Preparing Pork

A Complete Guide to the Buying and Preparation of Pork

A guide to the major cuts, including butchery and cooking tips...

Price indicator:

• £ = Budget cut
• ££ = Mid-priced cut
• £££=Prime cut

Carvery roast (££)

Butchery

Use shoulder block (collar removed). Remove all bones except hock. Trim meat of excess fast and gristle. Roll and tie.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast

Tips

Ideal shape for portion control.

Collar roast - boneless (£)

Butchery

Remove collar from shoulder block, remove the thin tail muscles. Roll collar and secure with string or roasting bands before cooking.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast
• Pot roast
• Braising

Tips

Very acceptable to a wide range of flavours, ideal for Chinese and Greek dishes. A long, slow moist roasting method works best with collar.

Collar rasher (£)

Butchery

Remove collar from shoulder block, remove the thin tail muscles and square up both ends. Thinly slice to required thickness.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Shallow fry, sauté, griddle. Marinate to add flavour, great on the BBQ! Take care not to overcook.

Collar daubes (£)

Butchery

Prepared from a boneless, fully trimmed collar. Divide collar lengthways and cut into required portion size, secure with roasting bands.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• Stewing
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Marinate to add flavour. Ideal for slow, moist methods of cookery.

Loin and belly roast - middle (££)

Butchery

Sheet bone the ribs and vertebrae from middle. Remove rind and fat from full width of loin eye. Wrap belly round loin into a roll and tie.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast
• Pot Roast
• Braising
• Rotisserie
• Grilling

Tips

Ideal for rotisserie cooking. May be stuffed. Great for use in buffets.

Loin roast - boneless (£££)

Butchery

Remove the fillet and bones from the loin. May have rind left on or off. Secure with string and cut to required joint size.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast
• Pot Roast
• Braising
• Rotisserie
• Grilling

Tips

Undercooking appears to give better tenderness and juiciness. Serve with beef accompaniments.

Rack roast (£££)

Butchery

Use rib section of loin. Remove rind and vertebrae. Then expose the rib tips (larder trim) by removing meat, the fat, and associated intercostal muscles.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast

Tips

Superb all round cut. Great for roasting.

Loin T-bone

Butchery

Cut from lumbar section of the loin (bone-in).

Recommended cooking method

• Roast

Tips

Can be served rind-on or rindless. Serve with accompaniments

Loin T-bone chops (£££)

Butchery

Cut from lumbar section of the loin (bone-in). Cut chops between the cartilage disks of the lumbar section of the loin.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• BBQ/chargrill
• Roast
• Grilling

Tips

Shallow fry, grill or sauté. Cook to preferred degree.

Cutlet/rib chops (££)

Butchery

Cut from rib section of loin. Remove vertebrae and larder trim the rib ends. Portion cutlets between the ribs.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill
• Roast

Tips

Shallow fry, grill or sauté. Ideal for BBQ.

Loin steaks or rashers (£££)

Butchery

Remove bone and rind from loin. Cut slices thin for rashers and thicker for steaks.

Recommended cooking method

• Grilling
• Frying
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Shallow fry, sauté or griddle. Ideal for BBQ.

Double loin or valentine steaks (£££)

Butchery

Remove bone and rind from loin. Cut partially through the first slice and fully through the second slice and open out.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• Roast

Tips

Shallow fry, sauté or griddle. Fry flat or may be stuffed and folded back into steak.

Loin eye rashers (£££)

Butchery

Remove all fat and gristle from a boneless loin. Slice evenly into thin rashers.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling

Tips

Shallow fry, sauté or griddle. Can be used in sandwiches or on a salad.

Brasserie steaks (£££)

Butchery

Remove bone and rind from the loin, cut into double-thick steaks and tie into rounds.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast
• Braising
• Frying

Tips

Ideal for fine dining. Shallow fry or sauté. For thicker-cut steaks, reduce heat after searing to cook through.

Fillet - tenderloin (£££)

Butchery

Removed from the inside lumbar region of the loin

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling

Tips

Ideal for fine dining. Shallow fry or sauté slices.

Belly roast (£)

Butchery

Separate the belly from the loin. Remove bones and rind from the belly. Roll, tie and cut to required size.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast
• Pot Roast
• Braising
• Rotisserie

Tips

Great for rotisserie cooking. Otherwise, roast on a trivet of vegetables and bones so fat can drip away.

Belly slices or rashers (£)

Butchery

Separate the belly from the loin. Sheet bone and de-rind belly. Slice thin for rashers, thicker for slices.

Recommended cooking method

• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Grill on a rack to allow excess fat to drip away. Remove excess fat for barbecues.

