“Half-a-pig” a breakdown of what to expect

When you purchase pork by the half, you are literally buying half of the entire pig. Divide the whole animal in half, right down the middle of the spine, from nose to tail. That’s it. Unless you want a whole, which requires no such division. I seem to lose people with… what comes next. I know that not everyone has dressed, skinned, cleaned, cut, and processed an animal before, but this information was still considered common knowledge a mere 40 years ago. So I will do the unthinkable: I will attempt to explain what all the different cuts are, where they come from, and what they are used for. WARNING: I WILL AT TIMES DESCRIBE PARTS OF THE ANIMAL IN QUESTION, BY REFERENCING PART OF THE HUMAN ANATOMY. I AM NOT A CANIBAL. IM TRYING TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR FOOD COMES FROM. Most hogs sent for slaughter from our farm weigh from 230-290 pounds, with 265 pounds the “ideal” weight. With that, there will be a reduction once the organs are removed, and the halves will be around 90 pounds each. This is the “hanging weight” for a half. Not all of the 90 pounds is edible, the half still contains bones, skin, and excess fat. Once the meat has been trimmed to meet your specific requests, you will have between 65-80 pounds of finished meat.
Ham – A leg to stand on. The ham is the back leg of the pig. This consists of several muscle groups that are not only in close proximity, their inter-dependence makes the back leg seem more like one massive muscle, rather than several small ones. Hams can be cured or uncured, as well as fresh or smoked. Steaks, quartered, halved, or even left whole, packaging can reflect the size of the meal; anything from ham and beans for two, to Christmas for 25.
Bacon – “If swine wore jewelry…” Bacon, is a horizontal cross cut of the muscle that encapsulates the abdominal area. No, Pigs don’t have six packs. What they do have, is a very unique way that muscle and fat “layer” across their bellies. When cut in a correct fashion, this reveals the distinct muscle suspended in fat that you see in bacon. Because this area is not very large compared to the rest of the animal, you will not receive a ton of bacon from one half. But what you do get, will be better than anything you can find in a grocery store! Bacon can be left whole (slab) or sliced thin, standard, or thick. Once sliced to a somewhat standard size, they are packaged in one pound packs.
Loin – …but is it really? Ok. This is where its going to get controversial. The muscle that so many call the “loin”… well, its not actually the loin. What you see in the grocery store, labeled as “pork loin”… you know, that really long cylindrical muscle… that’s actually the back strap; the long muscle that runs from the base of the neck, to the top of the pelvis, down either side of the spine. Somewhere along the line, people began referring to this muscle as the loin, and unfortunately, it stuck. So here are all the ways you can cut and package a BACKSTRAP… or a loin for you city slickers! Pork chops are without a doubt the most popular cut to get from the loin. Either boneless or bone in, chops are usually packaged either 2 or 4 to a pack. Country ribs are the ends, with some bones left in, cut on a different axis. An “End Roast” or “Loin Roast”, is the loin separated from the back, and cut into 2-4 pound roasts.
Shoulder – Holding up the front! Most people can not tell you a cut or even a recipe from a pork shoulder. That is simply because they are not paying attention. Pork shoulder is EVERYWHERE!!! Shoulder roasts, picnic roasts, pork steaks, and whole roasts…. An icon of Spanish, Mexican, Cuban, Haitian, Caribbean and countless other cuisines, and the myriad of knock-offs, from Chipotle to Subway. This juicy, soft, and dense meat is typically packaged in roasts, sized to meet the needs of the end user. Looking for an adventure into pork roasts? Try a Mojo (pronounced mo-ho) recipe with any O’Connor Family Farms pork roast. All I can say is, you're welcome.
Spare Ribs – they hold it all together. The top of the middle section of a pig, that’s the loin area (BACKSTRAP!). The bottom of the middle section, that’s the bacon! But what’s in the middle? RIBS!!! I could go on for hours, and probably will someday, about how over time, the toughest, unwanted cuts of meat, became the most desirable icons of American cuisine. Ribs became one of those icons; one of the four pillars of American barbeque. Spare ribs are packaged with half of a rack in each pack.
Ground pork – The little bits of goodness. So anything on the pig that isn’t cut and packaged for a specific purpose, we call that trim. Oft small cuts of meat with a little fat attached, it would be a waste to throw all of this away. Thankfully, the unwanted cuts become the star of the show following a short trip through the grinder! Once the small pieces of meat, blended with just the right amount of fat, are ground to a consistent size, it can be flavored with just about anything. Common flavors include Breakfast, Italian, and Hungarian, with additional variations including Hot and Maple added in. Packaging can be one pound bulk packages, larger bulk packages, or a number of different size casings for a number of things, from breakfast links to bratwurst.
The processor we work with provides more options than most, providing a healthier option. Bacon and Hams are sugar cured, as opposed to salt cured. This traditional style of curing meat gives it a sweet flavor. Bacon and Ham can also be cured Nitrate/Nitrite free. ALL meat is vacuum sealed; Cut sizes and count per package are choices made by the customer, allowing for the end user to decide what works best for them. The thought of buying a pig, half or whole, can seem like a daunting task. However, I can assure you, it is a lot easier than you might think. The hardworking crew here at O’Connor Family Farms is here to help. We want to be sure that the care and effort we put into raising the best quality meat, translates through the butcher process. The best pork, cut and packaged to your specification… guaranteed! -Adam O'Connor

Comments

Popular Posts