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Mexico buying more US pork including pork “wings”

Exports of U.S. pork products have increased to Mexico in the past few months. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has been educating buyers about new pork products and their marketing director for Mexico, Gerardo Rodriguez, says one of the newest is pork wings, an alternative to chicken wings, “They take the bone from the pork shank and they peel it, the bottom part, and it actually has more meat – obviously – than the chicken wing. We want to introduce this product so we can have a promotion with them during the Super Bowl.”

Rodriguez says the federation has been doing hands-on training in places along the Pacific Coast of Mexico to promote pork ribs in West Coast cities, “Baby back ribs, St. Louis, brisket bone. We want them to know all the different alternatives that they can have. So, we show them how to cook the product, how to marinate the product because this type of products is something that they’re not used to.”

He says variety pork meats are popular for tacos, especially in the Mexico City area, including stomach, tongue and brains.  Rodriguez says many of the new products are made from ham. U.S. ham is the largest pork export to Mexico.

~USMEF contributed to this story