Pork Primal Cuts

November 25, 2008

I don’t know if I’m alone, but I can never picture where different cuts of meat come from on cows and pigs.  Chickens are a little easier – leg, thigh, breast – but I can’t really picture a top round.  Now some may ask why I want to know, and that I can’t answer, but I do.

This first post on the cuts of meat will cover the primal cuts of pork.  Primal cuts are the standardized, major cuts made after a pig is broken down into pieces that are manageable to work with.  Sub-primals are the next size of cut down, with names you’ll see more often.  Portion control cuts (sometimes called other names, such as retail or HRI) are even smaller cuts, like steaks, chops or ground meat.

(Image from http://www.theotherwhitemeat.com/docs/NotebookCutChart.pdf)

Ham Primal Cut

The ham primal is the backside of the pig.  The sub-primals include the shank/hock (the leg area), the ham (most of the rest of the primal), and the top round (I don’t know where this is.  Can anyone help?)

Loin Primal Cut

The loin is the back of the pig, and (appears to) go part-way down its side.  The sub-primals are the center-cut loin, boneless loin, baby back ribs, and tenderloin.

Boston Butt Primal

I know – it doesn’t make any sense.  The part called the butt is not actually the butt.  The boston butt primal is the top of the front shoulder.  Sub-primals are the boston-butt itself and the cottage butt.  One site said the whole shoulder was a primal cut, while the butt shoulder and picnic shoulder (below) were sub-primals.  I’m sticking with The Professional Chef though, which divides them as I have it.

Picnic Primal

The picnic is the lower portion of the front sholder.  It’s hard to tell if the front leg is included or not, but if it is, the sub-primals are the picnic itself, the hock (mid-part of the leg), and the foot.

Side/Belly Primal

The belly is often turned into bacon, pancetta, or salt pork.  If it is cooked fresh, it’s usually sautéed.

Other Sections

Again, I’m not sure if the legs are included in the picnic or ham.  Also, the book doesn’t list the head as a primal, but the jowl is often eaten as a bacon.

In future posts I’ll go into more detail concerning the sub-primals.

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