You've bought a delicious looking piece of pork, now what is that cut of pork and how do you cook it? Use this complete guide to pork cuts to tell a pork blade chop from a pork loin chop, a shoulder from a butt tricked you, those are the same!
When buying pork , look for firm, pink flesh. Damp meat, pale meat, and soft meat all come from a factory-farmed pig. Consider seeking out pastured pork or organic pork for the best results.
Note: There are endless regional and cultural variations on how to butcher. Cuts you find may vary in name and specifics. Pork belly is not, as you may think, the stomach. Rather, it is the flesh that runs on the underside the belly of the pig and surrounds the stomach. It is one long cut of meat with plenty of fat worked into the meat, which is why it is prized for curing and turning into bacon or pancetta.
It can also be cooked fresh and is often seen on menus as "braised pork belly. Several different cuts can be called pork chops. All are great grilled, broiled , or pan-fried. Note that thicker cut pork chops with the bone still attached cook up the juiciest and most flavorful. In descending order of tenderness and thus expense , specific pork chops cuts are:. Pork shoulder chops, sometimes sold as pork blade chops, are from the blade roast and are fattier and a bit tougher than other "chops.
Learn more about pork shoulder here. When the ribs on a rib roast see "roasts" below are "Frenched" trimmed of meat , this cut becomes a rack of pork. A pork crown roast is two racks of pork tied into a circular crown, in the middle of which stuffing can be cooked. Pictured here is a range of boneless cuts that may be referred to as boneless chops or cutlets. Pork cutlets are usually lean steaks similar to sirloin chops, but meatier and boneless. Sometimes medallions cut from a pork tenderloin a cutlet.
Cutlets are classically pounded thinner, to make them even more tender, dredged in breadcrumbs, and pan-fried. They are delicious that way, but can also be baked or quickly seared in a pan or on a grill to excellent effect. Ham is from the top of the pork leg the bottom is the shank, which can sometimes be a hock, see below. It can be sold fresh, boiled, smoked or cured as pictured. Prosciutto and jamon serrano , for example, are salt-and-air-cured hams.
Cuts from the pork loin are the leanest and most tender pork cuts. The pork tenderloin is a long, thin cut of pork only about two inches wide that is a muscle underneath the backbone of the pig, and has very little marbling, so it takes even less time to cook.
This pork loin is seasoned with sweet and hot Spanish paprika and covered in a garlic paste made from 10 cloves of garlic, water, and kosher salt.
Cover the pork loin evenly in the paste and make sure to be patient while marinating. Get the Pork Loin with Roast Paprika recipe. Baked garlic pork tenderloin….
An Italian-inspired blend of herbs, garlic, butter, sea salt, and olive oil make for a simple marinade that goes well with the side dish of your choice. Get the Baked Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe. This pork roast is a real showstopper: the butterflied pork loin roast is rolled into a tight cylinder filled with fennel and prosciutto that is tied and then cooked in the oven at degrees Fahrenheit for only about an hour. Serve with any sauce you like; this Italian salsa verde is delicious, but chimichurri would also work.
Get our Salsa Verde Pork Tenderloin recipe. This is a great combination of fruit peach jam and spice garlic mixed with some bourbon, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Get the Bourbon Peach Pork Tenderloin recipe. From this first series of cuts, known in the trade as primal cuts, a butcher usually at a meatpacking plant in the Midwest but sometimes on-site at your market will make the retail cuts that you bring home from the market. Shoulder : Cuts from the upper portion of the shoulder called the blade shoulder are well marbled with fat and contain a lot of connective tissue, making them ideal candidates for slow-cooking methods like braising, stewing, or barbecuing.
Cuts from the arm, or picnic shoulder, are a bit more economical than those from the blade area but are otherwise quite similar.
Loin : The area between the shoulder and back legs is the leanest, most tender part of the animal. Rib and loin chops are cut from this area, as are pork loin roasts and tenderloin roasts. These cuts will be dry if overcooked. Not all roasts, chops, and ribs are created alike. Pork Butt Roast : This large, flavorful cut often labeled Boston butt or pork shoulder at markets can weigh as much as 8 pounds when sold with the bone in. Many markets take out the bone and sell this cut in smaller chunks, often wrapped in netting to hold the roast together.
Pork Shoulder : This affordable cut can be sold bone-in or boneless. It is rich in fat and connective tissue. Blade Chop : Cut from the shoulder end of the loin, these chops can be difficult to find at the market. They are fatty and tough, despite good flavor and juiciness. Rib Chop : Cut from the rib section of the loin, these chops have a relatively high fat content, rendering them flavorful and unlikely to dry out during cooking.
They are a favorite in the test kitchen. These chops are easily identified by the bone that runs along one side and the one large eye of loin muscle. Note that rib chops are also sold boneless. Center-Cut Chop : These chops can be identified by the bone that divides the loin meat from the tenderloin muscle. The lean tenderloin section cooks more quickly than the loin section, making these chops a challenge. Whole pork loins may have a thin layer of fat that runs over the top called the fat cap.
The color of the meat itself is lighter than that of pork tenderloin, while the flavor is mild and a touch fattier. Related: Bone-In vs. You can buy a boneless or bone-in pork loin —both are delicious when cooked properly.
Bone-in pork loin, on the other hand, takes longer to cook but better retains its juiciness. One variety of bone-in cut, pork crown roast , makes a stunning centerpiece at any special occasion. To cook pork loin, sear or grill it over high-heat to create caramelization on the outside, then finish it off in the oven or over indirect heat to keep it juicy and moist on the inside.
Last but not least, make sure to let it rest for about 10 minutes to lock in the moisture. Pork loin is easy enough to cook on a weeknight but you can also dress it up for a special occaision. Thinly slice it to make a flavor-packed sandwich such as this take on a classic Banh-Mi , or slow cook it, then shred it to make craveworthy nachos. If you want to get real fancy, you can butterfly, then stuff a pork loin with a variety of flavorings like cheese, fruit, or herbs.
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