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I don't eat pork for religious reasons, but a lot of recipes use them. What kind of meat is a suitable substitute for pig products? More specifically:

  • Ground pork
  • Ham slices
  • Pork chops
  • Lard: Do other fatty products like butter replace it?

I'm not looking for an exact replication, but more on approximations of what meat tastes similar. As I have no idea what pig meat and fat is supposed to taste like, I have no idea how recipes that use them are supposed to taste.

An answer that explains what flavors pig products bring to a recipe would also be helpful.

Muz
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  • Can you narrow down the context in which the pork is being used that you want to substitute? Otherwise, I would have to ask: there are a myriad recipes relying on huge variety of ingredients; why not simply select one that features lamb, chicken, vegetables, or some other item that does fit within your dietary restrictions? – SAJ14SAJ Mar 23 '13 at 10:27
  • See also: [How can we make substitution questions more helpful?](http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/1584/how-can-we-make-substitution-questions-more-helpful) – SAJ14SAJ Mar 23 '13 at 10:57
  • The biggest category I can think of is things that use bacon or ham (or a ham bone) just for flavor, like soups, stews, braised vegetables - is that what you're going for? Or are you trying to make things where pork is the main part of the dish? – Cascabel Mar 23 '13 at 11:23
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    I agree that this needs to indicate the context of the substitution. In addition, we already have a number of questions about "pig" substitutions, such as [Bacon substitution](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/23312) and [Non Pork Bacon Alternatives](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/5107) and bacon is obviously going to be the most popular substitution. There's no single substitute for "pig products" any more than there is a substitute for "cow products" or "root vegetables", so please be specific otherwise this will probably get closed. – Aaronut Mar 23 '13 at 13:41
  • Thanks, edited for clarity. It's more that I'd like to try some Western recipes that use pigs without knowing how pork tastes like. It's more of a general "Does pig taste like chicken?" kind of question. – Muz Mar 25 '13 at 05:48
  • The taste-alike actually varies by person. To me chicken and turkey are different. To some they taste the same. Since you can't actually taste pork or others prohibited by your religion, I suggest to just taste test a variety of those you can eat and and see what tastes better to you in the way prepared. – Skaperen Mar 25 '13 at 06:26
  • @muz I get what you are trying to ask here, but the question is insanely broad. I think you are going to have to narrow the focus a ton. Like when you see a recipe you want to try, post that and ask what would be a sub for the pork in that particular recipe narrow. As asked, the answer is any other animal on the planet. – sarge_smith Mar 25 '13 at 08:16
  • It's not *quite* as bad as sarge_smith suggests; it's certainly possible to provide a few substitution ideas for each, with general contexts they might work well in, but it'd really help a lot if you gave a few example dishes you're trying to make with each ingredient. – Cascabel Mar 25 '13 at 16:29

2 Answers2

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First, consider substituting the recipe altogether as replacing the main meat and expecting similar results is just unreasonable.

That said, here are some broad suggestions:

  • Pork Tenderloin: Veal tenderloin.
  • Pork Chops: Veal chops, or even Chicken breast.
  • General non-cured pork meats: Veal.
  • Pork Sasauges: Beef sausages of the same spice mix. (you'll need synthetic casing)
  • Cooked Ham: Cooked turkey or Beef/Veal Mortadella.
  • Smoked Ham: Smoked turkey.
  • Bacon: see this. There is also turkey bacon with similar to bacon taste.
  • Prosciutti, has no substitute. This one is all about pig fat flavor.
Community
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MandoMando
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  • Thanks. I'm not looking for an exact flavor, just an approximation for certain ingredients. – Muz Mar 25 '13 at 05:43
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a good bacon substitute in recipes is smoked potatoes. it is also fairly easy to jerry rig a smoker with a metal pan, wood chips and plastic wrap :)

Rox
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