Pork is one of the most popular types of meat in many countries. It is notable for its satiety, tenderness, pleasant taste and is suitable for preparing a variety of dishes. Moreover, the taste and quality of the future treats will largely depend on what part of the pig carcass was used in this case.
Which parts of pork are best to use and for which dishes
After slaughtering a pig, butchers cut the carcass into about 40 pieces. Each of them is good in its own way, if you know how to cook it. So, for a rich broth, it is better to use pork ribs, bones with a small amount of meat on them, a shoulder blade or a drumstick. And for cooking jellied meat, legs are more like.
The best goulash is obtained from a shoulder, ham, loin or loin - the fattest part of the carcass. These pieces of pork can also be used for chops, chops and minced zraz and roasts. The shoulder blade is generally considered the toughest part of pork, so it must be subjected to prolonged heat treatment - stewing or boiling.
But it is better to pickle pork ribs, neck, drumstick, shank or back sirloin. Pork tongue and, of course, brisket are also suitable for this purpose. The latter is located on the sides of the abdomen just behind the scapula and is a piece of bacon with layers of meat.
Shish kebab is best made from the neck - this part of the pork has fatty layers, thanks to which the meat on the fire is juicy. For baking in a large piece, the best is the ham - the fleshy part of the carcass, which is a pork buttock. Today, however, the leg is usually given the rear thigh, located just above the knee. You can make delicious boiled pork or roll from the ham.
Steaks, chops, schnitzel and langet should also be made from ham, while medallions and sautés should be made from loin. Then these dishes will turn out to be especially juicy, soft and tasty. Ordinary cutlets, in principle, can be prepared from almost any meaty part of pork. And for greater fat content, it is worth adding a little loin to them.
How to choose good pork
The good thing about pork is that it is soft. Only a very old animal can have tough meat. However, when buying, there is a danger of getting not a fresh product, but a thawed one, which naturally degrades the quality of the meat. To prevent this from happening, you should choose soft pieces of a uniform light pink color without bruising. When pressing on the meat, the fossa should quickly recover and return to its natural color, and not fill with blood and fluid. The smell of fresh pork is pleasant and not too pronounced. If the meat smells rotten or emits other unpleasant odors, you should refuse to buy it.
