Originally posted by: vi_edit
I never said In 'n Out was greasy junk. I said that it simply was overhyped by zealous loyalists.
As far pork being "low class", we'll have to agree to disagree. Many cuts of beef need some sort of seasoning or marinade to bring a little zest to them. About the only exception is the Ribeye(and the prime rib), and that's not even the meat that making the flavor, it's the marbled fat. Even a ribeye typically gets a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic on it before it hits the grill.
It's hard to compare cooking styles between pork and beef. With most (steak) cuts of beef it's not a big deal if it's not cooked all the way through. There's not really any physical health concerns if it's not cooked past the killing point of bacteria in the middle. You can still eat it. You can sear the outside and still leave the inside tender and juicy. You have a lot more flexibility with cooking styles that way. And even then, if you cook a steak all the way through till it's "well done" it's going to be like gnawing on a tire. It's the fact that you can get away with it not being fully cooked that provides the flavor and tenderness.
With pork(and chicken) you have to cook them all the way through for it to be safe. There's really only one good way to make them both fully cooked and tender - that's low and slow. High temps will dry them out and leave them chewy.
A properly cooked chicken breast or pork chop/loin can be cut with a fork. Just like a steak. It's not a "low class" meat. It's just different. And for the money and the flavor, I'd gladly take a pork loin over a beef filet. At least the pork has a flavor. Plain old beef flilets are just bland...and overhyped. Kind of like In 'n Out.
Actually trichinosis has been mostly eliminated in modern farmed pork. It's safe to eat now when the middle of the cut is undercooked.
It is exactly my point that beef generally tastes better with less preparation, technique, cook time. I'm not judging end products, like i said, you can still make pork taste decent but it takes lots of effort. I see that as a tacit admission that pork is at a worse starting point than beef.
The reason pork gets soft when cooked for a long time is because the meat has a lot of collagen in it, which breaks down with cooking. Incidentally, it's the same stuff they use from horses when they talk about making glue.
Sure the fat gives the rib cuts flavor, but that didn't stop you from praising bacon. Ask for steak sauce at a good steak place, see if you get a bit of dirty look.
Seasoning in good beef is usually minimal, if you've ever had beef sashimi, it is still good raw, with nothing on it. Even thinking about pork sashimi, well that just sounds gross again.