CUTS OF PORK
47. NAMES OF PORK CUTS.--The butcher usually buys a whole carcass of pork. He first divides it into halves by splitting it through the spine, and then cuts it up into smaller pieces according to the divisions shown in Fig. 14, which illustrates the outside and the inside of a dressed hog. As will be observed, the method of cutting up a hog differs greatly from the cutting of the animals already studied. After the head is removed, each side is divided into the shoulder, clear back fat, ribs, loin, middle cut, belly, ham, and two hocks.
48. USES OF PORK CUTS.--Hogs are usually fattened before they are slaughtered, and as a result there is a layer of fat under the skin which is trimmed off and used in the making of lard. The best quality of lard, however, is made from the fat that surrounds the kidneys. This is called leaf lard, because the pieces of fat are similar in shape to leaves. Such lard has a higher melting point and is more flaky than that made from fat covering the muscles.
49. The head of pork does not contain a great deal of meat, but, as the quality of this meat is very good, it is valuable for a number of special dishes, such as headcheese and scrapple.
The hocks contain considerable gelatine, so they are used for dishes that solidify, or become firm, after they are made.
50. A shoulder of pork cut roughly from the carcass is shown in Fig. 15. This piece provides both roasts and steaks, or, when trimmed, it may be cured or smoked. The front leg, which is usually cut to include the lower part of the shoulder, is shown in Fig. 16. The ribs inside this cut, when cut from underneath, are sold as spareribs. This piece, as shown in Fig. 17, is generally trimmed to make what is known as shoulder ham.
51. The ribs and the loin cut in one piece are shown in Fig. 18. From this piece are obtained the most desirable chops and roasts. When a roast is desired, the rib bones are removed from the rib cut, which then resembles the piece shown in Fig. 19. Directly under the backbone in these cuts is the tenderest piece of pork to be had. When this is removed in one piece, it is, as in beef, called the tenderloin. Very often, however, it is left in to be cut up with the rest of the loin.
52. The middle cut is commonly used for bacon, while the belly is most suitable for salt pork. These two cuts consist of large quantities of fat and only narrow layers of lean. They are especially valuable for enriching and flavoring foods, such as beans, that are neither rich in fat nor highly flavored.
53. The hind leg, or untrimmed ham, just as it is cut from the carcass, is shown in Fig. 20. When this piece is trimmed and ready for curing or for roasting, it appears as shown in Fig. 21. As will be noticed, the outside skin, or rind, is not removed from either the shoulder or the ham.
54. TABLE OF PORK CUTS.--As is done in explaining the meats that have been considered previously, there is here presented a table, designated as Table III, that gives the names of the pork cuts and the uses to which they may be put. This table will assist the housewife materially in learning the names and uses of the various cuts of pork.
TABLE III
NAMES AND USES OF PORK CUTS
| NAMES OF CUTS | USES OF CUTS |
| Head | Headcheese, boiling, baking |
| Shoulder | Steaks, roasting, curing, smoking |
| Spareribs | Roasting, boiling |
| Belly | Salt pork, curing |
| Middle cut | Bacon, curing, smoking |
| Ribs | Chops, roasting |
| Loin | Chops, roasting |
| Ham | Roasting, curing, smoking |
| Back fat | Lard |
| Hock | Boiling, making jelly |
| Internal organs and trimmings | Sausage |
COOKING OF PORK