Pork Tenderloin Warning!

[venture]

My better half came back from Wally this morning.  She proudly announced she bought a pork tenderlion she wanted me to fix for dinner.

Car full of stuff as usual, just threw it in the fridge figgerin I would get back to it later.

It is from Tyson.  First warning to me.

Sure enough it is enhanced and will need a little more heat.

Looked a little like a tenderloin, but not quite?  Shurr Nuff?  Closer look at the label says "Pork Loin". Cut and packaged to look almost like a tenderloin at first glance.

I won't tell you how I will cook this tonight.  I will never recommend anyone cook it like I will?

Package says to take it to 160.  Of course it is enhanced meat, not fresh and not intact muscle meat.

Reason for my rant?

Carefully look at the meat and read the labels.  Our dinner will still be OK, just not as good as it could have been.  And certainly not at a fair price for a piece of pork loin as compared to a tenderloin.

Caveat Emptor!

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[sqwib]

A while back at Sams, the pork loins were marked $8.99 a pound.
I'm sure it was a mistake and not intentional

The price was the same as the beef tenderloin.
I let them know the whole lot was marked wrong and should be fixed ASAP.
The loin price at the time was $1.99 a pound.
I wonder how many folks paid $8.99 and sisnt know any better

 

[venture]

Yeah, in my mom and pop grocery I came across some pork butts labeled and priced as ribeye steaks.

They nearly had to call 911!

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[bluewhisper]

Oh man just get me started on labels.

Short version: Stay away from food, drink and spread, and color, flavor and product.

For example, there's cheese, and then there's cheese food, and then there's cheese food product. There's ham, and there's ham and water product. There's juice, and there's juice drink. There's butter, then there's margarine, then there's spread. There's grated cheese, and there's cheese style topping. There's beef broth, and beef flavor broth.

Zappa:

I said Watch me now, I'm gonna read the label!

 

[danbury]

I will not knowingly purchase anything that is enhanced.  Some years back my wife was in the store and said baby back ribs were really cheap, so I told her to pick up a couple slabs. When she got home they were the "Hormel" brand and I knew right then and there they were enhanced.  Sure enough.  Well I cooked them anyway and they tasted like ham.

Sam's cryovaced ribs are usually not.  Walmart... usually is so I don't buy any pork from Walmart.  Fortunately we have another grocery store chain here that has un-enhanced pork.

I've run across some mislabeled meats at Walmart a few times, but I know enough about the cuts to know which is which.

 

[bluewhisper]

Well, at least it can SEEM like you're buying a whole cut of meat, instead of going to the freezer aisles for Pork Flavor Nugget-Style Tender Meal Dinners or something like that.

Edited to add, extra points for the fake painted-on grill marks

 

[venture]

Amazing point Dan?

My other half never had real Q until we got together, but she had experienced a few dinners of real Q'd ribs with me.

She came home with a pack of those "Factory" ribs.

I told her she got to cook them.

Two bites into the meal she said she would never buy that crap again.

That is exactly why I told her to cook them.  

 

I couldn't have salvaged that garbage either.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[pops6927]

Mis-pricing is so easy to do.  In a meat room, it is always high-production, go-go-go.  You are throwing meat up on the line to wrap, price and get put out like 5 minutes ago.  And, you're changing prices in all three cases (fresh, packaged and frozen) constantly.  It is an almost impossible job, even with all of today's computers, scanners and inventory checks and cross-checks to have 100% price compliance.  And, inspectors and W&M people check the checkers.  Sooo glad I'm out of that! 

 

[venture]

Yeah, the guys were right on it.  Taking the meat out of the counter and getting it straight.

The near 911 experience was my shock in picking up the butt and seeing the price!

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[smokerjim]

your right on pop's, I run a meat room in a local chain supermarket,mis labeling does happen, sometimes in the stores favor and sometimes in the customers favor, labor is just cut back so much somedays we don't have time to think.