Understanding Pork

The Definition of Pork Pork is the meat from hogs Hogs are usually butchered before reaching one year of age Next to beef, pork is the most consumed meat in Canada (stat as of 2006) Pork is leaner and healthier than it was once Mangalista Hogs A carcass typically weighs between kg ( lbs) 2

The Definition of Pork A great deal of pork is cured to produce smoked hams, bacon, etc Pork is generally tender and delicately flavoured so it blends well with many different seasonings Pork lends itself well to any dry-heat, moist-heat or combination cooking method 3

The Definition of Pork Hogs are specifically bred to produce extra long loins In the past, trichinosis (a type of roundworm) dictated pork be cooked to a minimum of 165F to kill the parasite Because of better conditions, and higher inspection laws, pork is considered safe at medium (140F) 4

Skeletal Structure of a Hog 5

Primals of the Hog 6

Primal Cuts of a Hog Shoulder –Shoulder Picnic –Shoulder Blade (Boston Butt) Belly Loin Leg 7

Primal Cuts of a Hog Shoulder Blade (Boston Butt) Square cut located just above shoulder picnic, it is 7% of carcass weight Very meaty and tender Can be cut into steaks or chops Smoked Boston butt also known as cottage ham Good meat for sausages 8

Primal Cuts of a Hog Boston Butt (Bone in)Blade Steak 9

Primal Cuts of a Hog 10

Picnic Shoulder Lower portion of the hog’s foreleg, makes up 20% of the carcass weight Known as the picnic ham, often smoked A tender cut that can use any cooking method The foreshank is call the hock and is almost always smoked 11 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Picnic ShoulderPicnic Steak 12

Primal Cuts of a Hog 13

Belly Pork belly is located below the loin and makes up 16% of the carcass weight It produces spareribs and bacon Very fatty with streaks of lean meat Ribs must be cooked with moist heat methods 14 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Boneless Pork bellySpareribs 15

Primal Cuts of a Hog 16

Loin Located directly behind the shoulder blade, it includes the entire rib section, loin and a portion of the sirloin area It makes up 33% of the carcass weight The lean tender eye muscle (pork loin), tender loin, fatback and back ribs all come from here If the loin is cured and smoked, it creates back bacon 17 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Pork LoinPork Loin Chops 18

Primal Cuts of a Hog Pork TenderloinPork Backribs 19

Primal Cuts of a Hog 20

Fresh Leg This accounts for 24% of the carcass weight Primal fresh ham is the hog’s hind leg Fresh leg produces roasts, cutlets and kebob meat Often cured and smoked to produce a variety of hams Shank portion is called the ham hock 21 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Fresh LegHam Hock 22

Primal Cuts of a Hog 23

Skeletal Structure of a Hog 24

Specialty Cuts Suckling Pig –Between 2-6 weeks of age –Roasted whole 25 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Specialty Cuts HeadCheese –Jellied, spiced, pressed meat from the head 26 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Specialty Cuts Chittlings –Large and small intestines, rinsed and fried 27 Primal Cuts of a Hog

Specialty Cuts Caul Fat –Fatty membrane covering the stomach –Used for wrapping forcemeats to keep their shape and to add moisture –Usually melts away 28 Primal Cuts of a Hog

The Hog in History Modern Marvels - The Pig Put Pork On Your Fork Website 29