I used to love to watch the pigs in the sty when I was a kid. I was fascinated by the way they ate the corn off the cobs!

You ARE what U eat!

I"ve seen pigs eat corn off the cob before. They do a better job than I do.

Efan said:

Genesia said:

You don't even need to freeze it - unless you really, really want to. Lard is a very stable fat. It does just fine in the frig.

Ah, thanks.

Just make sure it's in an airtight container (so it doesn't absorb any other "tastes" from your frig) and you're good to go.

orger said:

Shorty said:

possible solution? raise your own pig to "harvest" you don't have to cut it's teeth or castrate it. AND you will soon see the thing ain't cute for long...it's a big nasty stinky beast that will bite you if you let your gaurd down. damn glad mines in the freezer now!

mmm...forgot to mention fresh home made sausage! and bacon! YUM!

[Edited 2/3/11 11:55am]

hogs that dont have their nuts cut taste "boar-ish" , if that makes sense...its a very strong taste...off with their nuts if I'm gonna eat 'em, that's one reason I don't care for wild hog meat...every once in a while, you can get pork from the supermarket that has that same strong taste...obviously that hog was tucking a third testicle somewhere...

Is that the awful taste I've gotten out of some store bought pork over the last couple of years? Taste like the smell of raw uncleaned chitlins not what they taste like cooked but that smell. I've throw away so much of my money in the garbage. Thank god for these new Fresh N'Easy stores that are popping up all over the place, I don't know where they get their pork from but it at least has a good taste.

[Edited 2/3/11 13:03pm]

Genesia said:

I thought you were going to say you got one with a toenail in it.

"even more scary to witness them killed while they are STILL ALIVE!"

Umm, all animals are alive when they are killed. Ya know?

It always makes me laugh when people discover facts about how meat is raised, butchered or processed in the U.S. Mostly because the biggest damage done is to the environment and our natural resources, but nobody cares about that. But also because what the hell is a humane killing? Is shooting a deer in the head more humane? Is using an arrow better? Would you have every animal that is slaughtered euthanized instead? Because, ya know, it's still KILLING, and it's still dead!

Look, I grew up in the cattle ranching and slaughterhouse world. It's dirty and messy no matter how you do it. Killing is messy, period. The word kill itself - to deprive of life, cause the death of - holds not happy singing bird connotations. And smart? What smart? Does it talk? Use deductive reasoning and logic? Did it tell you it was scared? Can it drive me to the store to buy some vegetables? There are places on this Earth where people regularly eat dogs, horses and camels. It's ALL meat, plain and simple.

Any animal, and I repeat ANY ANIMAL that you eat has been KILLED. Does the manner in which it's life was taken REALLY matter in the long run? I don't think it does. What I DO think people should be concerned about is, first, the living conditions (cleanliness) of the area the animals you eat were raised in. Second, the cleanliness of the slaughterhouse and primary processing plant. Third, the cleanliness of any secondary processing plant - such as a factory that makes sausage, hotdogs, bologna or any other form or by-product, multi or compressed meat product.

Killing an animal is savage and messy, but I think most people would be far more surprised by what takes place in those other areas than by the act of taking the animals life. And what they SHOULD be concerned with is how much space, water, feed and energy it takes to keep supplying the entirety of the US with meat.

Efan said:

The pig is a totally amazing animal. I mean, we get pepperoni, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, pork chops, hot dogs, and footballs all from this one animal. Absolutely amazing.

proscuitto

Cerebus said:

Genesia said:

I thought you were going to say you got one with a toenail in it.

"even more scary to witness them killed while they are STILL ALIVE!"

Umm, all animals are alive when they are killed. Ya know?

It always makes me laugh when people discover facts about how meat is raised, butchered or processed in the U.S. Mostly because the biggest damage done is to the environment and our natural resources, but nobody cares about that. But also because what the hell is a humane killing? Is shooting a deer in the head more humane? Is using an arrow better? Would you have every animal that is slaughtered euthanized instead? Because, ya know, it's still KILLING, and it's still dead!

Look, I grew up in the cattle ranching and slaughterhouse world. It's dirty and messy no matter how you do it. Killing is messy, period. The word kill itself - to deprive of life, cause the death of - holds not happy singing bird connotations. And smart? What smart? Does it talk? Use deductive reasoning and logic? Did it tell you it was scared? Can it drive me to the store to buy some vegetables? There are places on this Earth where people regularly eat dogs, horses and camels. It's ALL meat, plain and simple.

