A Maryland woman’s recent cooking discovery has gone completely viral, sparking a massive online debate about whether her pork loin was safe to eat, as per BroBible. Megan Callahan, who posts on TikTok as @megcallahan41, shared a video showing a cooked pork loin that was riddled with small, unusual holes, and the internet immediately went into a frenzy.
The video, which quickly gathered over 2 million views, shows Callahan cutting the meat on her kitchen counter while asking viewers for their urgent input. This pork looked seriously bizarre; you can see a honeycomb-like pattern running through the slice she holds up. She admitted she was totally confused, saying, “Forgive me if this is normal, but I’ve never seen pork that looked like this.”
Callahan perfectly captured the strange visual when she remarked, “I feel like it looks like Swiss cheese. What are the little holes?” Even though her husband had already eaten one piece, Callahan decided the risk was definitely not worth it and threw the rest of the meat away. Callahan reinforced this common-sense approach later, sharing her own family philosophy: “Like I always tell my kids, the portion of food is NOT WORTH the cost of an ER Visit or a funeral!!!!!”
The online community quickly offered several theories for why a store-bought pork loin might look like that after cooking
The most common explanations are thankfully benign, though still visually alarming. According to Sunshine Coast Organic Meats, which processes organic meat, the holes can often be traced back to the freezing process. When ice crystals form and then the pork thaws, they can damage the tissue, leaving behind those pinpoint holes. They suggest that using quick-freezing techniques can help prevent this specific issue from happening.
Other seasoned home cooks shared their similar experiences on the r/AskCulinary subreddit. One user suggested the abnormal texture might be caused by postmortem stress. This stress can make the meat softer and less flavorful, but it isn’t actually harmful to eat. Another frequent theory is that the meat was simply over-brined, which seriously messes with the texture.
Of course, you can’t ignore the worst-case scenario. Some commenters suggested that, in very rare instances, holes in pork could be caused by bacteria or parasites. That’s a truly awful thought, and definitely enough reason to ditch the entire meal.
The consensus among viewers was loud and clear: avoid eating the spongy pork. Callahan had to turn off the comments on her initial post because the feedback was so overwhelming. She shared that she literally couldn’t read one more comment that said “don’t eat it,” since she had received about 8,000 identical warnings. Viewers were extremely cautious. One person, who claimed their family raised pigs, commented that they had “NEVER had meat that looked like that” and would “1000% NOT eat it.”
The entire incident serves as a great reminder that if something you’re cooking looks completely different than it should, trust your instincts. It’s just like when a TikTok chef smelled something horrifying while cooking ground beef. It’s better to waste a little bit of money on groceries than risk getting sick.
Published: Dec 8, 2025 06:30 pm