#KnowYourPork
SHOULDER/BUTT
Pork shoulder is the top portion of the front leg. The lower ‘arm’ portion of the shoulder is most commonly called the arm pork roast. The upper part of the shoulder, often called the blade pork roast, comes from the area near the loin and contains the shoulder blade bone.
The blade roast is a well-marbled cut. It’s versatile and can be pot-roasted whole, cut up for stews or cooked over moist smoke in a smoker to transform it into classic pulled pork barbecue. Whether it is roasted, braised or barbecued, blade roast becomes meltingly tender and deliciously flavorful. Pork shoulder also is often ground for use in making ground pork.
5 POUND BONELESS BLADE PORK ROAST
1 1/2 TEASPOONS SMOKED PAPRIKA
2 TEASPOONS BLACK PEPPER
1 TEASPOON CAYENNE
1 TEASPOON DRIED THYME
1 TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1 CUP WATER
SOFT SANDWICH BUNS
Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl and rub evenly over roast. Place meat in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add water. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours or until pork is very tender.
Remove pork to a large cutting board or platter and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Pull, slice or chop to serve. Serve in buns with barbecue sauce.
Makes 16-20 servings
BELLY (SIDE)
Belly
Pork belly comes from a hog’s ‘belly’ or underside after the loin and spareribs have been removed. This boneless cut may be served fresh, which means it is not cured or smoked.
Fresh belly is succulent and richly flavorful and is often served in small portions. Pork belly is at its best and is most tender when prepared using a slow cooking method, such as braising. Pork belly also is a popular menu item among restaurant chefs who appreciate its versatility, flavor and texture.
Spare Ribs
Spare ribs come from the belly of the hog and are known for their delicious, meaty pork flavor. These ribs are the least meaty variety of ribs, but full of flavor. Spareribs are typically larger and heavier than back ribs. St. Louis style ribs are spare ribs with the sternum bone, cartilage and rib tips removed to create a rectangular-shaped rack. These often are the best type of ribs for recipes that require browning in a frying pan because the ribs are straight and flat.
Bacon
The cut used to make bacon comes from the side — or belly — of the pig. When it is cured and smoked, it becomes bacon. An abundance of fat gives bacon its sweet flavor and tender crispiness. Typically sold in slices, it may be packaged in thin slices (about 35 strips per pound), regular slices (about 16-20 strips per pound), or thick slices (about 12-16 strips per pound).
2 tray packs of Copperwood spare ribs
1 bottle barbeque sauce of your choice
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce or crushed scotch bonnet
1 tbsp olive oil
Aluminum Foil as needed
Dry Rub
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp ground all spice
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp granulated sugar
Remove ribs from packaging and pat dry.
In a bowl combine all ingredients for dry rub. Sprinkle dry rub generously on both slabs of ribs and let ribs marinate in dry rub for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place ribs in oiled foil paper and seal for baking. Place in oven for two hours or until fork tender, and then remove from oven and let cool reserving liquid inside foil package.
Combine cooking liquid barbeque sauce, pepper sauce and lime juice to create BBQ sauce.
Preheat a grill on high ensuring that grates are properly oiled to prevent sticking place cooled ribs on grill and glaze generously with sauce until slightly charred.
Remove and serve immediately
1kg piece pork belly
cloves garlic, crushed
teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup hoi sin sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
Using sharp knife, score the pork rind so it’s evenly marked at 1cm intervals. Place pork on wire rack,rind side up, over sink. Pour boiling water carefully over pork rind. Pat dry with paper towel. Cool for10 minutes.
Combine garlic, ginger, five spice, soy, hoi sin, sherry and sugar in a ceramic or glass dish big enough to hold the pork belly. Place pork in marinade, skin side up, taking care not to get marinade on the skin side.
Refrigerate, uncovered for 3 hours or overnight, allowing pork skin to dry out.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a roasting pan with foil. Reserving marinade, place pork into a roasting
pan. Roast for 45 minutes or until pork is tender. Brush the skin lightly with oil. Sprinkle with salt.
Place under a hot grill until skin is crisp and golden.
Meanwhile, combine reserved marinade and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve sauce with pork roast.
PICNIC
Immediately below the shoulder is the next cut you’re likely to find: the Picnic Ham (occasionally called the picnic shoulder). When you hear “ham” you think of the rear leg. But the picnic ham is the lower part of shoulder. A relatively tough and fatty cut, picnic hams are very flavorful and often sold bone-in.
