What are the parts of pork called and how to cook them?

Every culinary specialist wants to cook from the best products that he can purchase within his budget. Many main courses are made from pork, which is cheaper and more affordable than beef. However, before you go to the store, it is worth exploring or refreshing in your memory which part of the pork is the most delicious and suitable for a particular method of cooking. Will it be pulp or meat on the bone, ears or knuckle, cooking in foil or grilled. Each part of the carcass has its own cooking details. And in order to understand what they are, it is necessary to disassemble the pork carcass into separate components.

The whole cutting of pork carcass can be divided into two stages:

• preparatory;
• direct cutting

As preparatory operations, the exsanguination of the carcass, the opalka or the complete removal of the skin. In order for the meat on the counter to look most attractive, there should be as little blood as possible. The easiest way is to lay the pig on its side, cut its throat, letting the blood out on its own. If the animal was killed by a blow to the heart, then completely remove the blood from the chest does not work, you have to wash the meat with cold water. It is also necessary to singe the mascara skin with a burner and scrape off the charred layer with a knife. In the process of cutting, most often the skin is removed completely, however, in some cases it may be left.

The cutting itself is carried out in stages and as a result many different parts are produced from one pork carcass.

• At the first stage, the head is separated from the body, chopping the cervical vertebrae with an ax or a large knife. The head can be left intact, and it is possible to separate cheeks, ears and penny from it. The eyes and jaw are not used for food, and therefore disposed of immediately. It is best if the carcass is suspended upside down when the head is separated from the body, this will allow residual blood to drain.
• One abdominal incision from the top down opens the abdominal cavity and removes the internal organs. First of all, the esophagus and intestines are removed, which can stain and spoil the meat with residues of pig waste products. For this reason, the last feeding of the animal should be no later than 12 hours before slaughter. The bladder and kidney lobes are also gently removed, after which the rest of the organs can be cut off: heart, liver, lungs.

• The inner part of the body is cleaned of excess fat and tissue with a knife and a dry cloth, but does not urinate. Dry meat is stored longer and does not lose its presentation.
• A longitudinal incision is made along the spine and the whole carcass is divided into 2 half carcasses. Most often this is done with a hacksaw, but you can use an ax. After receiving two half carcasses, the meat is taken to the refrigerator and cooled down within a few hours. Fresh meat is very difficult to cut, so you need to cool it properly.

The first half carcass is divided into several parts. When home slaughter it is often divided into front and loin (back) parts. In the industrial cutting, special attention is paid to those parts of the pig that are in the middle of her body on the back, so the cutting procedure is more complicated. First, the front and hind legs are separated from the half-carcasses, after which the parts that begin just below and end just above the knee are cut off.

These cuts are called the front knuckle and the rear knuckle (or shank). The hip part is divided into ham and sirloin, and the anterior scapular-neck part into the scapula and neck. Bacon is removed from the abdominal part if it has not yet been cut during the removal of the viscera. This is the fattest part of the pig, which can only be. Next to it is the brisket and ribs, which also need to be separated from the side.

It remains to cut the top and the lean part of the pig, in which there is practically no fat. The tenderloin and carbonate are removed, the brisket is separated, from which you can separately remove the so-called cutlet portion or fillet, the neck is cut off.All parts are packed and transported to special industrial meat processing plants or to the shelves of markets and shops. When cutting, sanitary standards must be observed, all animals must be slaughtered exclusively in meat processing plants or in special livestock farms, all products in the store must be certified.

Pork itself is divided into several categories, depending on the quality of the meat.

• 1 category. Such pork is called bacon because it has the most meat in the hip portion, which is interspersed with dense fatty strips.
• 2 category. Such pigs are called meat and are most often raised for slaughter in many large and small livestock farms and farms.
• 3 category. Such carcasses are called “fat” and are considered to be of lower quality than the first two categories, since they have a larger fat and a smaller muscle layer.
• 4 category - These are pig carcasses for industrial processing. They are not shipped to regular stores and are processed exclusively in large enterprises.
• 5 category - These are milk pigs with skin. They are often ordered to large restaurants and expensive shops, as their meat is especially delicate and soft.

