Started shredding the pork shoulder I had in the slow cooker and felt these hard, sharp spikes sticking out of the fat layer. They look like thick black wires and I’m grossed out. Did the butcher miss

Finding hard, dark, wire-like protrusions in your slow-cooked pork shoulder can be alarming—but in most cases, they’re not foreign objects or butcher errors. Instead, they’re a natural (though unpleasant) part of the pig: bristle roots or coarse hair follicles that sometimes remain embedded in the skin or fat, especially on heritage or pasture-raised pigs.

Here’s what you need to know.

🔍 What You’re Likely Seeing