10 
BULLETIN 1086, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The firm carcass is solid and firm and the fat is pure white. The 
cuts are rigid and easily handled. 
After the meat is cured and smoked, however, the difference be- 
tween the oily and firm meat is not so noticeable, and it is difficult 
for the average person to detect one from the other from outward 
appearances. After being smoked and retained for 10 days the ham 
and shoulder cuts of the oily hogs were just as firm to the touch as 
similar cuts that had been classed as firm in the cooler. The oily 
bacon bellies, however, remained soft, were difficult to slice, and the 
constant oozing of the oil made them unsatisfactory to handle in 
retail trade. 
Fig. 1. — Samples of lard from hogs graded as oily. Note that when the bottles are tilted the contents 
become adjusted to maintain a natural level, thus showing its liquid condition. Photograph taken 
immediately after samples were removed from a constant temperature of 30° C 
APPEARANCE OF THE MEAT. 
According to these tests, the most serious objection to the oily 
meat was its appearance. Because the oil remained liquid in the 
cell, the fat of the thinly sliced bacon was almost transparent, giving 
to it a yellowish appearance instead of being pure white. When the 
meat was cut, oil in the broken cells smeared over the meat, making 
it unsatisfactory to handle. The lard also remained as oil instead of 
being firm and white. This fact is shown by Figures 1,2, and 3, 
showing the samples of fat taken from oily, soft, and firm hogs. As 
shown in Figure 1, the samples of lard taken from oily hogs is liquid 
and transparent, as indicated by the dark color. 
These samples, as well as those of soft and firm, had been held in 
an ice box at a temperature of 10° C, were removed and placed in a 
