A Maryland woman cooked a pork loin and gave her husband a piece. However, she questioned whether the small holes throughout the meat were supposed to be there, sparking both debate and disgust in the comments of the now-viral video.
TikToker Megan Callahan (@megcallahan41) cuts up a pork loin on her kitchen counter in a video with over 2 million views. She asks viewers for their urgent opinion.
“Forgive me if this is normal, but I’ve never seen pork that looked like this,” she remarks, holding up a slice. The piece of pork loin has small holes going through it in a honeycomb-like pattern.
She continues, “I feel like it looks like Swiss cheese. What are the little holes?”
Why Does The Pork Loin Have Holes In It?
There are several factors that can cause a store-bought pork loin to have small holes throughout it after the cooking process.
According to organic meat processor Sunshine Coast Organic Meats, ice crystals that form during freezing can cause pinpoint holes to form when the pork thaws. This issue can be avoided by using quick-freezing techniques to prevent tissue damage from crystal growth.
On the r/AskCulinary subreddit, shoppers who frequently cook pork share what they’ve learned from their similarly alarming discoveries of holes in their meat.
“It’s most likely caused by postmortem stress. The meat will be softer and less flavorful, but it’s not harmful,” one writes.
“I had the same thing a few weeks ago with a pork roast. Everything I saw online said it was probably over-brined, which affected the texture. It was probably fine. But we could not get over the look of it and ended up throwing it away too!” another shares.
In rare cases, some suggest that bacteria or parasites may cause holes in pork.
Would Viewers Eat The Hole-y Pork?
Callahan turned off the comments on her initial video but posted a follow-up video where viewers weighed in. She shares that she threw the rest of the meat away after her husband had one piece and explains why she turned the comments off.
“I literally have 8000 comments saying exactly the same thing, and it’s now over 2 million views. I literally cannot read one more comment that says ‘don’t eat it,'” she shared in a comment.
Still, viewers encouraged others to avoid eating meat they’re unsure about.
“My family raised pigs, and we NEVER had meat that looked like that. I would 1000% NOT eat it,” a commenter suggested.
A second wrote, “Fingers crossed the spongy pork was a result of freezing and thawing before it went on the shelf.”
Callahan responded, “Like I always tell my kids, the portion of food is NOT WORTH the cost of an ER Visit or a funeral!!!!!”
BroBible reached out to Callahan via email for further comment.