Cutting pork carcasses: the main stages. Video
Pork is fatty, tender meat that has a sweetish flavor. Different pieces are needed for cooking. Correct cutting of the carcass allows you to get the highest meat yield. It is preferable to bake the whole ham, cook the jellied meat from the rolls, and get a wonderful roast from the tenderloin.
Butcher Pig: How to Cut a Carcass
The steps for properly cutting a pig carcass include:
– deboning, that is, the separation of the pulp from the bones. The meat is carefully separated with a knife, and then washed in water and used as directed;
– trimming and stripping – removal of tendons, films and cartilage. At this stage, intermuscular connective tissues and thin surface films remain. Semi-finished products can be made from such a product.
Cutting meat should be done in a cool place. The carcass is suspended with an iron rod threaded through the hind legs, then an incision is made in the neck and wait until all the blood has flowed out. If necessary, burn the leather with a soldering iron. It is not necessary to burn the skin for a long time to avoid melting the subcutaneous fat. Then the fat, head and legs are separated and folded separately.
The pig is then cut into fore and hind quarters along the last rib and between the 13th and 14th vertebrae. The forequarter is cut on a flat, hard surface. The scapular part is separated from the ribs, then the cervical part is cut off along the last vertebra. After that, the brisket is separated along a line running from the end of the first rib to the end of the last. The dorsal-costal part, consisting of the thick edge, the subscapularis and the edge, is left unchanged.
Meat can be frozen, in this form pork is stored for about 6 months
Deboning of the scapula is carried out from the outside, after removing the tendons from the radius and ulna. The meat is also cut off, and the piece itself is divided into two parts: the humerus and the humeral bone. The pulp is removed from the neck in a layer, while it is better to separate it from the vertebrae. The brisket is removed from the bone and cartilage. The pulp is also removed from the ribs, it is divided into a thick subscapularis and a trim.
Then proceed to cutting the hindquarter. It is cut into the lumbar part, from which the pulp is cut along the dorsal vertebrae, and then divided into a thin edge and a flank. The ilium or pelvic bone and meat are isolated from the hip part. Now cut up the fat. Fat, as a rule, is cut from the barks and hind legs, this is the thickest layer of fat in a pig. Lard is thinner – up to 15 mm. The ears and nose are cut off from the head. Giblets and intestines are washed. The legs are divided into shanks and lower parts.
Preparation of semi-finished pork products
The ham or shoulder can be salted to make a ham. Meat, properly cut from the spine, can be rolled up and tied. Semi-finished products can be smoked, which will be a guarantee against spoilage and give them a special aroma and taste.
Blood can be used in cooking, it contains a large amount of protein and is considered a good and quality product. To store the liquid, you need to salt it a little, but it is better to cook cutlets or sausage from it right away.
The intestines are also used in the preparation of sausages and sausages. They are ripped from the mesentery and the fat is scraped off with a blunt knife. After that, they must be squeezed out and rinsed thoroughly under running water. To make the shell peel off easily, the intestines must be soaked in hot, but not boiling water for 3-4 hours. As a filler, you can use minced meat from the head and various trimmings.
Legs can be used not only for making jellied meat, but also for baking, boiling and stewing. The tongue will make an excellent aspic, and the brains are fried and served with a vegetable side dish. For barbecue, you can take a loin or tenderloin, and make boiled pork from the neck part.