Wet aging pork vs beef.

[yakima]

Colleagues,
My anecdotal undocumented impression is that pork does not wet age well, as compared to beef. Think butts or ribs in cryovac, vs beef brisket in cryovac. I can go 30-60 days with beef. Not pork.
If my observation is accurate, what is the difference?

[ssandy_561]

I’ve heard it has to do when the animals are slaughtered. Most pork is slaughtered after around 6 months. Their tissue doesn’t develop as much as beef which are usually slaughtered after 1 year or more.

Softer tissue at the start will result in unpleasant texture after aging.

[realdocBBQ]

No no no to wet aging pork. Just a no.

[yakima]

A bit of google-foo confirms the no, no, no.
The why is not as clear to me.

[Troutman]

https://www.google.com/search?q=wet+aged+pork+chop&oq=wet+aging+pork&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i22i30l2j0i390i650l3j69i60l2.8710j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ce4d0cae,vid:2EM1iimvZTg

[Huskee]

I've done it accidentally, and it's a lose-lose situation. You may be able to go a coupla days past the use-by date, or a week or so past the sell-by date, but please don't push it. Pork goes rancid fast, moisture, different bugs. Use it promptly. Beef on the other hand, in sealed cryovac, goes 1-2 months in a cold fridge.

[bbqLuv]

According to bbqhost.com, there are a couple of reasons why wet aging pork is not recommended. For one, pork doesn’t age as well as beef, due to its higher moisture content. For another, the step isn’t usually necessary to promote tenderness in pork, whereas cuts like beef brisket will benefit from the long storage period. While we’re on the subject, there isn’t as much benefit to wet aged pork because there are fewer variables when it comes to tenderness. Beef has certain enzymes that contribute to the tenderizing process, whereas pork tends to be tender enough on its own.
Thanik you Bing AI, FWIW

[glitchy]

Genetic history, diet, etc. Pigs are by nature not clean creatures, left to their own devices they’ll eat about anything. Where cows would travel for miles for good vegetation instead. Today’s pork is safe, but no way I’m aging a hog. I don’t agree that pork is naturally more tender as much of it is tenderized with a salt solution in packing.

[yakima]

Interesting.
Thanks guys.

[realdocBBQ]

I think Huskee hit the nail on the head - it doesn't last. It goes BAD, and FAST. I mean, if it's in the cryo, you can keep it long enough to use it, if you're relatively quick about it - I'm talkin' a week or so after bringing it home.

I, too, have had pork go bad in the cryovac - in fact, I got some at Costco, a big double pack of their boneless pork butts - like 25 lbs or so of pork, and literally when I opened it the next day (I think, maybe 2?), it was bad. Now, I know, I know, you can get bad cuts anywhere, any time. But that turned me off to any remote possibility of wet-aging pork for LIFE.

***Now, I'm the one who's pushed brisket to 90 days in the fridge in cryovac... *** I've had my family walk in when I open it up and rinse it off and had to seriously convince them it wasn't bad. I mean, beef will develop a SERIOUS funk when wet aged for a long time - or dry aged for that matter.

But pork, I dunno if it's what they eat, how it's processed, or whatever, some combination of multiple factors, but in my experience, pork goes bad WAY too quickly. I'm literally talking a week after bringing it home from the store, if it ain't used by then, it's going in the freezer. There may be a scientific explanation for it I don't know - but I know I'm not trying it.

[Sid P]

I once misread/misremembered the "Use By" date on a slab of ribs, and went to use them two days late. If you’d smelled that package when I opened it, you wouldn’t have started this thread.

HORRIBLE.

[Panhead John]

Same here. Bought a slab of ribs once except I opened it on or before the use by date, but it stunk to high heaven! Don’t know what happened but bad pork is not pleasant.