Cooking dishes using pork requires knowledge on what appropriate pork part can be used in serving a dish. One must use the right main ingredient for a certain dish. Here are several pork cuts and the best way to cook them:
Pork Belly- is a cut from underneath the loin. This is the most flavorful of the major parts as it is filled with fats between muscles. It’s the usual choice for sautéing, frying, stewing, braising, and grilling. That’s where we get bacon, and also this type can be cut into steaks.
Ham – is located within the leg of the hog, and has very little fat. Fresh hams are often roasted and can be made into ham steaks. The delicious Serrano ham and prosciutto are obtained from hams that are either cured or smoked, and then air-dried. The ham hock, that is taken from the joint at the shank end, is best when braised with other greens.
Pork Loin – located on the length of the back and is the source of several pork cuts like the center loin, pork chops, tenderloin, and the baby back ribs.The muscle in this part of the hog is mainly used for posture rather than movement, the meat from this section has less marbling but remains tender. The whole pork loin could be roasted, broiled, braised, and fried. The baby back ribs range from upper rib cage of the loin, while the tenderloin is obtained from the rear of the pork loin. Pork tenderloins are boneless and are super tasty and tender.
Pork Spareribs – are cut on the belly side of the ribs where they join the breastbone. They have long rib bones, and some rib cartilage, which has a thin covering of meat on the exterior and between the ribs. They are usually cooked by grilling very slowly over low temperatures, and could be also be braised.
Pork Butt – also referred to as Boston Butt, this comes from the upper shoulder of the hog. It is a discreetly tough cut of pork with a great deal of ligament, and consists of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm. It may be prepared through roasting, cutting into steaks, braising, stewing, or for making ground pork or sausages.
Just above this section is a fat part known as the clear plate or fatback, which can be utilized for making lard, salt pork, or added to sausage or ground pork.
Pork Jowl – is the cheek area of the hog. This part is often employed in making sausages, and may also be cured and created into bacon.
Pork Shoulder – also known as the picnic shoulder, this cut is from the shoulder section of the pig. It contains juicy, marbled fat, which gives it with a lot of flavor and tenderness during cooking. Often, it is sold without the bone. It is used for making ground pork, or sausage meat, barbecue, stir-frying, or stewing, and is frequently cured or smoked as well.
Pork Foot – Due to high collagen and a good source of gelatin, pork foot is usually included in soups and stews. Slow simmering helps make the connective tissues soft and tenderizes the meat. Pork feet are utilized as a key ingredient in the traditional Mexican menudo. These also are best when pickled, cured or smoked.
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