Best way to make an old tough hog tender??

[expat smoker]

Pork shoulders are going on sale this week at my local supermarket @ $1.29/lb and I'm gonna fill my freezer up with at least 10. They will most likely be 'tough old hog legs' and wondering what your suggestions are to make them taste 'young and juicy'?
Thanks in advance,
Jack

 

[bradger]

I'd say marinade in a brine solution or acidly solution at-least over night would be your best bet, both start "braking down" the tissues.

 

[crazymoon]

ES, Grind them into sausage,smoke them low and slow or throw them in a crock pot and simmer all day on low.

 

[expat smoker]

"I'd say marinade in a brine solution or acidly solution at-least over night would be your best bet, both start "braking down" the tissues."

Bradger, could you please describe details/process of the brine solution you suggest?

 

[jcam222]

I have cooked quite a few pork butts in the $0.99 to $1.49 range and never gave a thought to it being old tough pork. The regular price on twin boneless packs at GFS is $1.49 / lb. I would do them just like any other butt

 

[noboundaries]

I have cooked quite a few pork butts in the $0.99 to $1.49 range and never gave a thought to it being old tough pork. The regular price on twin boneless packs at GFS is $1.49 / lb. I would do them just like any other butt

Yeah, that.

 

[expat smoker]

There's always the old 'Kahlua pork method of wrapping the meat in banana and tea leaves and taro leaves, then cooking it long and slow and the meat falls off the bone, but living in Hawaii I have done that too much already,
I want a crispy skin and Juicy tender meat.
Has anyone ever done or tasted lechon? A Spanish approach to that ideally done with a suckling or young pig, but would it work on an elderly mature pig shoulder?

 

[jcam222]

There's always the old 'Kahlua pork method of wrapping the meat in banana and tea leaves and taro leaves, then cooking it long and slow and the meat falls off the bone, but living in Hawaii I have done that too much already,
I want a crispy skin and Juicy tender meat.
Has anyone ever done or tasted lechon? A Spanish approach to that ideally done with a suckling or young pig, but would it work on an elderly mature pig shoulder?

Did they advertise this butt sale as old worn out pigs :)

 

[expat smoker]

They didn't mention the age of the 'pork picnic hams', but it is known that after dark they have 'butts' for sale on the other side of town :}

Seriously, has anyone out there ever cooked or eaten 'lechon'??? Broke the mouth delicious and I'm gonna try that when my butts come in and will report.

 

[noboundaries]

Seriously, has anyone out there ever cooked or eaten 'lechon'??? Broke the mouth delicious and I'm gonna try that when my butts come in and will report.

I had lechon 40+ years ago in the Philippines. Yep, it was memorable. At the time I didn't know the crunchy stuff was skin, but it didn't matter, I would have eaten it all the same. Dang, it was good.

We also had buried Kalua-style pig too. Melt in your mouth goodness.

 

[expat smoker]

lechon is traditionally a whole suckling [or smallish] pig on a spit cooked all day long spinning usually by hand.
Yup it's delicious and melt in your mouth good........
so, you know about the other 'butts' there in the Phil? also melt in your mouth delicious.............
I lived there for 7 years and ate a lotta 'butts' [and other parts] of the baboy [pig in Tagalog].

 

[daveomak]

Tender meat starts at processing... After resolution of rigor, natural bacteria starts the muscle breakdown for tenderness...

Processing slaughtered meats
Fig. 1.1. Effect of rigor mortis. Times for onset and resolution of rigor
...........................Time to onset of rigor .............Time for resolution of rigor
Cattle ......................12 - 24 hours ................................2 - 10 days
Pigs ..........................6 - 12 hours ...................................1 - 2 days
Lamb...................... 7 - 8 hours ......................................1 day
Turkey ....................½ - 2 hours.................................... 6 - 24 hours
Chicken................. ½ - 1 hours .......................................4 - 6 hours
Rabbit ..................12 - 20 hours .....................................2 - 7 days
Venison ...............24 - 36 hours ....................................6 - 14 days
Looking at the above data, it becomes conclusive that the aging process is more important for animals which are older at the slaughter time (cattle, venison). Warm meat of a freshly slaughtered animal exhibits the highest quality and juiciness.
Unfortunately there is a very narrow window of opportunity for processing it. The slaughter house and the meat plant must be located within the same building to be effective. Meat that we buy in a supermarket has already been aged by a packing house.
If an animal carcass is cooled too rapidly (below 50° F, 10° C) before the onset of the rigor (within 10 hours), the muscles may contract which results in tough meat when cooked. This is known as “cold shortening.” To prevent this the carcass is kept at room temperature for some hours to accelerate rigor and then aged at between 30-41° F, (-1 - 5° C).

Marianski, Stanley. Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages (Kindle Locations 51-83). Bookmagic LLC. Kindle Edition.

 

[noboundaries]

Dang, Dave, I got smarter with every word above. I knew none of that information.

 

[schlotz]

See the brine in the butt recipe below (signature)