Pork can be prepared in a variety of ways.
Pork is known as the "other white meat." While many only think of pork as being fatty, it is actually quite low in fat and rich in vitamins such as B6, B12, iron and potassium. Some lean cuts of meat are just as healthy as a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Pork also stays a lot juicier than chicken, with a stronger flavor. For those looking to prepare a pork dish, there are four basic cuts of pork and many different ways to prepare it.
Instructions
1. Choose a shoulder cut from the butcher. Cuts within the shoulder section include Blade Steak, Shoulder Butt, Smoked Arm Picnic, Smoked Hock and Ground Pork for sausages. Hocks, which are from the lower portion of the pork leg are often used in flavoring soups and stews, due to its smoky flavor when cooked. For the most tender hocks, chop up the ham hocks and add them to the soup or stew towards the end of the cooking process. Blade steaks are cut from the pork shoulder which contains the blade bone, and are popular to cook on the grill. The top portion of the leg is considered the pork shoulder, also known as the Boston butt cut. Boston butt is commonly cooked whole like a pot roast, or gently cooked over smoke for pulled pork.
2. Choose a side cut. The side cut of the pig is where you can get spareribs, pork belly and bacon. Pork spareribs are meaty and can be prepared with a dry or wet seasoning. You can create your own rub from scratch or pick up something from the store. Pork spareribs are best cooked over a grill, generously basting the ribs throughout the cooking process. Bacon is an American favorite and is easy to purchase in packaged strips from the grocery store. If you would like to try your hand at making your own bacon, you can buy it from the butcher in slab and either fry in a pan like usual, or try broiling or baking it for a healthier version.
3. Choose the loin cut. Cuts from the loin section of the pig, which is in the middle include loin roast, tenderloin, rib roast, chops, cutlet and country-style ribs. Pork tenderloin is one of the most tender cuts of pork you can get, and is often served in upscale restaurants. It can be sauteed, roasted or grilled, and should be seasoned well, as it has a milder flavor. Pork chops is one of the more popular cuts. Different types of chop can include the blade bone, hip bone and back-rib bone. Top loin chops are boneless. Pork chops are very easy to prepare in the frying pan, or on the grill. Back ribs are smaller than spare ribs, which is why they are know as "baby" back ribs. Back ribs can be prepared the same as spareribs.
4. Choose the leg cut. Cuts from the leg section include fresh pork leg and ham, the back section of the pig. The fresh pork leg, which is from the hind leg of the pig is thick and meaty, like a roast and can be cooked as such, in the oven. Cured ham has been wet or dry-cured with salt and spices. Wet-cured ham is the more common one, seen on many Christmas dinner tables. Cured ham comes both fully cooked and raw. The fully-cooked kind can be heated or served cold. The uncooked cured ham needs to be cooked in the oven until the internal temperate is 160 degrees. Some people like to add a mint jelly on top of their cured hams.
Tags: Back ribs, , Boston butt, cooked over, cooking process