Prime Pork

[LloydQ]

Any Brethren heard of this?

One of the local markets has been touting this lately. It is Prairie Fresh brand, and it's ads claim, " Prime USA pork delivers as close as we have ever come to pork perfection, guaranteeing you rich, juicy flavor in every bite. "

They have tenderloins for $2.99 a pound, so why not give it a try? That's an OK price for commodity tenderloin.

 

[sudsandswine]

I dont think it's an official grading, but a brand. That being said, it's about the best commodity pork I've cooked, great marbling and red flesh. I was lucky enough to buy several cases of it through an employee sale recently. I commonly see it in the competition BBQ stores, presumably it's a go-to for comp cooks.

 

[ronbrad62]

Prairie Fresh prime pork is very popular with competition cooks, I just have no luck finding it around my place. If I want it, I have to mail order it and one source advertised a few months ago at $54 for two racks, and now it's around $150 for four racks, but free shipping, and that's still out of my price range.
I really don't think pork is graded like beef on any scale, so "prime" is pretty much a marketing gimmick. I did buy some Chairman's Reserve prime pork from Fresh Market to try it out, the only ribs they carry are baby backs and they really weren't impressive at all but the half Boston butt that I bought was very nicely marbled, so that might be my go-to for competitions for pulled pork.

 

[bschoen]

"Prime USA pork", a meaningless term that sounds good, sounds like "USDA Prime Beef" which is a real term. Don't fall for the Madison Ave bs.

It may still be fine commodity protein, or not. I have had Prairie Fresh, was decent, but this kind of marketing is at its core dishonest.

Caveat Emptor

 

[smoke ninja]

"Prime USA pork", a meaningless term that sounds good, sounds like "USDA Prime Beef" which is a real term. Don't fall for the Madison Ave bs.

It may still be fine commodity protein, or not. I have had Prairie Fresh, was decent, but this kind of marketing is at its core dishonest.

Caveat Emptor

I don't know what their brand criteria is but it may not be just a marketing gimmick. yes it is a brand with a potentially misleading name but if the standard they use is a good one then your likely to get a good product. I've had good luck with this particular brand and it sounds like others do too

 

[ssv3]

+1 for Praire Fresh pork products. We get them time to time and always better quality. As a matter of fact I picked up PF spares for 1.99/lb a few days ago.

 

[bschoen]

Fair enough, the PF pork products I have had, I said decent, should have said good. The marketing crap, misleading terms just pisses me off.

... Looking for my meds.

 

[thirdeye]

Prairie Fresh is high end pork in my book, but Duroc and Berkshire are better. Calling pork 'prime' is not a grade, but marketing.

USDA pork is 'acceptable' or 'utility', but only acceptable is sold in stores. Utility goes into dog and cat food.

 

[thirdeye]

HERE is a good article on USDA pork and chicken.

 

[LloydQ]

Cooked a couple last night. Was very impressed. Beautiful red color, nice marbling, taste and tenderness were noticeably better than commodity pork.
Not sure if I would pay regular price, but I will definitely buy other cuts as they go on sale.

 

[Gore]

One thing I really miss is the pork of my youth where pork chops were well marbled and juicy, even when overcooked. I've not seen these other pork products, but I'd gladly pay a premium if they are anything like what we used to get in the regular stores 30 years ago before they invented lean pigs.

 

[sudsandswine]

One thing I really miss is the pork of my youth where pork chops were well marbled and juicy, even when overcooked. I've not seen these other pork products, but I'd gladly pay a premium if they are anything like what we used to get in the regular stores 30 years ago before they invented lean pigs.

You can still get that from heritage breed pork like Berkshire and Duroc.

https://feastandfield.net/read/meat-and-seafood/not-all-pork-is-created-equal-and-why-you-should-care/article_550788a4-1659-11ec-8574-b73ceab98655.html

 

[ssv3]

One thing I really miss is the pork of my youth where pork chops were well marbled and juicy, even when overcooked. I've not seen these other pork products, but I'd gladly pay a premium if they are anything like what we used to get in the regular stores 30 years ago before they invented lean pigs.

You can still get that from heritage breed pork like Berkshire and Duroc.

https://feastandfield.net/read/meat-and-seafood/not-all-pork-is-created-equal-and-why-you-should-care/article_550788a4-1659-11ec-8574-b73ceab98655.html

Local butcher shops usually carry them. I'm lucky enough to have small butcher shops around my that sell variety of heritage pork products. These are the chops I usually get from them. The color is even different from commodity chops and obviously the taste is out of this world. What pork is supposed to taste like.

At the least my local Ralphs (our Kroger) sells Duroc chops which are excellent and priced insanely cheap

 

[smoke ninja]

Local butcher shops usually carry them. I'm lucky enough to have small butcher shops around my that sell variety of heritage pork products. These are the chops I usually get from them. The color is even different from commodity chops and obviously the taste is out of this world. What pork is supposed to taste like.

Dang sako, that pork could be mistaken for beef

 

[LYU370]

Find some Tamworth pork. Now that is some GOOD eating. Sweetest pork fat I've ever had, contact my buddy Chaplain Bill (US Army retired) at Bacon Acres Farm in Jay OK. I need to call him and get me another pig soon. Also heard Mangalista pork is also supposed to be awesome, haven't tried that one yet.

But as everyone has said, USA Prime Pork is a marketing term.

 

[cowboyupbbq]

Nice

Thanks for sharing this. I’m going to try some for sure.

Find some Tamworth pork. Now that is some GOOD eating. Sweetest pork fat I've ever had, contact my buddy Chaplain Bill (US Army retired) at Bacon Acres Farm in Jay OK. I need to call him and get me another pig soon. Also heard Mangalista pork is also supposed to be awesome, haven't tried that one yet.

But as everyone has said, USA Prime Pork is a marketing term.