The Different Cuts of Pork
There are a lot of different cuts of pork that you might have heard of or seen when shopping or at a restaurant. When picking the right cut of meat at the butcher, there are a lot of items to think about to make sure you are getting the cut that is right for what you are trying to do.
A quick explanation of the main cuts of pork are below, and you might want to try each and get a feel for what you are wanting to eat during a particular meal. It also depends on how you are planning to prepare the meat as to which cut is best for you.
The Cuts
- Loin: The loin roast comes from the area of the pig between the shoulder and the beginning of the leg. It is sold either bone-in or deboned. A loin roast can be rolled and tied with string prior to cooking. Loin roasts with a bone tend to be juicier and more flavorful, but the bone can make carving a bit tricky. The Loin is NOT where a pork tenderloin comes from.
- Leg or Ham: The leg or ham is the rear portion of the pig. This meat is most commonly prepared by curing and then smoked to create the ham people often enjoy on Holidays!
- Spare Ribs: Taken from the belly side of the ribs where they join the breastbone, pork spareribs are often prepared by grilling very slowly over low temperatures. Spare ribs can also be braised in a crockpot.
- Pork Belly: The cut used to make bacon comes from the side — or belly — of the pig. When it is cured and smoked, it becomes bacon. Bacon can be prepared by broiling, baking, smoking, microwaving, or even frying. Pork Belly can also be removed from the spare rib and smoked to make Pork Belly Burnt Ends (my favorite)
- Shoulder: Pork shoulder is the top portion of the front leg of the hog. Most commonly, this cut of meat is smoked. Pork shoulder is often ground up for use in making ground pork.
- Upper Shoulder: often called the blade pork roast or Boston Butt. Just above the Boston Butt is a section of fat called the clear plate or fatback, which can be used for making lard, salt pork, or added to sausage or ground pork. Typically used in KCBS BBQ Competitions.
- Picnic (Bottom) Shoulder: most commonly called the arm pork roast. A very tough cut of meat.
To learn about the different cuts of Beef or the different cuts of Fish, check out those posts!
