A typical pork tenderloin weighs a little over a pound, and looks like a foot-long cylinder about three to inches inches wide with very little visible fat.
Don't confuse it with the loin, which is wider and a little fattier. It's often sold in two- or three-pound packages. Tenderloin is so lean, it can easily dry out. An optional brine or marinade can help keep it moist, but proper cooking is always your best bet.
Keyword here is quick. By itself, it's a mild-tasting meat. So think of it as a blank but juicy canvas for sauces, rubs, and marinades. Related: 12 Best Pork Tenderloin Recipes. Get the Recipe: Roasted Pork Loin. Pork loin is mild like pork tenderloin, though additional fat may render it a bit "meatier. But quick stove-top cooking won't work either. You can also grill it over medium heat. Make sure to buy a center-cut roast with a decent fat cap on top.
Center-Cut Rib Roast : Often referred to as the pork equivalent of prime rib or rack of lamb, this mild, fairly lean roast consists of a single muscle with a protective fat cap. It may be cut with anywhere from five to eight ribs. Because the bones and nearby fat are still attached, we find this roast a better option than the center-cut loin roast, which is cut from the same muscle but is minus the bones and fat.
Since there is very little marbling, this roast which is equivalent to beef tenderloin cannot be overcooked without ruining its texture. Tenderloins are often sold two to a package. Many tenderloins sold in the supermarket are enhanced; look for one that has no ingredients other than pork on the label.
Sirloin Roast : This sinuous cut with a good amount of connective tissue is difficult to cook evenly and to carve. Crown Roast : Butchers tie two bone-in center-cut rib or center-cut loin roasts together to create this impressive-looking roast.
We find that a crown roast with 16 to 20 ribs is the best choice, as smaller and larger roasts are harder to cook evenly. Because of its shape and size, this roast is prone to overcooking. Louis—Style Spareribs : Regular spareribs are cut close to the belly of the pig which is also where bacon comes from. Because whole spareribs contain the brisket bone and surrounding meat, each rack can weigh upward of 5 pounds. Some racks of spareribs are so big they barely fit on the grill.
We prefer this more manageable cut because the brisket bone and surrounding meat are trimmed off to produce a narrower, rectangular rack that usually weighs in at a relatively svelte 3 pounds. Fresh Ham, Shank End : The leg is divided into two cuts—the tapered shank end and the more rounded sirloin end. The sirloin end has a lot of bones that make carving tricky.
We prefer the shank end. This cut is usually covered in a thick layer of fat and skin, which should be scored before roasting. This cut is not as fatty as you might think and benefits from brining. Fresh Ham, Sirloin Half : Because of its bone structure, the rounded sirloin is more difficult to carve than the shank end and is our second choice.
Its flavor, however, is quite good. Make sure to buy a bone-in ham; it will taste better than a boneless ham. Although packages are not labeled as such, look for a ham from the shank rather than from the sirloin end. You can pick out the shank ham by its tapered, more pointed end opposite the flat cut side of the ham.
The sirloin ham has more rounded or blunt ends. The Pork rack is the rib end of the loin which will fit into most domestic ovens. Pork Chops are cut from the bone in loin. The boned and rolled Loin is easily cut into smaller pieces and makes excellent roasting joints. The scored rind protects the lean meat from drying out when cooking and provides the wonderful crackling.
Pork Loin Steaks are cut from the boneless middle loin, as are the Butterfly Steaks, which are Loin Steaks cut to double thickness and then partially cut through the centre and opened out. The tenderloin or Fillet is the leanest and most tender meat.
It dries out quickly and should not be overcooked. Luxurious Pork Medallions, cut from the eye of the loin, are lean and firm and cooked in minutes.
The neck end or collar sits above the shoulder and can be divided into the spare rib not to be confused with the spare ribs that are so popular on the barbecue and the blade. It is slightly fatty and most often used cured for bacon or inexpensive diced or minced pork. A spare rib roast is an economical cut that benefits from slow cooking.
Cut from the base of the leg near the feet. Smaller than Hind leg Trotters, front Trotters are perfect for delicious stock making. Almost as long as the loin, the belly provides rich and fatty meat. A boned and rolled Belly joint, roasted slowly over several hours until the fat has melted away, lubricating the meat in the process and producing the best crackling, is delightful. At the shoulder end of the belly sit the ribs. The rib sheets can be cooked as whole racks or cut between the bones into individual meaty spare ribs, which are full of flavour, good value for money and always popular for barbecues.
Cured pork belly makes streaky bacon, smoked or unsmoked or Virginia cured and the Italian version, Pancetta. Pork Shoulder meat is more fatty than pork leg meat and produces very tender and succulent roasting joints.
Slowly roasted for hours it becomes meltingly tender. The whole bone in shoulder is too big for most households, but boned and rolled Pork Shoulder joints with a layer of scored skin for the crackling are easy to prepare and carve. Other uses for pork shoulder are diced shoulder meat for casseroles. Hind Trotters are making a come back with the increased interest in cheaper meat cuts. They contain little meat, but are ideal for soups and stock.
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