Pork
 Pork is the meat from hogs
 Hogs are usually butchered before reaching
one year of age
 Americans consume more pork than any
other meat
 Pork is leaner and healthier due to
advances in animal husbandry
 Pork is generally very tender with a delicate
flavor
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
History
 In 1539 Spanish explorers brought hogs to
Florida
 Hogs were shipped by the British to the colonies
as early as 1639
 During the war of 1812 the government shipped
pork to hee soldiers in barrels stamped “US”
 This meat was obtained from a meat packer
named Sam Wilson
 The troops called this meat “Uncle Sam’s Meat”
which led to the nickname “Uncle Sam”
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Figure 17.2
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
The primal cuts of a hog.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Sub-Primal Cuts of
Pork
 Shoulder
 Lower portion of the hog’s foreleg
 Known as the picnic ham
 Often smoked
 Boston Butt
 Square cut located just above the primal pork
shoulder
 Cut into steaks or chops
 Smoked Boston butt also known as cottage ham
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Sub-Primal Cuts of
Pork
 Belly
 Pork belly is located below the loin
 Produces spareribs and bacon
 Loin
 Directly behind the Boston butt and includes the
entire rib section, loin, and a portion of the
sirloin area
 Lean, tender eye muscle
 Tenderloin
 Fatback
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Sub-Primal Cuts of
Pork
 Fresh Ham




Primal fresh ham is the hog’s hind leg
Accounts for 24% of the carcass weight
Roasted fresh, or cured and smoked
Shank portion is called the ham hock
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Pork
 Pork can be cured, processed, or
fresh
 Pork products blend well with many
different seasonings
 Pork lends itself well to any dry-heat,
moist-heat, or combination cooking
method
 Properly fabricated and prepared pork
can be a nutritious meat
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Cuts to Cooking Methods
 Shoulder
 Dry-roast or bake
 Boston Butt
 Dry – broil, grill, or saute
 Moist - simmer
 Bacon – dry –saute, moist-simmer
combination-braise
 Spareribs – combination – steam then grill
 Loin- dry – roast, combination - braise
 Fresh Ham
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Cuts to Cooking Methods cont.
 Tenderloin – dry – broil or grill, saute,
roast
 Back ribs – combination – steam then
grill
 Loin chops – dry – broil or grill –
combination – braise
 Fresh ham – dry - roast
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Pork Spareribs
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Pork Back Ribs
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Boston Butt
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Pork Loin
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Pork Tenderloin
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Pork Loin Chops
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Primal and Subprimal Cuts of Pork
Fresh Ham
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Procedure for Cutting a Center-Cut Pork Chop
1 Cut through the meat with the knife.
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Procedure for Cutting a Center-Cut Pork Chop
2 Use the cleaver to chop through the chine bone.
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Procedure for Cutting a Pocket in a Pork Chop
Use the tip of a boning knife to cut a pocket.
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Recipe 17.7
Pork Loin with Prunes
1 Butterfly the pork loin.
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved
Recipe 17.7
Pork Loin with Prunes
2 Rolling the pork loin around in the filling.
Labensky, et al.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th edition.
© 2007 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved