How Are the Different Parts of the Pig Prepared?

The different parts of the pork are not all suitable for the same preparation methods. While the neck, chops, or filet should be roasted briefly, for example, ribs or shoulders, which you use for our roast pork crust or pulled pork recipes, can be stewed well. Before preparing, for example, our roast pork loin or our robber roast, you should find out which parts of the pork are suitable for which type of cooking.

• Cooking: The pork knuckle is particularly suitable for this cooking method. Especially in northern Germany, the leg is traditionally pre-cured and then cooked in one piece and served with sauerkraut. Different parts of ham, ribs, and pork belly can also be cooked well – for example, salt pork ham for our roast ham, which is first cooked and then finished in the oven.
• Braise: One part of the pork that braises well is the shoulder. Large ribs and pork knuckles are also well suited for this cooking method, in which the meat is first seared and then deglazed. Goulash can also be prepared from these lots. You can also cook a special stew with the help of our recipe for pork cheeks in red wine sauce. On the other hand, the top and bottom sides are not suitable for stewing, as these pieces are too lean and not very streaky, and are therefore more suitable for pan frying.
• Pan roast: The tender parts of the pork can be pan roasted particularly well. The fillet cut into medallions is predestined for this. Nuts from the thigh and steaks from the neck or saddle of pork are also suitable.
• Roast: Parts of the pork that lend themselves well to roasting are, for example, the top and bottom sides of the ham – the hindquarters of the pig. The nut – another part of the ham – and the rump or the piece of bacon are also suitable for this form of preparation. It is best to fry these parts in the form of schnitzels or shredded meat.

Escalopes are often cut from the top and bottom sides, while the pork hip can serve as the basis for steaks, fondue meat, or goulash. Belly, neck, and leg can also be roasted – they are suitable, among other things, for preparation in one piece as a roast or pork roast.

• Grilling: Meat from the neck, the fillet, hips, comb, or back can be grilled particularly well. These pork parts are suitable for medallions, steaks, and chops. The so-called thick rib, the piece between the belly and the shoulder, can also be grilled, as can a lean pork belly – in Korea, for example, it is used for the grilled dish ssam. A grilled pork knuckle, the meaty piece between the knee or elbow joint and the tarsal joint of the pig, is called a grilled knuckle.