Chapter 16

C H A P T E R SIXTEEN

PORK

“ But I will place this carefully fed pig Within the crackling oven;
and, I pray, What nicer dish can e’er be given to man.
– Aeschylus, ancient Greek poet (ca. 525-456 b.c.e)

”
Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 5e
publishing as Pearson [imprint]
Labensky • Hause • Martel

After studying this unit 2

PORK
 You will be able to:
– Identify the primal, subprimal and fabricated
cuts of pork
– Perform basic butchering procedures
– Apply appropriate cooking methods to several
common cuts of pork


Pork Overview 3

PORK
Since hogs are butchered at a young age, their meat
is generally very tender with a delicate flavor.

After beef, Americans consume more pork than
any other meat.

Hogs are slaughtered at a young age, making their
meat tender.


Niche and Heritage Pork 4

PORK
 Specific breeds of hogs may produce different
flavors of pork products
– Berkshire, Duroc, Tamworth
 Particular ways of feeding hogs such as free-
range may alter the taste of pork products made


Primal and Subprimal Cuts of
Pork 5

PORK
 After a hog is slaughtered, it is generally split
down the backbone, dividing the carcass into
bilateral halves
 It is then further broken down into primal cuts


The Skeletal Structure of a Hog 6

PORK

Primal Cuts 7

PORK
 Shoulder
 Boston butt
 Belly
 Loin
 Fresh ham


The Primal Cuts of Pork 8

PORK

Shoulder 9

PORK
 Known as the picnic ham
 Lower portion of the foreleg
 Approximately 20% of carcass weight
 Relatively high ratio of bone to lean meat
 Can be cooked by any method
 One of the least tender cuts of pork
 Can be purchased smoked or fresh


Boston Butt 10

PORK
 Square cut located just above
the primal pork shoulder
 Accounts for 7% of carcass
weight
 Good percentage of fat to lean
meat
 Contains a small amount of
bone
 Can be cut into steaks and
chops
 Can use moist or dry cooking
methods


Loin 11

PORK
 Located directly behind the
Boston butt
 Includes the entire rib section
 Approximately 20% of the
carcass weight
 The most tender cut
 Only part of pork that is not
typically smoked or cured
 Can use moist or dry cooking
methods


Fabricated Cuts from the
Loin 12

PORK
Pork Chops

Pork Back Ribs

Pork Tenderloin

Boning a Pork Loin 13

PORK
1 Starting on the sirloin end of a full pork loin, remove the tenderloin in one piece by
making smooth cuts against the inside of the rib bones. Pull gently on the tenderloin
as you cut.


PORK
2 Turn the loin over and cut between the ribs and the eye meat. Continue separating
the meat from the bones, following the contours of the bones, until the loin is
completely separated from the bones.


PORK
3 Trim around the blade bone on the shoulder end of the loin and remove it.


PORK
The fully boned loin consists of (from left to right) cartilage, the tenderloin, boneless
loin and loin bones.

Cutting a Chop from a Pork
Loin 17

PORK
1 Cut through the meat with the knife.

Loin 18

PORK
2 Use the cleaver to chop through the chine bone.

Loin 19

PORK
3 To produce a cleaner chop, trim the meat from the end of the rib bone. Then, with
the boning knife, separate the loin meat from the chine bones and separate the
chine bone from the rib with the cleaver.

Tying a Boneless Pork
Roast 20

PORK
1 Wrap the loose ends of the string around the pork loin and tie it with a double knot.

Roast 21

PORK
2 Make a loop and slide down over the roast to approximately 1 inch (2.5
centimeters) from the first knot.

Roast 22

PORK
3 Make another loop and slide it down. Continue in this fashion until the whole roast
has been tied.

Roast 23

PORK
4 Turn the roast over and cut the string, leaving enough to wrap lengthwise around
the roast to the original knot.

Roast 24

PORK
5 Wrap the string around the end of the roast, then around the string that formed the
last loop. Continue in this fashion for the length of the roast, pulling the string tight
after wrapping it around each loop.

Roast 25

PORK
6 Turn the roast back over. Wrap the string around the front end of the roast and
secure it to the first loop at the point where you tied the first knot.

Roast 26

PORK
7 The finished roast. Note the even intervals at which the strings are tied. They
should be just snug enough to hold the shape of the roast; they should not dig in or
cut the meat.

Fresh Ham 27

PORK
 Hog’s hind leg
 Approximately 24% of
carcass
 Large muscles and
relatively small
amounts of connective
tissue
 Often cured and
smoked
 Available in a variety
of styles
 Shank portion is called
the ham hock


Brining Pork 28

PORK
 Brine is a salty marinade used on meats that will
be smoked
 Lean pork and poultry can benefit from a light
brine before grilling, roasting or sautéing
– 3-5% brine solution
– Soak for a few hours to overnight
– Do not make gravy from pan drippings of brined
meat


Nutrition 29

PORK
 Good source of protein, B vitamins and other
essential nutrients
 High in fat, especially saturated fats
– Lower fat content is result of new breeding and
feeding techniques
 Sodium content is high in smoked, cured and
preserved products


Chapter 16

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