Any animal, and I repeat ANY ANIMAL that you eat has been KILLED. Does the manner in which it's life was taken REALLY matter in the long run? I don't think it does. What I DO think people should be concerned about is, first, the living conditions (cleanliness) of the area the animals you eat were raised in. Second, the cleanliness of the slaughterhouse and primary processing plant. Third, the cleanliness of any secondary processing plant - such as a factory that makes sausage, hotdogs, bologna or any other form or by-product, multi or compressed meat product.

Killing an animal is savage and messy, but I think most people would be far more surprised by what takes place in those other areas than by the act of taking the animals life. And what they SHOULD be concerned with is how much space, water, feed and energy it takes to keep supplying the entirety of the US with meat.

Which, if cattle were pastured (as they should be), would take up far less than the amount of space, water and energy it takes to grow grain that will end up in peoples' gas tanks. But I digress.

I always thought some animals were killed instantly; like shot through the head or in the case of cows; having their head clean chopped off before they even know what's going on.

They killed these pigs slowly and the pig suffered a horrible death. The butcher/assassin/farmer or whatever sprayed the pig with something that apparently hurt and made all of it's hair fall off, then he cut the pigs knees (why i don't kow), then he strung the pig up and mind you this poor animal is still alive and in a great deal of pain. He then sliced the pig slowly down its mid-section. The pig was not dead even after all this. The guts are damn near falling out and THEN butcher slices the pig's throat! I'm sorry but that shit makes no sense whatsoever! I don't understand electric shock either (another form of pig murder). It takes several shocks before the pigs' heart stops.

Genesia said:

Cerebus said:

And what they SHOULD be concerned with is how much space, water, feed and energy it takes to keep supplying the entirety of the US with meat.

Which, if cattle were pastured (as they should be), would take up far less than the amount of space, water and energy it takes to grow grain that will end up in peoples' gas tanks. But I digress.

It's a nice thought, but the amount of cattle, pork and poultry that Americans consume each year could no longer be raised in this manner. That's why we've started importing so much meat. Plus, herds of pastured animals would not produce the same quantity or quality of meat that consumers have grown accustomed to buying. Whether thats a positive or negative is open for debate. What is not open for debate is that the U.S. is the highest per capita consumer of meat products in the world by far.

orger said:

Shorty said:

possible solution? raise your own pig to "harvest" you don't have to cut it's teeth or castrate it. AND you will soon see the thing ain't cute for long...it's a big nasty stinky beast that will bite you if you let your gaurd down. damn glad mines in the freezer now!

mmm...forgot to mention fresh home made sausage! and bacon! YUM!

[Edited 2/3/11 11:55am]

hogs that dont have their nuts cut taste "boar-ish" , if that makes sense...its a very strong taste...off with their nuts if I'm gonna eat 'em, that's one reason I don't care for wild hog meat...every once in a while, you can get pork from the supermarket that has that same strong taste...obviously that hog was tucking a third testicle somewhere...

my understanding is that "gamey" or whatever you want to call it flavor has more to do with adrenaline in the blood stream at the time if death than it does nuts or no nuts... in other words...a clean kill where the animal drops dead = no adrenaline. A shot that will wound it and eventually kill it means the heart pumps the adrenaline around awhile before it croaks...hence yucky flavor. Same goes for any wild game I suppose. Either way, our pig was a girl so none of that mattered.

HotGritz said:

I always thought some animals were killed instantly; like shot through the head or in the case of cows; having their head clean chopped off before they even know what's going on.

They killed these pigs slowly and the pig suffered a horrible death. The butcher/assassin/farmer or whatever sprayed the pig with something that apparently hurt and made all of it's hair fall off, then he cut the pigs knees (why i don't kow), then he strung the pig up and mind you this poor animal is still alive and in a great deal of pain. He then sliced the pig slowly down its mid-section. The pig was not dead even after all this. The guts are damn near falling out and THEN butcher slices the pig's throat! I'm sorry but that shit makes no sense whatsoever! I don't understand electric shock either (another form of pig murder). It takes several shocks before the pigs' heart stops.

hmm...I suppose it can happen this way but ...I'm starting to think you ran across a show aimed at freaking people out. I mean even in the interest of time...with hundreds of pigs to kill...why would they go at it so slowly? doesn't seem to make sense. Horrifying non the less...next time change the channel. I don't know many pig farmers but I know a couple and it just ends quickly with a BANG!

Shorty said:

orger said:

hogs that dont have their nuts cut taste "boar-ish" , if that makes sense...its a very strong taste...off with their nuts if I'm gonna eat 'em, that's one reason I don't care for wild hog meat...every once in a while, you can get pork from the supermarket that has that same strong taste...obviously that hog was tucking a third testicle somewhere...

my understanding is that "gamey" or whatever you want to call it flavor has more to do with adrenaline in the blood stream at the time if death than it does nuts or no nuts... in other words...a clean kill where the animal drops dead = no adrenaline. A shot that will wound it and eventually kill it means the heart pumps the adrenaline around awhile before it croaks...hence yucky flavor. Same goes for any wild game I suppose. Either way, our pig was a girl so none of that mattered.

