Why Does My Pork Smells Like Urine?

Pork Smells Like Urine
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Pork Smells Like Urine

Anyone who eats or cooks meat will agree that pork is one of the most popular types of meat out there. No matter where in the world you live, pork is eaten regularly as both a meal and a popular treat.

Despite its popularity, there are occasionally a few preparation problems that cooks may face. One of the more common problems is that uncooked pork could smell like urine. For obvious reasons, this is something that can be quite off-putting!

If you’ve experienced this problem once before you might have chalked it down to a bad batch of meat. Encountering it a second time may leave you wondering if this is a common problem and if there’s a reason for it. Keep reading to find out!

Some Reasons Why the Pork Smells Like Urine

It may come as a surprise to learn that opening a packet of pork and being met with a urine-type smell is actually not that uncommon! In fact, there are two major reasons for this type of problem. Let’s explore them and find out what you can do about them.

Pork on a wooden table
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Meat Has Gone Bad

The first thought that comes to mind is that the meat has gone rotten. While this isn’t always the reason, it’s important to rule it out. To check if this is the reason, follow these two simple steps.

  • Texture: Rotten meat will have a different texture and poking the meat with a knife or fork will indicate that it’s soft and mushy—in this case, the meat will definitely be spoilt.
  • Color: Meat that has gone rotten will always have a different color to fresh meat. Usually, it will be turning green, grey, or off-white. This depends on how long the meat has been out of the refrigerator.
  • Slimy film: In some cases, there might also be a slimy film across the meat.
  • Odor: Meat that spoiled will smell a lot worse than urine. You will immediately recognise the smell as rotten flesh when you open the packet.

Natural Causes

Another common reason that pork may smell like urine, which many people are unaware of, is due to natural causes. It’s actually a very natural occurrence and can be attributed to the ammonia acids that break down in the animal’s muscles.

These ammonia acids are formed by a compound similar to testosterone and are commonly known as “androstenone”. Since this is primarily a male hormone, it means that this only occurs in male pigs. The smell that makes some pork meat smell like urine is attributed to ammonia acids which are commonly referred to as “boar taint”.

Usually, this only happens when the meat comes from non-castrated swine. In some cases, the smell only becomes evident as the meat is being prepared, rather than while it’s still raw.

In this instance, it might be difficult to do anything about it unless you add a strong sauce to the dish. Fortunately, since boar taint is found in only 20% of all pork products, the chances of you encountering this problem more than once is highly unlikely!

Is Pork with Urine Smell Safe to Eat?

The answer to this question depends on the reason the meat has a peculiar smell. Let’s look at each reason individually.

  • Never Eat Rotten Meat

Obviously, if you can clearly see that the meat is rotten, then it’s safe to attribute the smell is the meat being rotten. In this case, you will have to throw the meat away.

Any type of meat should never be consumed by humans or animals if it’s rotten. Even meat that’s “slightly off” should never be eaten.

Fridge freezer filled with rotten meat
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  • Boar Taint

On the other hand, if the meat doesn’t appear to be rotten and doesn’t have a mushy texture, the meat could have a strange smell due to natural causes, or boar taint. Fortunately, boar taint isn’t dangerous or harmful to your health.

Eating pork meat that has a funny urine smell will leave an aftertaste in your mouth which may be unpleasant. However, there may still be some way to save your pork dish.

How to Get Rid of Urine Smell in Pork?

If you have made completely certain that the pork isn’t because of being rotten, there may be one thing you can try to save your dish. Simply soak the pork in a mixture of stronger ingredients that will mute the potentially funny smell and taste.

Make a mixture of your favorite seasoning or marinade and mix it with milk or vinegar. Soak the pork in this mixture and let it soak for a few hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. It’s always a good idea to ensure that the meat is completely covered with the marinade mixture.

Fresh game meat marinated in red wine sauce with wild herbs and garlic
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Also, ensure that the container the meat is in is covered with an airtight lid to ensure that other freezer odors aren’t absorbed. Adding chopped garlic and onion to the marinade mixture will add to the flavor of the pork and will go a long way to eliminating any unusual odors.

Types of Seasonings to Try When Preparing Pork

Fortunately, there are several different marinades you can try to enhance the flavor of your pork if it smells like urine but isn’t rotten. Some of the most common herbs and seasonings that work well with pork include the following:

  • Cumin
  • Paprika
  • Chili powder
  • Garlic (can be used as flakes but works best when fresh garlic is chopped into the marinade)
  • Onion (dried flakes or for best results, chop finely into the marinade)
  • Chinese five spice
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Thyme
  • Coriander

Additionally, it’s also an excellent idea to chop the pork into thinner slices, especially if you’re making stir fry. That way the bitter ammonia taste might not be so overwhelming in each bite.

Hungarian red sweet and hot paprika powder
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Remember to add your herbs and spices to vinegar or milk to neutralize the strong ammonia smell and taste. Adding vegetables with slightly overpowering flavors is also a super way to draw attention away from the sharp meat profile.

Consider a Soy Sauce Marinade

An alternative marinade well worth trying is made up of soy sauce. Since soy sauce is a common addition to stir-fry recipes, adding it to your dish won’t seem out of character.

Simply mix your favorite soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, oil, vinegar, and a few favorite herbs and seasonings together. Pour the soy mixture over the pork and be sure to cover all the meat.

Let it stand for about two hours to ensure that the meat is completely soaked to remove the ammonia smell. Prepare as usual.

Conclusion

Different types of raw pork meat and beef
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If you’ve never encountered pork that smells like urine, you might have thought it a truly unusual problem to have in the kitchen!

However, if this issue is not new to you, you’ll be happy to know that with the right type of seasoning and a bit of vinegar, you can change the flavor of your affected pork.

More importantly, it’s worth reminding you that pork that smells like urine isn’t necessarily spoiled or rotten. It’s in fact a natural response in the meat muscle and can easily be fixed with your favorite seasoning!

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