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Food Info - Meats: Know Your Way Around a Pig

Source of Recipe

San Francisco Chronicle: Food Section - 5/4/94 by Marlena Spieler
Here's a quick tour of porcine anatomy and some ideas for using various cuts and parts:

CHOPS: Can come from the center loin, sirloin, rib or top loin. They may have a nice big bone or be boneless. Chops are tender, lean and at their best when quickly cooked like any delicate chop: broiled, grilled or sauteed. Thin chops are best sauteed, thicker ones grill nicely, and big thick chops may be braised. Before grilling, trim off any excess fat that rims the chops. Rub chops with a pure chile powder, then grill. Top with avocado and blood orange salsa. Marinate chops in lemon and thyme-scented olive oil, then grill. Top with a nugget of Roquefort chese and a handful of lightly toasted walnuts.

ROASTS: Large cuts of pork from the loin, leg, shoulder or tenderloin. Boneless loin, sirloin, boneless rib, tenderloin; all may be roasted in the oven, barbecued, stewed or braised. A pork roast may be prepared in the same way you would a leg of lamb. Use a meat thermometer to guide you, insuring against overcooked gray dryness, but making sure it's fully cooked. Insert slivers of garlic and/or spice or herb pastes into incisions all over the surface of the meat.

RIBS: Spareribs come in slabs, mostly bones encased in fat, in between which are shreds of what some people claim is the best tasting pork of all. Back ribs and country-style ribs are meatier; the bones(fewer) are laden with large chunks of meat. Ribs may be braised, roasted or barbecued. Ribs are best when slow-cooked, because more of the fat renders out, basting the meat to tenderness(rib meat can be as tough as it is flavorful).

CUTLETS(escallops): Thin slices of pork that saute or braise quickly. Purchase as cutlets or cut them yourself from the loin, leg, shoulder or tenderloin. Cutlets, cut 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick, then flattened with your hand or pounded gently with a mallet to an even, thin dimension, become "paillards". Serve paillards grilled quickly with a spicy tomato or South Seas inspired mango chutney; or saute the little cutlets with whole fresh sage leaves and paper thin strips of prosciutto, saltimbocca style.

CUBES AND STRIPS: Cubes can be cut from lean boneless loin, shoulder, tenderloin or leg. Cubes are excellent for chile verde, French wine-infused stews, or marinated and spiced kebabs. Cut a little smaller, diced pork is good curried, with cubes of eggplant, Caribbean style.

To cut your own strips, partially freeze a boneless cut of pork, then slice to 1/8 inch thick strips. Marinate in soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic and a little sugar; grill and serve with a spicy peanut sauce. Strips are perfect for stir-frys. They also make comforting soups; Add to chicken broth, along with broccoli florets, diced tofu, and noodles; season with garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and chopped green onions.

BELLY PORK: The cut that usually ends up as bacon or salt pork here in the United States. Because it is fatty, it makes excellent confit or rillettes, and a small strip can add great flavor to a simple chicken stock.

GROUND PORK: Teriffic on its own or mixed with beef for meatballs or a filling for Chinese dumplings, zesty pasta sauces, cannelloni or ravioli fillings, meat loaf, and spicy burgers for grilling. Season ground pork with chopped garlic, green onion, cilantro, sesame oil and soy sauce, the roll and stem into juicy Far Eastern meatballs.

SNOUT, TAIL, EARS, TROTTERS AND SKIN: These and other esoteric cuts usually are found only in specialty butchers or ethnic markets. A pig head may send you into a nose-dive, but the French don't sneer at it. If you decide to "go whole hog," consult a classic French Cookbook (such as the"Roux Brothers French Country Cookery"), and invite the more adventurous of your friends. The crunchy ears are a delicacy in Spain, served with a garlicy, parsley dressing. ( In San Francisco, Alejandro's on Clement Street serves a creditable version.) Pig skin is marvelous for more than footballs. It adds enormous flavor to long-simmered dishes that require some fat. Most bean dishes benefit from its addition; pinto or other Southwest beans, black beans and cassoulet, that French classic of white beans and assorted meats.

The trotters, or feet, are perhaps the most commonly found of these speciality meats. Pickled, they are a treat in the South. In Mexico's Guadalajara, the meat from pig's feetops the regional speciality tostada. In Italy, you might find the meat combined with bits of sausage, broccoli and cheese. Now for that tail. My fiance once brought me a bag of little pig's tails. They were curly and a bit horrifying. I simmered them into a soup with Caribbean spicing. They were rather fatty and had great flavor.

INNARDS: Liver and kidneys are the most common variety meats of the pig. The liver is especially good in pates, and makes a lovely kebab. Cut the liver into bite-sized pieces and marinate in white wine, garlic and herbs. Thread onto skewers with bacon, bay leaves and french bread, then grill, letting the bacon baste it all. Pork liver also is nice thinly sliced, coated with crumbs, then quickly sauteed.