Grading for Pork?

No eat/cook grade on pork,although it will be USDA inspected for health.

Hormel may well have been injected with up to 18% salt water-to help the consumer.

The Official answer?

quote:

Pork is not given USDA quality grades as the meat is generally more uniform and tender. When buying pork, look for meat that is firm and grayish pink in color and has good marbling.

Unless it's in one of those fancy gassed filled Walmart Plastic containers, about all you can do with pork is look at the color.

Next time you go in, look at the pork and see how many different shades of pink there are.

From what I've learn/been told, off pink is usually older and often has been frozen. Fresh pork has a nice pink color to it, but not red like beef.

It's all in the Myoglobins.

I think Tom is right about the Hormel products all being injected. Injected is probably neither bad nor good from a standpoint of taste (with pork butts anyway). However, be sure to add that 12-18 percent to the sale price of the pork for a more accurate picture of cost.. With supplier injected meats you always pay a hell of a lot for saltwater

Does that make any difference on how it cooks?
Is it a tenderness thing or just to add weight?
I don't want to change the thread here, but I was going to use the CS pork rub but don't want it to be too salty. (normally use my own rub but wanted to give the CS a try).

First off I have only been using a cookshack unit for a few months. I have, however, been playing with brines and pork for some time now.
Brine increases both tenderness and wieght so the suppliers can say that they are essentially helping you. In reality it is an easy way to get the consumer to pay a lot of money for something that the oceans are full of.
For a few cents you can mix your own brine. See the brining section of this forum. On pork the only things I have found brining to help are the thinner cuts, like pork chops before grilling.
Poultry is something else. Brining really enhances the meat and keeps it moist. Also, other spices and herbs can be added to the brine. But again, it is a lot cheaper to do it yourself.
I have never tasted any excess salt in brined or solution added pork butts. Add all the salt you want to the rub. Pork needs salt (and pepper)

Like said,it makes for expensive water.

I'd watch using real salty rubs,but it is hard to hurt the outside of a butt.