Roast Pork Loin With Sweet Potatoes and Apples, Cuts of Pork: a Pig Diagram and Pork Chart. When buying pork, look for firm, pink flesh. A pork crown roast is two racks of pork tied into a circular crown, in the middle of which stuffing can be cooked. Pork back ribs are often called baby back ribs. An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. See below. As such, fatback is a key ingredient in sausages to add fat and moisture. There are plenty more cuts of pork like pork knuckles, trotters, and beyond—the knuckles and feet (trotters), for example, both of which need long, slow cooking to break down all the connective tissue that otherwise makes them tough but are then prized for their meaty flavor. pork blade shoulder or picnic shoulder) usually being the triangular piece that would be attached to the butt. In the supermarket, you may see a variety of different types of pork chops, including loin, rib, sirloin, top loin and blade chops. Luckily, both need long, slow cooking and are great barbecued, braised, or used as stew meat, or in making gyro, so you can use them interchangeably. It is "hard fat" that can be chopped and ground (this is compared to the visceral or "soft fat" found in the abdominal cavity). In fact, in terms of nutrition, pork compares favorably with many proteins, including meats and poultry. Cuts from the pork loin are the leanest and most tender pork cuts. Bacon is cut from the side of the belly and is basically perfect with everything. They can still be grilled, broiled, or pan-fried to great effect, especially if marinated or tenderized beforehand, but they can also stand up to longer, slower cooking methods like braising, too. Just above the Boston butt is a section of fat called the clear plate or fatback , which can be used for making lard, salt pork, or added to sausage or ground pork. The three sections of the pork loin are: When sold as whole "roasts," pork loins are usually tied up, as pictured. We may call them pork hocks and shanks, but a pig would call them its shins. Several different cuts can be called pork chops. 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." Despite its name, “pork butt” comes from the pork shoulder, which is the top portion of the front leg (remember this when we talk about ham). Heard that one yet? Pork lard lacks any real pork or meaty flavor, making it an excellent neutral-flavored cooking fat with a high smoking point. Like pork chops, many cuts get sold as "pork roasts." They are also easy to cook—try them grilled, roasted, or broiled—but also easy to overcook, so pay attention when they're on the fire or in the oven! When the skin is removed they are called shanks, usually sold raw (as pictured) and respond very well to braising. It can be cooked whole or sliced crosswise into medallions. 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. The most popular type of white meat is poultry, with chicken coming out on top of the list of favorite meats. So bacon is mostly cured (you can buy uncured bacon), smoked and sliced. In the supermarket, you may see a variety of different types of pork chops, including loin, rib, sirloin, top loin and blade chops.