Sounds like a rough day but honestly, is a 400-pound hog really a regular thing for you? Most home butchers I know are doing deer or maybe a side of beef. Maybe your old saw was just worn out from normal use, not some crazy heavy workload. I'd check the brushes on the motor before buying a whole new industrial machine. Sometimes it's a simple fix.

Wasn't there a study about this on Stack Overflow?

Straight grounds for sure! The texture works way better as a rub, it sticks to the meat and forms that crust. Brewed coffee in a braise is great for liquid, but for bark you need the dry stuff. That acidity point is interesting, but I find the main thing is the coarse grind creating a physical barrier for moisture.

Yeah, when you say you've done jobs in a cold garage without that fast lift, it makes me wonder about surface prep. Like, was the bumper cleaned with the right solvent? Even a little bit of wax or silicone from a previous detailer could cause that quick edge lift, and cold temps would just stop the promoter from grabbing hold at all.

Actually that pink color can totally be normal, like lisayoung said. My red cabbage kraut always goes pinkish and it's fine. Maybe it's just the veggie juices mixing with the salt. I mean, yeast is usually more of a fuzzy film on top, not just a color change. Maybe it's not a sure sign of something bad.