Beyond Bacon — A Cookbook Review

June 25, 2013 · 5 comments

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If you know nothing about pork, except for the fact that bacon is irresistible, you need to read this new cookbook from Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry (Paleoparents). I fall into this category — knowing nothing about how to cook any cut of pork other than bacon. I’ve been a little intimidated about trying pork as I did not eat much of this growing up.

I would never eat pork from a commercial hog, but the reverence and respect Toth and McCarry display for a healthy pastured pig has made me very curious. Actually, I’m drooling. The recipes and photos in the book are mouthwatering.

In Beyond Bacon, Toth and McCarry tackle some very important issues around raising pigs and eating pigs. I have had my concerns about these issues and I am happy to report that after reading this book, they have been adequately addressed. Here are the issues.

Is Pork Healthy?

Is pork healthy is a good question for those of us that have heard various negative things about pork. Toth and McCarry tackle this question with reference to the controversy around several issues.

The Saturated Fat

The first obvious issue is the saturated fat. Lard? Isn’t lard bad for you? If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that I support the use of saturated fat from animals that are properly raised on pasture. Lard has been vilified, but it is actually very high in monounsaturated fat —  47% — just like the fat in olive oil. Lard is also made up of 40% saturated fats and of that, 1/3 is beneficial stearic acid which is also found in chocolate.

Lard is perfect for high heat cooking because of the stability of the fats that make up lard.

Additionally lard, is very high in vitamin D — a vitamin many people are deficient in these days.

Is Pork Safe to Eat?

The first issue is about food safety in general. The Center of Science in the Public Interest did a survey that compared relative incidence of illness caused by several food sources, such as fish and shellfish, poultry, eggs, beef produce, dairy and pork, between 1996 and 2006.

In those ten years, the most frequent foodborne illness were related to fish and shellfish with poultry next. Eggs and beef followed and then came pork with rather low incidences. Additionally, you have to remember that these were most likely incidences of illness from commercial CAFO food.

Mercola also does not recommend eating pork, because of the potential of pathogens in the pork. However, based on the graph as explained above, this can happen in all food items, especially CAFO meats.

Zoonotic Disease

The second issue has been brought up by Paul Jaminet concerning illness called zoonotic disease, which is disease passed from animals to humans. Jaminet makes the argument that particularly Hepatits E may be spread by eating pork. This opinion is based on a study of CAFO pigs in China which found that 4% of these CAFO pigs had Hepatits E.

I guess we can stop right there. We are not talking about CAFO pigs here. Or animals raised in China.

Additionally, Hepatits E is usually a 4 – 6 week ordeal that is self limiting in most cases.

Live Cell Microscopy

The third issue involves a teeny tiny study of three people that was published in the Weston Price Journal in 2011. Fresh, cured and marinated pork foods were given to three people and their blood was analyzed using live cell analysis. The conclusions were that clumping of the blood cells occurred when fresh, unmarinated pork was eaten, while cured and marinated pork did not seem to clump the blood cells together.

I don’t think we need to go any further other than to say that perhaps a larger study group is needed. Additionally, in most scientific circles, live cell analysis is not considered objective as the technique has many variables that may confound the results.

However, many traditional cultures did marinate fresh pork for added digestibility and to kill pathogens. I am not completely without concern about unmarinated fresh pork.

Trichinosis

When I took microbiology in school I remember learning about the pathogen that causes trichinosis from eating undercooked pork. That put me off of pork immediately. According to Toth and McCarry, that was the wisdom of the 1980’s (OK I’m aging myself here) from the USDA. That information was based on pork from pigs that were fed raw meat scraps. That is now illegal even for CAFO pigs.

Consequently the incidence of trichinosis in this country has dropped to near zero. The few incidences that do occur are due to undercooked game, not pork.

Now I feel better about this.

Beyond Bacon the Book

 

Beyond Bacon emphasizes nose-to-tail eating of humanely raised pigs that are allowed to root in pastures and live the life a pig was designed to live. You don’t have to be Paleo, Primal, Weston Price or any other foodie group to appreciate the wisdom of this.

  • This is a beautifully bound hardcover book with gorgeous photos of each of the 100+ recipes.
  • There is comprehensive information on how and why to buy a whole animal from local farmers.
  • There is an entire chapter dedicated to getting started with basics like rendering lard, making sausage and curing your own meats.
  • There are over 45 pages spent on the safety issues I have outlined above with references.
  • Tons of interesting, amazing and mouthwatering recipes that will surely knock your socks off!

Get the book here

This book is being released July 2. Preorder now, get the price guarantee and get it as soon as it is released!

Do you love pork? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Eileen @ Phoenix Helix June 25, 2013 at 10:16 pm

Thanks for detailing the pork safety concerns. I knew they addressed that in the book, but this is the first post I’ve read that shared that information. It’s time to get over our pork phobia! We have access to pastured pork and I’m branching out in my cooking as well. I’ve started making bone broth from pork hocks, for example, and let me tell you – it’s delicious!

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2 Jill June 26, 2013 at 7:09 am

Hi Eileen,
I’m glad I’m not the only one one feeling a little intimidated!

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