In addition, the parts of the half-carcass themselves can be divided into several varieties that divide the cut in taste and quality.

• To first grade can be attributed to the most lean parts of the carcass with soft meat. This is a tenderloin and loin. Also, the first grade can be attributed to ham, which is suitable for most types of heat treatment.
• Second grade can be attributed the best meat that can be cooked on the grill or barbecue in the form of barbecue. This is the neck and scapula, which are located on the front half of the side. The meat has small fatty streaks, but in general it is practically one muscle only.
• To the third grade can be attributed to abdominal cut and brisket, in which the amount of fat is almost comparable with the amount of meat. Nevertheless, such pieces cannot be called bad, because with the high quality of the whole pork they are perfect for certain purposes.
• To fourth grade can be attributed all the remaining parts of the pig. Such a group includes offal (heart, liver, stomach, head, legs), front and rear knuckles, as well as various tendons, cartilage and small cuts of meat. From such parts it is good to cook those dishes that are languishing at high temperatures for a long time, so that harsh and stringy meat can become softer.

It is not enough to know about which part of the half is the most tender and tasty, it is necessary to be able to choose it correctly. It is best to choose chilled meat, as in this case there is less risk of purchasing expired goods. When buying should pay attention to the following features.

• Appearance. Good pork never has a bright red color, it is always pale pink. In this case, the shade of meat should be smooth and glossy. Even if the use of fat in the recipe is not provided, its appearance can also tell about the quality of raw materials. Good lard has a white or slightly cream shade, but not yellow and certainly not pink. There should be no blemishes and foreign colors on the pig fat.

• Smell. Fresh pork should have a pleasant soft aroma, only slightly giving off the smell of blood. Any sharp hue in the fragrance should alert the buyer. When frying the meat of a young pig should also not give a sharp foreign odors.

• Check by touch. Fresh meat keeps its shape well, easily returning to its original state. In this case, a piece of fillet should be quite soft. If you put your hand to the surface of the cut, then it should practically not be soiled with juice.On the contrary, when pressed from fresh pork should stand out at least a couple of drops of juice. If the liquid is too much, it means that the meat was subjected to multiple freezing and thawing, you should not buy it.

To bake pork in such a way that the meat is tender and juicy, it is necessary to choose the most fleshy and soft parts of it, with a small amount of fat. Perfect for this neck or shoulder, ham and brisket.

Not every part of the pig is suitable for frying. Best of all, if it is lean meat with the least amount of fat. This is primarily a tenderloin and loin. This may be a good piece of sirloin or scapula, cleaned of excess films and veins. In addition, for frying perfect cartilage in the form of ears and piglet piglet. Of these, you can cook a variety of snacks in oriental style, seasoned with lots of spices and soy sauce.

Almost all parts of pork are suitable for stewing. The more tender and lean the meat is, the less time it will require for cooking. You can stew both pork cheeks, which belong to the lowest grade of parts, and soft juicy tenderloin, any dish will have an excellent taste, if the quality of the meat itself meets the standard.

Meat can be cooked, stewed, baked in an oven and fried in a pan, dried in the sun, smoked over sawdust or salted in a special brine. Any recipe requires a certain skill, however, with proper skill and the availability of step-by-step instructions to make it possible. Especially if you know the little tricks that will help to cook any part of the pork perfectly.

• You should not pickle kebabs in vinegar, as this will turn even the fattest spatula into a hard sole. It is best to use mineral water, vegetable oil or kefir, or better just plain onions and spices.
• It is better not to fry steaks from tenderloin or carb for more than a couple of minutes on each side so that the crust on the meat is thin. If the piece is too thick, then it is best to bring it to readiness in the oven, and not in the pan.
• If you need to cook pork, then you need to do it twice. The first water after boiling is drained, the meat is washed with running water and cooked until ready in fresh water. This technique will allow you to get a beautiful transparent broth and more lean meat in it.
• Before stewing pork, it is best to fry it a little over high heat. This will allow the pieces to become soft and not fall apart into fibers. This is especially true in such puff pastries as meat in French or in a puff casserole with slices of vegetables and pork.

To learn how to make pork chops, see the following video.