On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 09:38:03 -0500, Ross Reid >
wrote:

>Steve Lee > wrote:
>
>>I know this sounds like an odd question and of course pork is supposed
>>to smell like pork, but please bear with me on this one.
>>
>>Sometimes when I cook pork, I get that strong, what I can only
>>describe it as being the "pork" smell. It's that smell from the
>>cooked pork that's too strong to handle. Just the right amount and
>>you know you're eating pork, but when it gets too strong, I can't
>>handle it and it's another dinner ruined for me. Have any of you
>>encoutered this before?
>>
>>
>>I've tried different meat shops and markets, but I often encounter
>>this problem in my dishes with pork and I'm wondering if there's
>>something I'm doing wrong or not doing to avoid this.
>>
>>Do any of you have suggestions to reduce the possibility of a too
>>strong porky smell in your pork dishes? Thanks for your time and
>>courtesy.
>
>You are probably a person who is more sensitive to what is called
>‘boar taint’.
>In some pig farming operations, male pigs are not castrated and the
>meat from some entire male pigs has an unpleasant taint or odour.
>The difficulty lies in determining which meat is from an entire boar
>and which from a gilt, when it is on display in the butcher's case.
>Ross.

Thanks for this explanation, Ross. It's always nice to get the nitty
gritty explanation behind these things. Very Alton Brownish :-) I'll
talk to the butchers at the meatshops I patronize and see if they have
any info for me on this. Thanks again.