Belly blocks (£)

Butchery

Separate the belly from loin. Remove bones and rind from belly and cut belly into squares of required portion weight.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising
• Frying

Tips

Ideal for slow, moist cooking processes. May be marinated. Great on the BBQ.

Tendrons (£)

Butchery

Separate the belly from loin. Remove bones and rind from belly, fold lengthways to produce U shape and secure with bands and slice to required portion weight.

Recommended cooking method

• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Slow cooking gives best results. Works well on the BBQ.

Spare ribs (£)

Butchery

Sheet bone ribs from belly. Split ribs.

Recommended cooking method

• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Do not overcook to maintain succulence. Great on the BBQ.

Carvery leg roast (££)

Butchery

Prepared from the whole leg and chump. Remove all bones, topside and thick flank muscles and internal fat and gristle. Hock may be left on or off, rind on or off. Secure with string.

Recommended cooking method

• Roast

Tips

Boneless cut with a good shape for cooking and portion controlled slicing.

Mini joints (£££)

Butchery

Produced from fully trimmed topside, silverside, thick flank and chump muscles. Cut into required size joints and secure with roasting bands. Rind may be added to joint if required.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising
• Roast

Tips

Individual portions can be cooked to preference. Line the joints up on a spit for impact. Can be served as a sharing dish for two people.

Leg steak - topside/thick flank (££)

Butchery

Prepared from fully trimmed topside or thick flank muscles. Cut evenly to required thickness.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Shallow fry or sauté. Works well on the BBQ.

Rump/chump steak (£££)

Butchery

Prepared from boneless chump, rind on or off. Slice to required thickness.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Shallow fry or sauté. Works well on the BBQ.

Daubes - topside (££)

Butchery

Produced from fully trimmed topside muscle. Cut into required size portions and secure with roasting bands.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising

Tips

Ideal for braising.

Cushion - thick flank (££)

Butchery

Prepared from a fully trimmed thick flank muscle and secured with roasting bands.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising

Tips

Braise whole and serve with chunky vegetables

Chunkies (££)

Butchery

Prepared from fully trimmed leg muscles (topside/silverside and thick flank and chump). Cut to required portion weights.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising
• Frying
• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Score chunkies to aid cooking. Diagonal score for better presentation. When frying thicker cuts, reduce flame after searing to cook through. Ideal cut for BBQ.

Shank/knuckle (£)

Butchery

Removed whole from the leg, rind on or off

Recommended cooking method

• Braising

Tips

Best braised with rind off. Steam cook and roast.

Osso bucco (£)

Butchery

Prepared from trimmed and de-rinded shank. Cut through the bone into two even-sized portions.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising

Tips

Can be produced from fore and hindquarter.

Trotters (£)

Butchery

From fore or hind quarter. Trotters removed through natural joint.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising

Tips

Can be stuffed with sausage meat and black pudding.

Stir fry strips (£)

Butchery

Produced from any muscles suitable for frying. Fully trimmed of fat and gristle.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying

Tips

Shallow, stir-fry or deep-fry. Coat before deep-frying to prevent sticking together.

Cubes and dice (£)

Butchery

Prepared from lean muscles, fully trimmed of fat and gristle.

Recommended cooking method

• Braising
• Frying
• Grilliing
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Large dice (2cm), fully trimmed of fat and gristle. Shallow or deep-fry. Great for the BBQ but make sure wood kebab sticks are soaked to prevent burning (or use rosemary twigs).

Lean pork mince (£)

Butchery

Prepared from lean muscles, fully trimmed of gristle and a visual lean of 75%.

Recommended cooking method

• Frying
• Grilling
• BBQ/chargrill

Tips

Form into meatballs, koftas and burgers. Fat at 75% visual lean can help with taste and texture. Shallow or stir-fry. Great for the BBQ.

Kidney (£)

Recommended cooking method

• Braising
• Frying

Tips

Soak in cold water or milk to remove unpleasant taste. First skin, halve, core, soak and then sauté.

Liver (£)

Recommended cooking method

• Braising

Tips

Rinse in cold water. Remove major veins before using and cooking.

Whole hog (£££)

Butchery
Specify weight and grade before ordering.

Recommended cooking method

• Grilling

Tips

Great for rotisserie cooking. Allow enough time to cook through and order enough.

Suckling pig (£££)

Butchery
Specify weight and grade before ordering.

Recommended cooking method

• Grilling
• Roast

Tips

Great for rotisserie cooking. Allow enough time to cook through and order enough. 5-10kg is the optimum weight.

Guide courtesy of the British Pig Executive

Reproduced with permission from A Chef's Guide to Pork
To download a copy, click here