What about raw pork fat?

#1

Hello everybody,

I just bought a huge half pork loin rib that was on special and there is a thick layer of fat on top of it. I started to cook part of this monster piece of meat and, curiosity being what it is, I tasted a tiny bit of the white fat. Ahh the delicious creaminess of pure fat…
My question is, is it ok to eat pork fat raw or is it necessary (or better) to cook it first?

English is not my first language and I think my confusion comes from the fact that lard means both the raw and the rendered pig fat, so is it ok to eat it in both forms?

Thank you!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Yes. Rendering pork fat into lard just makes it easier to use for other purposes rather than just ‘chewing the fat’. Enjoy! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#3

Yesss! :smiley:

So I ate pork with pork fat and 2 eggs for my omad meal and that was sooo satisfying it’s crazy!
Since I have enough meat to feed an army it might be a good time to give carnivore a try… I love my veggies, but I must admit I’m impressed by the effect of only meat based food on my satiety cues

(Full Metal KETO AF) #4

I would strongly advise not eating raw pork unless it’s cured with nitrates. :cowboy_hat_face:

#5

Make sure you freeze it for a month at 0F before eating. Trichinosis.

#6

Ohh so who’s right here? I don’t think the pork is cured in anything. What I ate today was mostly cooked (except the bite I tried raw). I did trimmed some fat thinking I could use it raw another day, but it would not be recommended? Is it safe if I cook it first and then cool it?

(mole person) #7

I prefer the taste of raw fat as well and so does my husband. Essentially I pasteurize my beef fat. I have a toaster oven that goes as low as 80 F. Two hours at 130 F leaves the fat tasting like raw but safe and actually it has a nice texture as well. More like cooked lobster. The temperature is important though. I’ve played around with it a lot. Much lower and the texture is kind of slimy and by 150 F the taste is affected negatively.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #8

I would think sous vide a nice application for this since you can control the time and temperature much more precisely.

#9

Thank you for your answer! If I am not mistaken, I’ve read one of your posts about fat being more satiating when it’s still in its solid form and it’s something I wanted to experiment with. My toaster oven only goes as low as 150F. To make raw fat safe for consumption, does it have to cook for 2 hours?

#10

I don’t have a sous vide unfortunately. But then, I don’t have an oven, or a blender or a waffle maker either and I’m still able to make this wol work. :slight_smile:

(mole person) #11

It would depend on the thickness. Every part has to come fully to 120 F for it to be truly pasteurized. But, I think an hour at 150 would probably do the trick.

(K-9 Handler/Trainer, PSD/EP Specialist, Veteran) #12

Depends on where you get your pork. Heirloom non-mass produced/raised and boutique pork have no trichinosis and you can eat raw or rare. They arent slop or feed fed.
Be wary of general mass-produced supermarket pork.

#13

So is that the difference between lard (cured with nitrates, can be eaten raw) and pork fat (not cured, not pasteurized, cannot be eaten raw)?

#14

Hmm it was just regular pork that was on special at the supermarket. Hopefully a little bite would not be too bad. :sweat_smile: I have an iron stomach so I tend to be a little careless with food safety. But I don’t want to learn the hard way to be careful, so thank you for your advice!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #15

Getting infected with trichinosis is no joke. Lard has been ‘rendered’ which means the raw fat was heated to the melting point, kept at that point long enough to kill any/all pathogens, then allowed to cool.

#16

Thank you, that was precisely my question about eating the pork fat raw. So I guess I won’t enjoy it like that :slight_smile:

(mole person) #17

I’m the same. Lol. I never had an incident yet and I ate plenty of raw fat before I settled on this cooking method. Don’t worry about your one bite. You’ll be fine.

#18

same here like you guys LOL
interesting thread, love it

(Ken) #19

Trich is killed in pork once it reaches 138 degrees. I always cook to 140 measured with an instant read thermometer to make sure. The other way to be sure is by freezing it. There is a formula based on how cold your freezer is that determines how long you have to freeze it first. Then, you could technically eat it raw.

As I recall, if you live in Europe, all pork is required to have been frozen to the safe point before it can be sold. In America, due to packing methods, it’s usually also been frozen to that point since plants ship the cases of pork frozen so by the time it’s received by the store and thawed for sale it’s safe. It’s when a butcher buys a raw carcass and cuts it up for sale when you could have problems, but that’s not very common now.

(Ron) #20

From the CDC,

“Trichinellosis used to be more common and was usually caused by ingestion of undercooked pork. However, infection is now relatively rare. During 2011–2015, 16 cases were reported per year on average. The number of cases decreased beginning in the mid-20th century because of legislation prohibiting the feeding of raw-meat garbage to hogs, commercial and home freezing of pork, and the public awareness of the danger of eating raw or undercooked pork products. Cases are less commonly associated with pork products and more often associated with eating raw or undercooked wild game meats.”