Meat Map- Pork
Top Cuts
- Pork shoulder– also called pork butt, a tough, fatty cut of the pig’s widest body part, can be sold either bone in or boneless (more common), and can be cooked by braising, roasting, or barbecuing
Pork Shoulder
- Pork chop– the retail cuts from this meat hailing from the loin perpendicular to the spine, is versatile in that it can be either bone in or boneless, or thick or thin, and can be fried, grilled, or slow roasted
Pork Chop
- Loin– this large cut comes from the pig’s back, is lean and tender, and is best cooked by roasting over medium heat
Pork Loin
- Baby back ribs– technically a cut of the pork loin that is deboned, is extremely tender, and can be cooked by braising, baking, or barbecuing
Baby Back Ribs
- Sirloin– an unevenly shaped, muscular but tender cut that is deeply flavorful and delicious, can be cut into chops, and is best marinated and grilled
Pork Sirloin
Bottom Cuts
- Picnic ham– a tough and fatty bone in cut located just right under the shoulder, and is best cooked by braising or smoking to make the meat tender and juicy, while the fat cap can be made into delicious cracklingsPicnic Ham
- Country style spareribs– technically not a cut on its own as it comes directly off of the picnic ham, this is the frontal part of the spareribs containing both dark and light meat, which can be braised or stewedCountry Style Spareribs
- Spareribs– the ribbed area coming from the belly of the pig which can be bought in a regular or St. Louis retail cut, is best with the cartilage removed and cut up into squares, and can be braised, smoked, or grilled
- Pork belly– a long strip of the pig’s underbelly with a lot of fat that makes it versatile and therefore great for braising, curing, or making into bacon (by curing and smoking), giving off wonderful flavors no matter what cooking style
Pork Belly
- Ham– a generous cut of the rear leg of the pig which is lean, cheap, and great for roasting, but is more commonly turned into sumptuous ham, by curing, smoking, and processing the tender and flavorful meat.Ham
- Hock- raw, untreated front or rear hock can be braised, but this cut is usually sold already smoked and brined, which is then called ham hockHock-raw