It also depends on how quickly an animal is bled out after it's killed (a large part of why many animals are slaughtered by cutting their throats, possibly while they're hanging upside down). But some animals (particularly wild ones) are just more naturally gamey no matter how you kill them.

Shorty said:

orger said:

hogs that dont have their nuts cut taste "boar-ish" , if that makes sense...its a very strong taste...off with their nuts if I'm gonna eat 'em, that's one reason I don't care for wild hog meat...every once in a while, you can get pork from the supermarket that has that same strong taste...obviously that hog was tucking a third testicle somewhere...

my understanding is that "gamey" or whatever you want to call it flavor has more to do with adrenaline in the blood stream at the time if death than it does nuts or no nuts... in other words...a clean kill where the animal drops dead = no adrenaline. A shot that will wound it and eventually kill it means the heart pumps the adrenaline around awhile before it croaks...hence yucky flavor. Same goes for any wild game I suppose. Either way, our pig was a girl so none of that mattered.

gamey flavor is totally different than the taste I'm talking about and can be found in male and female animals...there's a distinct taste to a domestic hog that wasn't cut...the gamey flavor is tolerable, same can't be said for the other

even in the 'animals-for-food' world, pussy is better than balls

orger said:

Shorty said:

my understanding is that "gamey" or whatever you want to call it flavor has more to do with adrenaline in the blood stream at the time if death than it does nuts or no nuts... in other words...a clean kill where the animal drops dead = no adrenaline. A shot that will wound it and eventually kill it means the heart pumps the adrenaline around awhile before it croaks...hence yucky flavor. Same goes for any wild game I suppose. Either way, our pig was a girl so none of that mattered.

gamey flavor is totally different than the taste I'm talking about and can be found in male and female animals...there's a distinct taste to a domestic hog that wasn't cut...the gamey flavor is tolerable, same can't be said for the other

even in the 'animals-for-food' world, pussy is better than balls

Shorty said:

orger said:

gamey flavor is totally different than the taste I'm talking about and can be found in male and female animals...there's a distinct taste to a domestic hog that wasn't cut...the gamey flavor is tolerable, same can't be said for the other

even in the 'animals-for-food' world, pussy is better than balls

hmm...I didn't know that there was another yucky flavor out there. guess I've never experienced it. for pussy!

testosterone is perfectly suitable for things like increased sex drive or UFC fighting but it will totally fuck a slab of ribs or a pork chop

HotGritz said:

1. Pigs are actually as smart if not smarter than dogs. Some of these little pigs were actually taught to do tricks as a display of their intelligence. They are quick learners and can learn by watching other pigs and do not require treats as incentive the way many dogs do. That's not really saying much though, is it? I grew up on a farm with hogs and they are not that smart. I mean when you're comparing farm animals, does being "the smartest" really mean anything?

2. Female pigs are given hormones to grow fatter and produce larger litters. Once they have been impregnanted and have given birth, they are not allowed to follow their natural maternal and nesting instincts. Instead, they are kept in a cage according to their weight and forced to lay confined so that the little piggies can nurse. Momma can't even get up to go potty she has to shit/piss right there in her cage! So do most animals when they're not out to pasture. The straw bedding does get changed.

3. Little piggies grow their teeth rather quickly and as any baby would do, they teeth. In order to keep the piggy from nipping at his siblings or at momma, his/her teeth are cut! They pick the piggy up by his head, pry open his jaw and cut his teeth with small garden shears. They don't even give the piggy something for the pain. You want to see a depressed pig? Look at a pig who just had their teeth cut like a hang nail. They also get their tails cut, for the same reason -- so that the tails won't get bitten off by other pigs. (So do sheep.) My dad also used to ear notch our 4H pigs so we could track with pig came from which litter.

4. Oh and here's a doozy. In order to uh, curb aggression and slow maturity, they snip the male pigs balls off. Again, they pick up the little piggy (by his front legs) and hold him tight. While one farmer holds the pig, the other comes along with a box cutter and slices the balls clean off! I've never heard such squeals of pain and seen such frantic kicking before in any animal. They pour iodine over the open wound and that's it. Nothing for the pain, no sedation prior to "surgery". Supposedly this is also done to help the pig live longer.

