Meat comes out dark?

[dj 0313]

My last few pork butts have turned out darker meat vs the white meat with the pink smoke ring. The taste is perfect but I am very curious about the finished color of the pork now turning out dark. I'm not talking the bark on the outside but the finished interior pork. I have been using a masterbuit electric digital smoker with a cold smoker attachment on the side to get the smoke inside the smoker, with apple wood chips. I have water in the bowl. It takes about 12 hours for an 8lb pork butt. It past smoker's I've used, the meat comes out white with a pink smoke ring. I even switched and used a picnic roast with the same dark meat results. Any ideas...

 

[SmokinAl]

You won't get a pink smoke ring with an electric smoker.

Swing by Roll Call & introduce yourself so we can all welcome you to SMF!

Al

 

[noboundaries]

Welcome to SMF, DJ 0313. 

Pork is not always white.  There is no color standard for pork even though it was once marketed as "the other white meat."  White is preferred due to consumer expectations, but perfectly good cooked pork can be anywhere from white to pink to brown to red.  It isn't unusual to find all those colors in the same slice of meat.  I have seen it most frequently in whole pork loins.   

There is a trend toward darker pork meat now, with the Japanese saying it is more tender.  Studies have shown that darker pork meat has a higher pH (more alkaline) and is more tender.  Stressed animals are more acidic and tougher.  Whatever the reason, it isn't your smoker, it's the pig.    

 

[jokensmoken]

Great info...I too have noticed a couple of butts being much darker than normal.
Thanks for the explanation.
.

Walt.

 

[Rings Я Us]

1502419550789-1616719069.jpg

• Rings Я Us
• Aug 10, 2017

I have an 8.5 pounder in the fridge trying to defrost for Sunday. I will say if it has some dark meat in it. [emoji]128077[/emoji]

 

[chef jimmyj]

Butts also contain multiple muscles with finished color ranging from light, like loin, to quite dark...JJ