Pork can be delicious when cooked properly. However, it sometimes has an undesirable gamey or off flavor This distinct taste is mainly caused by compounds formed when pigs eat certain foods The good news is there are ways to remove the gamey taste from pork fairly easily.
In this article, I’ll share 12 pro tips to help you get rid of gamey flavors in pork chops, roasts, and other cuts. With the right techniques, you can enjoy tasty pork dishes without the bothersome barnyard taste.
What Causes Gamey Taste in Pork?
Pigs are omnivores and will eat just about anything including grains grass, roots, bugs, and even small animals. Certain compounds from their varied diet can be released into the meat during cooking, creating a gamey flavor. The main culprits are
- Androstenone – A pheromone produced in a boar’s saliva
- Skatole – Formed when pigs digest tryptophan in their gut
- Indole – Produced by bacteria during digestion
These substances accumulate in fatty tissue and cause off odors and tastes. Castrating male pigs at an early age reduces levels of androstenone, but skatole and indole can still be present.
12 Tips to Remove Gamey Taste from Pork
Luckily, there are several ways to draw out or mask the gamey, barnyard flavors in pork. Here are my top 12 tips:
1. Brine the Pork
Soaking pork in a saltwater brine helps extract impurities while seasoning the meat. Make a basic brine with 1 cup salt per gallon of water. Add aromatics like garlic, peppercorns, or herbs. Brine for 1-2 hours per pound.
2. Marinate the Pork
A flavorful marinade adds seasonings that conceal gamey notes in pork. Use an acidic marinade with ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt or wine. Let pork marinate 4-12 hours.
3. Soak in Vinegar Water
The acidity in vinegar helps break down and leach out compounds that cause off-flavors. Mix 1 cup vinegar per quart of water. Soak pork for 1-2 hours before cooking.
4. Soak in Milk
The proteins and fat in milk can help extract gamy flavors from pork. Cover pork in milk and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before cooking.
5. Rub with Salt
A simple coarse salt rub can help draw moisture and impurities out of the meat. Pat salt generously over all surfaces of the pork. Let sit for 30-60 minutes before rinsing.
6. Blanch Quickly
Plunging pork into boiling water for just 1 minute firms up the meat and reduces gamey odors. Remove immediately and pat dry before cooking as usual.
7. Sear Thoroughly
Browning the exterior locks in moisture and flavor while creating a tasty crust. Make sure to sear pork well in a very hot pan before roasting or braising.
8. Roast Low and Slow
Cooking pork slowly at a lower temp allows fat to render evenly. Roast in a 250-275 ̊F oven until fork tender, about 1 hour per pound.
9. Braise in Liquid
Braising pork in broth, wine, juice or other liquid softens meat while infusing tons of flavor. Braise covered for 1-3 hours until fall-apart tender.
10. Use Plenty of Spices
Liberal use of onions, garlic, pepper, sage and other spices provides flavor complexity that masks gaminess. Rub a spice blend over pork before cooking.
11. Soak Up Sauces
Serving pork with bold, highly seasoned sauces is an easy way to conceal off notes. Pair pork with barbecue sauce, Chimichurri, mojo criollo, or other sauce.
12. Opt for Enhanced Pork
Many grocery stores now sell “enhanced” pork that has been pre-treated to eliminate off flavors. Check labels for pork marked “no gamey flavor” or “naturally flavor enhanced.”
Enjoy Tender, Delicious Pork
With the right prep and cooking methods, you can enjoy pork at its finest – tender and full of flavor, not gamy or off-tasting. Brining, marinating, searing, and braising are all effective ways to curb undesirable barnyard flavors.
StepsPart
- {“smallUrl”:”https://www. wikihow. com/s/thumb/6/6f/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-5. jpg/v4-460px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-5. jpg”,”bigUrl”:”/s/thumb/6/6f/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-5. jpg/aid9186489-v4-728px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-5. 1. Cut the meat into chunks that will fit in a big bowl. Pick out the bowl you want to use for the soak and cut the meat to fit it. It can be cut into steaks for grilling, stew-friendly cubes, or any other shape you desire.
- {“smallUrl”:”https://www. wikihow. com/s/thumb/a/a4/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-6. jpg/v4-460px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-6. jpg”,”bigUrl”:”/s/thumb/a/a4/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-6. jpg/aid9186489-v4-728px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-6. 2. Let the meat soak in buttermilk overnight. Put the meat in a bowl made of glass or ceramic, and add enough buttermilk to cover it. Put the bowl in the fridge overnight with the lid or plastic wrap on top. Some of the gamey flavor will come out of the meat because of the lactic acid in the buttermilk. If the meat was frozen, put it in the fridge to thaw all the way before you soak it.
- {“smallUrl”:”https://www. wikihow. com/s/thumb/0/01/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-7. jpg/v4-460px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-7. jpg”,”bigUrl”:”/s/thumb/0/01/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-7. jpg/aid9186489-v4-728px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-7. jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”License: Creative Commons</a> </p> </p></div>”} 3 Choose an acidic marinade. The buttermilk soak can be used as a marinade, but if you want to use a more traditional marinade, pick one with acidic ingredients like wine, fruit juice, or vinegar. These acidic bases will make the meat taste less gamey. Find online recipes for marinades that work well with the type of meat you’re cooking.
- {“smallUrl”:”https://www. wikihow. com/s/thumb/5/5c/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-8. jpg/v4-460px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-8. jpg”,”bigUrl”:”/s/thumb/5/5c/Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-8. jpg/aid9186489-v4-728px-Get-the-Gamey-Taste-Out-of-Meat-Step-8. 4. Let the meat sit in the sauce for at least three hours. Put enough marinade into a plastic bag that can be sealed to cover the meat. Put the bag in the fridge for at least three hours. The longer you let meat soak in a marinade, the more flavor it will take in. If you want to hide the taste of the meat even more, let it sit longer. [5] Don’t marinate the meat for more than 12 hours, or it might taste too much like marinade.
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Cooking and Serving the Meat
- What makes meat taste like game? Liz Riffle Regenerative Farming Liz has been farming bison for more than six years and is an expert in holistic farming and using humane farming methods in her business. The first commercial bison farm in West Virginia is at Riffle Farm. The farm is part of a movement to help the world’s grasslands grow back on a large scale. Liz is certified by Savory and teaches Holistic Management all over the country. She went to Excelsior University and got her Master’s in Nursing Education. At Northwestern University, she was part of the US Navy Nurse Corps Commission. Liz Riffle Farming That Brings Back Life Poor diets, like ones that contain grains that bison shouldn’t eat, and the stress hormones that animals release when they are being harvested or hunted can both change the taste. A bad diet can also mess up an animal’s digestive system, causing stress chemicals to be released that change the taste of the meat. The level of gameiness is often related to how long the animal was fed a bad diet.
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- Use tongs to turn over the meat. If you stick a fork in it, the juices that should stay inside will come out. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0 .
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