Appreciating underutilized cuts of pork

Most people who eat pork love bacon and pork chops. Some people prefer uncured pork belly, others love ham, or ribs. Many people enjoy sausage or maybe some tenderloin/loin. That is about all of the cuts most people know about from a pig. There is so much more to a pig to know and love however!

As a cook some of my favorite cuts of pork are the most unknown and unloved, like the chicken thighs of yore before they became popular and trendy. Do you love pulled pork or carnitas? I love pulled pork! Where does pulled pork and carnitas come from? It comes from the front shoulders of a pig, from roasts called "Picnic Roast" and "Boston Butt". You can make your own pulled pork or carnitas in a slow cooker if a smoker or BBQ is out of reach for you. Most people grind these into sausage. They also usually opt to grind the ham hocks and shanks as well, which come from the lower leg of the pig.

A Boston butt roast

Hocks and shanks can be purchased raw or cured and smoked and quite frankly, are one of the best parts of the pig. They are loaded with flavor, especially after smoking. They make incredible soups and stews, or are great warmed up, shredded and served with lentils, or used in baked beans.

Smoked ham hocks and shanks sitting in a pot of water

Smoked ham hocks and shanks made into soup

When you purchase a half or whole hog, you're doing yourself a disservice if you ignore these wonderful cuts. You take home less meat if you simply opt to grind half of it into sausage. Instead of taking home 80-90% of the hanging weight, you might take home 60-65%. Our last pig we had done in a gourmet package at Home Meats in Shelton yielded us 61lbs of cuts, 44lbs of cured meat (pre cure weight, some of that will be lost to dehydration), and 13 or so pounds of backfat. From a 130lb hanging weight (it was a small pig). Assuming 15% lost during curing we're looking at a final total of 109lbs, ~83% take home of our 130lbs! If we didn't take our soup bones and backfat for rendering lard we'd be losing a good bit. Our final total is actually higher because we saved the feet (trotters), heart, and liver for other things like dog treats and pickled trotters. If we had the time and space we'd have kept the skin too for rinds.

We're not meat shaming, we're just meat educating. We're always happy to help and answer questions throughout the process so you can get the most out of your pork!