Test Kitchen Urban Homesteading Class: “Hog Butchering”
 
Taught by:

Executive Chef Alex Pope
R Bar & Restaurant
 
January 31, 2010
1:00 – 3:00 pm
 
Our Friend the Pig
 


 
How to butcher a pig.

Once the basic cuts are mastered, you can transfer the knowledge to butchering any four-legged animal.

Although every butcher has a slightly different way of dissecting an animal, the basic primal and sub-primal cuts are all the same.

Primal cuts: head, belly, loin, shoulder, leg (ham)
Sub primal cuts: tenderloin, ribs, rib chops (rib eye), loin chops (kc strip), hocks, feet, jowls, boston butt and picnic shoulder
 
I will show you two ways to butcher a pig—one maxims belly yield and one produces ribs and bone-in pork chops:
To cut for belly:
  1. 1st cut: remove tenderloin
  2. 2nd cut: remove hind leg (ham)
  3. 3rd cut: separate spine from loin
  4. 4th cut: separate ribs and spinal bone from carcass
  5. 5th cut: remove loin
  6. 6th cut: cut out belly
  7. 7th cut: separate boston butt and picnic shoulder
  8. 8th cut: remove feet
  9. 9th cut: remove back fat
  10. 10th cut: take apart hind leg (ham)
 
To cut for ribs:
  1. 1st cut: remove tenderloin
  2. 2nd cut: remove hind leg (ham)
  3. 3rd cut: remove skirts
  4. 4th cut: cut across 4th rib from loin to end of belly
  5. 5th cut: cut across the 12th rib from loin to belly
  6. 6th cut: remove spinal bone from loin chop section
  7. 7th cut: cut across ribs from the 4th to 12th rib at about 2 and 5 inches
  8. 8th cut: remove spare ribs
  9. 9th cut: trim pork chops of bone and fat
  10. 10th cut: separate boston butt and picnic shoulder
  11. 11th cut: remove feet
  12. 12th cut: take apart hind leg (ham)
 
Recipes:
 
Guanciale
For one large pork jowl
  • ½ cup salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 each garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 T black peppercorns, toasted, cracked
  1. combine the cure ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly
  2. put the jowl in a large freezer bag with the cure and toss the evenly coat the jowl
  3. put the bag in the fridge for 5 days and rinse the cure off
  4. poke a hole in the corner of the jowl and put a piece of string in it, hang it a dark, dry place for 2 to 3 weeks, it should feel stiff but not hard
 
Braised Pork
For belly, hocks or shoulder cuts
  • 2lbs pork: belly, hock or shoulder
  • ½ oz fresh sage
  • ¼ cup ginger, sliced, skin on
  • 1 cup chicken stock or water salt
  1. sprinkle the pork generously with salt and let stand for 10 minutes
  2. heat a large pan to medium and add a drizzle of oil
  3. sear the pork until golden brown on all sides and remove from the pan
  4. add the ginger and sage and turn off the heat, let the sage fry gently for about 1 minute
  5. add the water or stock to the pan and scrape up any bits
  6. return the pork to the pan and cover with a lid or with foil and put into a 300F oven for 3 hours
 
Brine for Pork Chops
  • 1 qt water
  • 1 qt apple juice or cider
  • ½ c salt
  • ½ c brown sugar
  • 6 inches rosemary
  • 2 e garlic cloves, smashed
  1. bring the ingredients to a boil in large pot, turn off the heat and let stand for 20 minutes
  2. pour the brine in a container that will comfortably hold the pork and the brine and put it in the fridge until the brine is chilled
  3. add the pork chops and brine for: 2 hours for single chops, 8 hours for whole loins
 
Roasted Pork Shoulder
  • 4lbs. bone in pork butt
  • ¼ c vegetable oil
  • 5 e garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ oz fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 2 T honey
  • 4 T salt
  • 2 T miso paste (optional)
  1. combine everything but the pork in small bowl, mix thoroughly
  2. using your hands, rub the mixture evenly over the pork shoulder and put in a Ziploc bag, press all the air out and let it sit for 18-24 hours
  3. put the pork in a roasting pan and cook at 275 for 4-5 hours
 
Coppa
  • 2.5 # pork and fat, cut into small dice
  • 1 T fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2 T orange zest
  • 1 ½ T salt
  1. combine the ingredients in a bowl, or better a kitchen aid with a paddle attachment
  2. mix for at least two minutes, the salt will make the mixture slightly sticky and tacky
  3. lay the mix out on large piece of plastic wrap in the shape of a sausage, think hot dog size
  4. using a rolling motion, push the bottom the plastic wrap around the coppa and use your thumbs to cinch the edges
  5. lay out another piece of plastic and put the sausage on it and repeat to make the casing tight
  6. put the sausage in a pan and add and inch of water, put it in the oven at 250 for 30 to 45 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through
  7. yes, its okay to put plastic wrap in the oven if you keep the temperature low…you put plastic in the microwave all the time
 
Bacon
  • 1 ½ lbs. salt
  • ¾ lbs. brown sugar
  • 5 e garlic cloves
  • 4 e jalapeño peppers, flesh only
  • 4 lbs. pork belly
  1. put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds
  2. put the belly in a large freezer bag or pan, use the mix to coat generously and let stand for 2 days
  3. rinse the mix off of the belly and dry thoroughly, drying is important for smoking, smoke sticks to dry surfaces
  4. smoke the belly over your choice of wood for 1 to 4 hours, make sure to keep the temperature below 100 F
 
Capicola
  • 1 lbs. salt
  • ¼ c. celery seeds
  • ¼ c. chili flakes
  • ½ c. garlic cloves
  • ½ c. coriander, whole, toasted
  • 1 2-3 pound pork neck loin or rib loin
  • ½ c. pork fat, rendered
  1. combine the ingredients in a food processor or mortar and pestle, make sure everything is well crushed and mixed
  2. put the loin in large freezer bag with the salt mix and coat evenly
  3. let the loin sit in the fridge for 5 days and rise off the mix
  4. truss the loin with butchers twine and rub all over with the fat. The fat helps to keep off any bugs and dirt and keeps the loin from over-drying
  5. hang in a cool, dry, dark place for 2 to 4 weeks until stiff but not hard