How to Cook? If not pre-cooked (fully cooked picnic hams are available such as Caribbean Passion hams), then braise or smoke – two good long, slow cooking methods to render the fat and make the meat tender and juicy. The sizeable fat cap on the picnic ham is great for making cracklings.
Sorrel Glaze
1 cup White wine
1 cup Sorrel drink
3 tbsp cloves crushed
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 tbsp fresh garlic
2 tbsp orange liquer
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 (12-15lb) Caribbean Passion ready to eat ham (bone in)
¼ cup Brown sugar
¼ cup Dijon mustard
Cloves
Orange slices
Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel skin off ham and score the fat in a diamond shape.
On the stovetop, simmer, over a medium bring wine, sorrel, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cloves to a boil and allow to simmer till reduced and glaze is thickened. When reduced add vinegar and orange liqueur.
Set ham in a baking dish, spread the top with mustard and sprinkle with brown sugar. Insert cloves in over the top of the ham. Pour over ½ of glaze.
Bake for 1 ½hours, basting frequently with the glaze. In last 30 mins, add orange slices to the top of the ham in a decorative pattern, securing them with toothpicks. Continue to bake and baste until top of the ham is caramelized and sticky.
Transfer juices from the bottom of the pan to a sauce bowl. Serve the ham carved and garnished with orange slices, with Dijon mustard, fruit chutney and the pan juices on the side.
LEG/HAM
Cured ham is leg meat that has been dry- or wet-cured. Because the leg muscle is a well-exercised part of the hog, ham is surprisingly low in fat. Hams are dry-cured by rubbing salt and spices into the meat’s surface. Wet-curing involves a brine solution that contains water, salt, sugar and spices. Dry-cured hams are known as ‘country-style.’ Wet cured hams are most common.
All varieties of cured ham are either boneless or bone-in. Bone-in hams are traditionally considered more attractive and boneless are considered easier to serve because of simplified carving. Most hams are fully cooked, as noted on the label. Cooked hams can be served cold or after warming in the oven.
Heat oven to 350°F
Thaw ham and remove packaging or netting from the ham. Trim away any excess fat, leaving just a little. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil, place ham in pan, cover it with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Using a sharp knife, score a 1-inch-wide diamond pattern. Brush the ham with a quarter of the glaze , return it to the oven, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with another quarter of the glaze, and repeat every 15 minutes until glaze is finished and a dark golden-brown crust has formed.
Let ham rest 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.
8 CUP ORANGE JUICE
2 EA BAY LEAVES
12 EA ALLSPICE BERRIES
4 EA CLOVES
2 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
2 TBSP GINGER PUREE
2 EA STAR ANISE
In a heavy sauce pan, combine all ingredients and reduce until a sauce consistency is achieved should be able to coat the back of a spoon and store for use.
LOIN
Loin
Hogs are bred to have extra long loins, so they can have up to 17 ribs — unlike beef and lamb which have 13. The entire pork loin can be roasted, or it can be cut into individual chops or cutlets. The tenderloin is taken from the rear of the pork loin, and baby-back ribs come from the upper ribcage area of the loin. Above the loin is another section of fatback which can be used for making lard, salt pork, or added to sausage or ground pork.
Loin Roast
The loin roast comes from the area of the pig between the shoulder and the beginning of the leg It is sold either bone-in or deboned. Loin roast can be rolled and tied with string. Loin roasts with a bone tend to be juicier and more flavorful, but the bone can make carving a bit tricky.Loin roast is sometimes confused with tenderloin. Despite the name similarity, they are not one in the same. A loin roast is typically sold in pieces weighing between two to four pounds (the tenderloin is a smaller, long cut that usually weighs about a pound). The term roast simply refers to a large cut of pork.
Tenderloin
The tenderloin comes from the full pork loin. As the name indicates, the tenderloin is one of the most tender cuts of pork. Typically, pork tenderloin weighs between ¾ and ½ pounds. Pork tenderloin makes an elegant entree for a small dinner party but also can be roasted or grilled whole for a quick weeknight dinner. When sliced crosswise (like a loaf of French bread), the resulting medallions also may be sauteed.
Chops
Pork chops are the most popular cut from the pork loin, which is the strip of meat that runs from the pig’s hip to shoulder. Depending on where they originate, pork chops can be found under a variety of names, including loin, rib, sirloin, top loin and blade chops.
