Pastured/grass fed pork question

[Brad Olson]

Does pork fat from a pastured animal have a different taste than if it came from a commodity animal? We were given some pork chops recently and after grilling them I thought the fat had a stronger, maybe slightly gamey flavor. The meat smelled fine raw and after cooking, so I don't suspect any kind of spoilage.

However, I've bought pastured pork in the past and don't recall the fat being noticeably different, so perhaps there are other factors at work. I have some Berkshire chops (from a different source) to grill tonight and will be paying extra attention to the fat.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I would think that there would certainly be a different flavor. I do know that the hog we roasted for our wedding was far sweeter than any other I’d have before or since. That rascal was fed the past date chocolate milk from the farm that raised it. Utterly fantastic! There is a taste difference in the hogs that are raised on nuts as well. It makes perfect sense to fine differences.

 

[LMichaels]

I have heard it not only tastes different but is nutritionally good for you being high in Omega 3

 

[Brad Olson]

The fat on the chops I grilled Wednesday had what I'd consider a pretty typical pork flavor, so maybe there were some other reasons for the fat from the first chops tasting the way it did.