Roasting a pork shoulder and it smells like a barnyard. What is causing the smell?

David Dolginow
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7 Comments

Matilda L. March 29, 2016
How fresh was your pork? There's a short discussion in the thread on Chefsteps.com after the pork steaks recipe about potential contamination pork with lactobacillus bacteria. There's no description of how it smells, but it seems to happen to people occasionally. If you're cooking the pork to an internal temperature to 160 degrees F, it should be safe to eat if perhaps unpleasant to do so. (Douglas Baldwin: "Interestingly, the lists of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria don't overlap, so many (but not all) foods "spoil safe" – that is, they become too spoiled to eat before they're unsafe to eat.") Be sure to sanitize your cutting boards and all surfaces that food will touch and practice safe food handling protocols. Here's the link in case you're interested: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/pork-steaks
 
tiffanylee March 27, 2016
Sorry wrong thread!!! My apologies!
 
tiffanylee March 27, 2016
Please try googleing uncooked cured pork shoulder and you will be able to find a recipe. My mother always uses a can of lemon lime soda and a can of pineapple in large deep roasting pan covered with foil oh and whole cloves poked in the ham every few inches approximately 15 cloves. She also cross hatches it with cuts about a half inch deep . It will take hours to cook. She uncovers it about an hour before it's finished to brown and crips the fat. She also trims the really thick fat off so it's less than half an inch thick. You must cook it throughly. Google can give you the temperature and time per pound , just make sure the instructions are for raw pork. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy Easter!
 
Smaug March 27, 2016
Have you done it before? It's possible you just don't like pork shoulder; I find it generally pretty funky.
 
Mara March 27, 2016
Could be a thing called "boar taint". Essentially if a male pig isn't castrated soon enough (or at all) it can sometimes translate to off flavours (and smells) in the meat. It isn't harmful, just a bit off-putting. Perhaps you should pile on the garlic and herbs and see if you can overwhelm it with seasoning?
 
bamcnamara March 26, 2016
It might be the smell of the the fat rendering??? I know the fat on lamb adds to the distinct flavor. Good luck!!!
 
pierino March 26, 2016
Not easy to say without knowing more. Where did you buy it? How old is it?
 
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