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

✅ Bristle Roots (Not Wires!)

• Pigs have coarse hair (bristles), and while commercial processors remove most during scalding and scraping, stubborn follicles can remain, especially near the rind or thick fat cap.
• After slow cooking, these follicles can harden and darken, resembling thin black wires or stiff threads.
• They’re not metal, plastic, or contamination—just keratin (the same protein in human hair/nails).

❌ Not Cartilage or Bone

• Cartilage is smooth and rubbery; bone is white and hard but not spiky.
• Bristle roots are thin, dark, and brittle—often 1–2 inches long.

🥩 Why Do They Appear More Often Now?