It’s important to note that all pork chops cook the same. The length of cooking primarily depends on the thickness of the chop. Thickness can vary from ½ to 2 inches. Whether you choose chops boneless for convenience or chops with the bone attached for their attractive appearance, the cooking time is the same. Pork chops are likely the least intimidating of all pork cuts because they are so easy to prepare.
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Country-Style Ribs
Country-style ribs are cut from the sirloin or rib end of the pork loin. The meatiest variety of ribs, country-style ribs are sold either as “slabs” or in individual servings. These pork ribs are perfect for those who want to use a knife and fork.
Back Ribs
Back ribs originate from the blade and center section of the pork loin, which is known for the “finger meat” between the bones. Back ribs also are referred to as “baby” back ribs because they are smaller than spareribs. A rack typically weighs between 1½ and 1¾ pounds.
1 tray pack Copperwood Loin Chops
1 8 oz can sliced pineapple
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper, minced
2 TEASPOONS BLACK PEPPER
Remove pork from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and blend until smooth. Reserve ¼ of the marinade for use later.
Place the pork chops in a mixing bowl and pour marinade over let sit and marinate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
Preheat a grill on medium heat ensuring that grates are properly oiled to prevent sticking depending on the thickness of the chops it should take about 5 minutes per side to cook through while glazing generously with reserved marinade.
When done, remove from grill and serve immediately.
Tip: Use extra pineapples and grill them for a delicious garnish.
2 tbsp. ground allspice
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. chopped ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 stalk fever grass (lemon grass), chopped
1 handful pepper elder leaves (optional)
6 – 10 bird pepper (or 1 to 2 scotch bonnet) based on personal taste
6 stalks scallion, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cracked pepper
Water as needed (optional)
3 lbs. pork tenderloin
6 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
Put all ingredients for pork marinade except bay leaves in a blender and puree till smooth. Thin with a little water if necessary.
Marinate pork tenderloin by massaging the marinade into the meat reserving excess marinade. Crumble and sprinkle bay leaves over marinated meat and allow it to rest for at least 2 hours. Remove pork from marinade scraping away excess, sprinkle outside of the meat with salt.
Place on a warmed charcoal grill set at medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning and basting with leftover marinade liquid - carve and serve with cumin and pimento roasted sweet potatoes.
Yields: Serves 6 to 8
2 1/2 pounds country style pork ribs
2 tablespoon jerk seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon tablespoons salt
1 bunch scallion
10 pimento seeds
1 whole scotch bonnet
1 – 1 ½ cup Scotch Bonnet Guava Barbeque sauce
Scotch Bonnet Barbeque Sauce
1 ½ cup basic BBQ Sauce (any brand)
1 to 2 tablespoons Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce (optional)
½ cup Guava Juice
¼ cup Guava Jam
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Season ribs with jerk seasoning, black pepper and salt and let rest for at least 2 hours. Place ribs in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Add scallion, pimento seeds, and scotch bonnet. Bring water to a boil, and cook ribs for 20 minutes until tender. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Make Scotch Bonnet BBQ Sauce. Combine barbecue sauce, guava juice, guava jam, scotch bonnet sauce and Dijon mustard in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, whisking while simmering so jam and Dijon mustard blend completely into the sauce.
Remove ribs from pot, and place in a baking dish. Pour barbeque sauce over ribs and cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). In last 30 minutes remove foil and increase heat to 400 degrees F. Keep basting with BBQ sauce and turning ribs until they are sticky.
HOCK
The hocks are some of the most succulent and tender bits on the pig. A ‘ham hock’ or ‘pork knuckle’ is the joint where the foot was attached to the hog's leg. It’s the portion of the leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone.
Hocks are essential ingredients for the distinct flavor in soul food and other forms of American Southern country cooking. Eisbein is the name of the joint in north German, and at the same time the name of a dish of roasted ham hock, in Bavaria. Golonka is a very popular Polish barbecued dish using this cut. They are also popular when boiled with escarole, more commonly called endives, in Italian-American cuisine. Fläsklägg med rotmos is a Swedish dish consisting of cured hocks and a mash of rutabaga and potatoes, served with sweet mustard.
2kg un-smoked hocks bout a kilo each, soaked overnight in cold water
500ml Guinness
5-6tbsp Jamaican honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, peeled and halved
12 peppercorns
large carrots, peeled and halved
A few sprigs of thyme
Wash off hocks and place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add onion, peppercorns,carrots and thyme. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until meat is starting to come off the bone. Leave to cool, then remove the large bone that runs through the hock, leaving the small bone in (Optional: but it makes it more presentable).
