Head to Tail: Know What to Do With Every Part of the Pig
Let’s get down to the real swine. Here’s a complete guide to dealing with the meat Filipinos love to eat.
Pork Shoulder or Butt
Perfect for stews, ground meat, smoked (pulled pork), or roasted whole. Ask for
the blade roast if you want something extremely tender to roast.
Ham or Leg
For curing, roasting, and boiling and to make your own ham at home.
Belly
Bacon. Enough said.
Lard
Can be used as butter and oil. A natural occurring fat, it is a healthy alternative when used in moderation.
Loin Roast
Available with bone or deboned. Usually wrapped in twine for roasting. Not to be confused with the tenderloin. Great brined and then barbecued.
Pork Chop
One of the healthiest cuts of meat when trimmed and an amazing source of pure protein power. The Porterhouse is probably the meatiest. The Rib Eye includes a good amount of tasty fat. The Sirloin Chop is a little less tender than the previous two. New York Chops are usually sold as country-style ribs, they tend to have a good amount of marbling.
Tenderloin
One of the least popular cuts, as it is long and thin. But probably the easiest cut to cook with a good rub or marinade, pan-seared, and then finished off in the oven.
Blade Steak
Cut from the pork butt and has a piece of blade bone, and a strong flavor due to the marbling. Easy to grill.
Shank
Lean yet tough.
Picnic
Most of the cuts here are great roasted or braised. The Hocks especially are a growing favorite; they carry a perfect balance of cartilage and fat, is inexpensive, and a great stock starter.
Spareribs
From the belly. These are the ribs with the strongest flavor but with less meat.
Jowl
Best when roasted.
Country Style Ribs
Has the most meat in the rib category, with parts of sirloin and pork loin on them.
Back Ribs
The smallest ribs, which is why they are called “baby,” and not because they come from a baby pig.
Rib Roast
Lovely when cooked in an oven and probably the most regal in presentation for large sit-down dinner parties.
This article originally appeared in the July 2014 issue of Esquire Philippines. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
