Cut of pork

Thecuts of pork are the different parts of thepig which are consumed as food by humans. The terminology and extent of each cut varies from country to country. There are between four and sixprimal cuts, which are the large parts in which the pig is first cut: the shoulder (blade and picnic), loin, belly (spare ribs and side) and leg.^[1]^[2] These are often sold wholesale, as are other parts of the pig with less meat, such as the head, feet and tail. Retail cuts are the specific cuts which are used to obtain different kinds of meat, such astenderloin andham. There are at least 25 Iberian pork cuts, includingjamón.^[3]

Cuts

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Head

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The head of the pig can be used to makebrawn, stocks, and soups. After boiling, the ears can be fried^[4] or baked and eaten separately. The cheeks can be cured and smoked to makejowls, known ascarrillada orcarrileja in Spanish-speaking countries. The face ofIberian pigs is known aspestorejo orcareta, and it includes the ears and snout (morro).^[3] The lower parts of the head are the neck (papada) and theamygdalae (castañetas).^[3] In thePhilippines, the pig's face (the jowls, snout, and ears) is also a distinct cut calledmaskara ('mask').^[5] The tongue, which weighs around 250 grams, is also eaten.^[3]

Blade shoulder

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Pork shoulders.

Above the front limbs and behind the head is the shoulder blade.^[2] It can be boned out and rolled up as a roasting joint, or cured as "collar bacon". Also known as spare rib roast and joint, it is not to be confused with the rack of spare ribs from the front belly.Pork butt, despite its name, is from the upper part of the shoulder. TheBoston butt, or Boston-style shoulder cut, comes from this area and may contain the shoulder blade. Mexicancarnitas^[1] and Iberianaguja^[3] are also sourced from this part. Between theaguja and thelomo (loin) is thepresa, which is considered the finest cut of Iberian pork.^[3] Twowell-marbled 600 g cuts ofpresa are obtained from each Iberian pig.^[3] Two smaller 100 g cuts known aspluma are obtained from beneath thepresa.^[3] The Italiancoppa is obtained from the top of the shoulder.

Shoulder arm picnic

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The arm shoulder^[2] can be curedon the bone to make a ham-like product ("picnic ham") or be used in sausages. The hands (orpaletas in Ibérico pigs) refer to the front legs, as opposed to the hind legs, which are hams orjamones.^[3] Between thepaleta and the belly is a 150-200 g cut known assecreto which is very popular in Spain.^[3]

Loin

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Pork chops sold in Paris.

Theloin^[6] can be cured to makeback bacon or Canadian-style bacon. The loin and belly can be cured together to make a side of bacon. The loin can also be divided up into roasts (blade loin roasts, centre loin roasts, and sirloin roasts come from the front, centre, or rear of the loin), back ribs (also called baby back ribs, or riblets), pork cutlets, andpork chops (chuletas). A pork loin crown roast is arranged into a circle, either boneless or with rib bones protruding upward as points in a crown.Pork tenderloin, removed from the loin, should be practically free of fat. It is known aslomo in Spain, where it is most often prepared as afilete or cured as acaña de lomo.^[3] This high-quality meat shows a very ordered arrangement of muscle cells that can causelight diffraction andstructural coloration.^[7]

Fatback

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Thesubcutaneous fat and skin on the back (fatback) are used to makepork rinds, a variety of cured "meats",lardons, andlard. Britishpork scratchings and Hispanicchicharrones are also prepared from this cut.

Spare ribs

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Spare ribs are taken from the pig'sribs and the meat surrounding the bones. St. Louis–style spareribs have the sternum, cartilage and skirt meat removed. The termabanico is used to refer to the ribs of Iberian pigs. It is very fatty and commonly barbecued.^[3]

Belly or side

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Korean pork belly cuts, similar to bacon.

The belly, although a fattier meat, can be used for steaks or diced as stir-fry meat. Pork belly may be rolled for roasting or cut forstreaky bacon. It is the source of Italianpancetta and Spanishpanceta.^[3]

Legs or hams

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Acarvedjamón.

Although any cut of pork can be cured, technically speaking only the back leg is entitled to be called a ham. Legs and shoulders, when used fresh, are usually cut bone-in forroasting, or leg steaks can be cut from the bone. Three common cuts of the leg include the rump (upper portion), centre, and shank (lower portion). The ham ofIberian pigs is known asjamón.

Ham hock

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The joint between the feet and the leg, known asham hock or pork knuckles, is cooked in many European countries, including Austria (stelze), Czech Republic (koleno), Germany (eisbein andschweinshaxe), Hungary (csülök), Poland (golonka), Spain (codillo), Sweden (Fläsklägg) and Switzerland (wädli).

Trotters

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Both the front and hindtrotters can be cooked and eaten. They are colloquially known as "pigs feet" in the Southern United States^[8] and asmanitas de cerdo in Spanish-speaking regions.^[3]

Chitterlings

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The intestines (chitterlings) and other internal organs (offal) are often boiled orstewed. Thetesticles (criadillas) are also eaten.

Tail

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The tail has very little meat as it is mostly composed of connective tissue. It can be roasted or fried, which makes the skin crisp and the bone soft. It has a strong flavour.^[8] Leonesebotillo is made of chopped tail, ribs and bones, which are seasoned, stuffed in thececum and smoked.