Pre-heat oven to 180C/gas mark 5. Line large roasting tray with doubled-over foil and place the hocks on top. Pour over honey and some of the Guinness and bake in the oven for about an hour, pouring over more Guinness periodically and basting. Hocks should have a caramel colour on the outside, but be careful it doesn't burn. If it colours too much, then cover loosely in foil.
Serve with an Irish potato dish such as champ or colcannon for a main-course dish.
HOCK
The hocks are some of the most succulent and tender bits on the pig. A ‘ham hock’ or ‘pork knuckle’ is the joint where the foot was attached to the hog's leg. It’s the portion of the leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone.
Hocks are essential ingredients for the distinct flavor in soul food and other forms of American Southern country cooking. Eisbein is the name of the joint in north German, and at the same time the name of a dish of roasted ham hock, in Bavaria. Golonka is a very popular Polish barbecued dish using this cut. They are also popular when boiled with escarole, more commonly called endives, in Italian-American cuisine. Fläsklägg med rotmos is a Swedish dish consisting of cured hocks and a mash of rutabaga and potatoes, served with sweet mustard.
2kg un-smoked hocks bout a kilo each, soaked overnight in cold water
500ml Guinness
5-6tbsp Jamaican honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, peeled and halved
12 peppercorns
large carrots, peeled and halved
A few sprigs of thyme
Wash off hocks and place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add onion, peppercorns,carrots and thyme. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until meat is starting to come off the bone. Leave to cool, then remove the large bone that runs through the hock, leaving the small bone in (Optional: but it makes it more presentable).
Pre-heat oven to 180C/gas mark 5. Line large roasting tray with doubled-over foil and place the hocks on top. Pour over honey and some of the Guinness and bake in the oven for about an hour, pouring over more Guinness periodically and basting. Hocks should have a caramel colour on the outside, but be careful it doesn't burn. If it colours too much, then cover loosely in foil.
Serve with an Irish potato dish such as champ or colcannon for a main-course dish.
TROTTERS
Pig's trotters, also known as pettitoes, are the feet of pigs. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, and though many people don’t cut with them, they have experienced resurgence as a delicacy since the late 2000s.
Before sale the trotters are properly cleaned. They are often used in cooking to make stocks, as they add thickness to gravy, although they are also served much as a normal cut of meat.
This cut is part of traditional dishes in Italy, China, Korea, Japan, Spain and all across the Caribbean.
4 to 5 pigs' feet, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup kecap manis
1/4 cup sriacha
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons kecap manis
2 teaspoons sriacha
3 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon tamarind sauce
Rinse all of the trotters and place them into a shallow hotel pan or dutch oven. Loosely pour the kecap manis and the sriacha over the trotters. Add the salt and the water to the pan and cover with foil or a lid.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Braise the trotters for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the trotters are very tender but not falling off the bone. Let cool briefly.
Meanwhile, start your grill. Arrange your briquets on one side of the grill or in a pile in the middle, so that there's plenty of room on the grill to indirectly cook the trotters. When the briquets have ashed over and are glowing red, arrange the braised trotters on the grate, skin side down.
Grill for 25 to 35 minutes, turning the trotters occasionally to check that the skins aren't burning. Serve immediately with the sauce on the side.
TROTTERS
Pig's trotters, also known as pettitoes, are the feet of pigs. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, and though many people don’t cut with them, they have experienced resurgence as a delicacy since the late 2000s.
Before sale the trotters are properly cleaned. They are often used in cooking to make stocks, as they add thickness to gravy, although they are also served much as a normal cut of meat.
This cut is part of traditional dishes in Italy, China, Korea, Japan, Spain and all across the Caribbean.
4 to 5 pigs' feet, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup kecap manis
1/4 cup sriacha
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons kecap manis
2 teaspoons sriacha
3 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon tamarind sauce
Rinse all of the trotters and place them into a shallow hotel pan or dutch oven. Loosely pour the kecap manis and the sriacha over the trotters. Add the salt and the water to the pan and cover with foil or a lid.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Braise the trotters for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the trotters are very tender but not falling off the bone. Let cool briefly.
Meanwhile, start your grill. Arrange your briquets on one side of the grill or in a pile in the middle, so that there's plenty of room on the grill to indirectly cook the trotters. When the briquets have ashed over and are glowing red, arrange the braised trotters on the grate, skin side down.
Grill for 25 to 35 minutes, turning the trotters occasionally to check that the skins aren't burning. Serve immediately with the sauce on the side.