm sure I read it in a book last week. .
I shall have a google :)


Edit :)
I read about PSE (pale, soft, and exudative) pork last week in a Temple Grandin book - see if this fits
 
http://www.aps.uoguelph.ca/~swatland/ch9_1.htm (http://www.aps.uoguelph.ca/~swatland/ch9_1.htm)

Title: Re: 'Watery' meat?
Post by: harmony on July 01, 2015, 10:43:51 pm

Is it that it hasn't set properly? That is an indication that the pig was stressed prior to slaughter.

Title: Re: 'Watery' meat?
Post by: heyhay1984 on July 01, 2015, 11:29:54 pm

Looks likely, thanks both for the thoughts. It's not particularly pale but I'll have a look in the bags tomorrow to see what's happened overnight!

Don't like the thought of the poor lad being stressed, though it could be either having new pigs or no pigs next to him overnight at the abattoir (we drop off the day before) I suppose rather than anything horrible, he'd travelled a few times before and I trust the place I use.