You know most of the beef you eat comes from steers who have the same thing done to them, right? (The castration method is different but they still get the snip.)

jone70 said:

I mean when you're comparing farm animals, does being "the smartest" really mean anything?

Post of the year.

jone70 said:

3. Little piggies grow their teeth rather quickly and as any baby would do, they teeth. In order to keep the piggy from nipping at his siblings or at momma, his/her teeth are cut! They pick the piggy up by his head, pry open his jaw and cut his teeth with small garden shears. They don't even give the piggy something for the pain. You want to see a depressed pig? Look at a pig who just had their teeth cut like a hang nail. They also get their tails cut, for the same reason -- so that the tails won't get bitten off by other pigs. (So do sheep.) My dad also used to ear notch our 4H pigs so we could track with pig came from which litter.

4. Oh and here's a doozy. In order to uh, curb aggression and slow maturity, they snip the male pigs balls off. Again, they pick up the little piggy (by his front legs) and hold him tight. While one farmer holds the pig, the other comes along with a box cutter and slices the balls clean off! I've never heard such squeals of pain and seen such frantic kicking before in any animal. They pour iodine over the open wound and that's it. Nothing for the pain, no sedation prior to "surgery". Supposedly this is also done to help the pig live longer.

You know most of the beef you eat comes from steers who have the same thing done to them, right? (The castration method is different but they still get the snip.)

I was going to get into all that but I lost my vigor for the subject. Most (if not all) animals that are "farmed" these days are altered or marked in some way during their lifespans. And most of them are not anyhere near natural (even when the package says so). The stuff that is costs so much per pound that most people won't buy it anyway.

Edit: Dang changing thoughts in the middle of a sentence and using the wrong participle.

[Edited 2/3/11 14:15pm]

Genesia said:

jone70 said:

I mean when you're comparing farm animals, does being "the smartest" really mean anything?

Post of the year.

I mean our farm dog used to "play" in the manure spreader full of used hog and cattle bedding. Using that criteria, anything that doesn't eat other animals' feces is genius.

[Edited 2/3/11 14:12pm]

Genesia said:

HotGritz said:

I want to hold a baby pig. Just cuddle it and rub on it's little snout. The more I think about it...snouts are kinda cute. They look like really large electrical sockets.

Well, plug that sucker in and let's have lunch.

jone70 said:

Using that criteria, anything that doesn't eat other animals' feces is genius.

that rules out a few humans I've seen on shady porn sites

I had a dog for years that would run full speed, dive and roll around rubbing it's back on ANYTHING it found that was foul and stinky. Cow patties and stank ass rotting seaweed were two of his favorites. Since his ass went EVERYWHERE in the car with us this was occasionally quite annoying. I miss him, though.

PositivityNYC said:

Genesia said:

Well, plug that sucker in and let's have lunch.

Wha...? I'm hungry!

Genesia said:

PositivityNYC said:

Wha...? I'm hungry!

I got a sausage for... oh.. wait... never mind...

Hey, any good meal requires lots of preparations.

Well, regardless of what the cause of the taste is, it's something relatively new, and not practiced across the board. Thank goodness I have a choice in the matter.

Efan said:

The pig is a totally amazing animal. I mean, we get pepperoni, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, pork chops, hot dogs, and footballs all from this one animal. Absolutely amazing.

It sure is. Vegetables ain't eatable without some sort of pork seasoning. Also, every damn part of their body is eatable. I know lots of folks that eat pigs feet and hell I love me some pig ears. I even saw pig snouts in the grocery store.

.

.

.

[Edited 2/3/11 14:27pm]

vainandy said:

Efan said:

The pig is a totally amazing animal. I mean, we get pepperoni, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, pork chops, hot dogs, and footballs all from this one animal. Absolutely amazing.

It sure is. Vegetables ain't eatable without some sort of pork seasoning. Also, every damn part of their body is eatable. I know lots of folks that eat pigs feet and hell I love me some pig ears. I even saw pig snouts in the grocery store.

.

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.

[Edited 2/3/11 14:27pm]

the hell? how could anyone eat a nose? not that ears are much better. poor wilbur.

vainandy said:

Efan said:

The pig is a totally amazing animal. I mean, we get pepperoni, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, pork chops, hot dogs, and footballs all from this one animal. Absolutely amazing.

It sure is. Vegetables ain't eatable without some sort of pork seasoning. Also, every damn part of their body is eatable. I know lots of folks that eat pigs feet and hell I love me some pig ears. I even saw pig snouts in the grocery store.

.

Maaaan, I had an uncle who LOOOOOOVED him some pigs feet. I would sit there amazed, like, "but you SEE what they walk around in ALL DAY!" He would just laugh and eat another foot.