Perhaps the most popular meat in the world is pork. Only Muslims and Jews do not eat it, and this is due to religious beliefs, and not because the product is tasteless. Breeding pigs is not difficult, since these animals are the most unpretentious in both care and nutrition. Many refrain from buying pork just because they think this meat is too fat, but in fact in some parts of the carcass of fat contains only 3%, and this makes it even more dietary than chicken.
In general, in order to cook any tasty pork dish, you need to choose the right part of the carcass for this . If you want to independently feed the animal and get a guaranteed environmentally friendly product, you will also need to master the cutting of pork carcasses. In the future, this will provide an opportunity to save on the work of a specialist.
Cutting Features
Pork is very tender compared to beef, so you do not need to ripen the meat in limbo . If you wish, you can hang a slaughtered animal to facilitate the process of cutting pork carcasses, but you can perform similar actions qualitatively by putting the piglet on a regular table or even leaving it on the ground.
The main rule when cutting is that the muscles of the upper body of pigs during life work the least. The neck also refers to this, since pigs hardly twist it. Thus, the meat from these areas will be the most tender, and therefore the most expensive and will be ideal for chops, frying in a large piece or baking.
The meat from the bottom is suitable for stewing, frying in a small piece, cooking minced meat. The lowest grade parts - hooves, tails or ears will go to jellied meat.
There are 4 schemes for cutting pork carcasses:
- German
- English
- American
- Russian (Moscow).
The choice of a specific option depends on the further purpose of the meat.
Previously, the skin can be completely or partially removed from the mascara. This action also depends on the further purpose of the cutting parts:
- if the carcass goes to sausage or sale, the skin is removed completely;
- if for smoking or salting - partially;
- when removing fat, it is often cut off with the skin, and sold;
- at home, the skin is often left behind.
Slaughter Options
Before you master the correct cutting of pork carcasses at home, you should invite a specialist who can slaughter the animal. It is forbidden to feed the piglet the day before slaughter, you can give only water and it is advisable to wash it well before the procedure itself.
The most popular slaughter options are punctures in the neck or heart. The latter has a drawback, as blood can collect in the chest and ruin the quality of the meat. Puncture of the neck involves cutting the artery. Blood drains quickly and the animal falls asleep.
You can also use weapons and electricity.
In any case, it is important to first immobilize the pig, tying her legs, and do everything as quickly as possible so that the pig does not have time to get scared. Otherwise, the meat will be stiff and acquire a characteristic smell.
Timing
If we talk about the age of the animal, the basic rule for pigs is slaughter not during hunting. Boars are not suitable for meat at all, because their meat contains the hormone androsterone, which makes the product unsuitable for food. When slaughtering a castrated boar, age does not matter.
The cooking of pork carcasses in the future will depend on the degree of fatness of the pig during slaughter. So, piglets are isolated (usually they are cooked whole), fat pork (weight> 90 kg), meat (weight 40-90 kg) and bacon (a special breed and method of feeding).
Speaking about the time of day suitable for slaughter, you should rely on the season. In winter, there are no restrictions, but in summer you should choose a time with a minimum number of insects in the air and a low temperature so that the meat could not quickly deteriorate.
An early morning on a dry and calm day is best.
Description of cutting schemes
The English scheme for cutting pork carcasses is considered the simplest, since it provides only for dividing the carcass across into 4 parts:
- head (in Fig. 4);
- front part (3);
- the middle part (2);
- back part (1).
You can see how it looks in the figure presented in the text.
The American method begins with dividing the carcass into two parts along the spine, after which each is divided:
- on the head (in Fig. 6);
- scapula (in Fig. 1);
- front ham (5);
- brisket (in Fig. 4);
- back ham (3);
- loin (2) - back and tenderloin.
At the same time, the breast is divided into ribs and bacon, and the fat is removed from the sides of the carcass in a whole piece.
German cutting of pork carcasses is carried out according to the same principle, to immediately divide the pieces of meat by grades, but we are talking about 8 parts:
- Grade I - hind leg and carbonade (in Fig. 1, 2);
- Grade II - the front leg, the front part of the loin and the brisket (in Fig. 3, 4, 5);
- Grade III - the abdominal part (in Fig. 6);
- Grade IV - legs and head (in Fig. 8 and 7).
Cutting according to the Russian scheme is carried out in the same way, only provides for the separation of the head from the neck and the separation of the limbs into the hooves and meat part of the leg.
Mascara preparation
The further quality of cutting and deboning of pork carcass largely depends on this stage. This stage provides for bleeding and scorching the skins of the animal. The first depends on the choice of the face and is often carried out by hanging the carcass when the blood flows naturally. If it will be used in the future, then under the carcass substitute a container for blood sampling.
Singeing allows you to remove hair from the skin and is carried out with a blowtorch, gas burner or burning bunches of straw. If it is wet at the same time, then a pleasant smoked aroma will appear in the fat. Places with thin skin should be treated carefully so as not to burn it.
After scorching, the carcass must be scraped off by removing the top layer of skin and the remaining stubble. In production, special equipment is used for this - scraper machines (also called shparchans or pairing tanks).
If the skin will not be used together with meat, then it can not be scorched at all, but simply removed from the carcass.
Second phase
Before further cutting the pork carcasses at home, it still needs to be nourished, that is, remove the entrails. Pork usually comes to production in the form of pure carcases or half carcasses.
At this stage, it is important to ensure cleanliness, so it is advisable to put the carcass on a platform or hang it. As tools, it is enough to prepare only a sharp knife 15-18 cm and an ax for cutting bones. In addition, immediately prepare containers for internal organs and parts of the carcass.
Butchering of pork carcass begins with the separation of the head, from which the brain and tongue are then removed. Next, cut an “apron”, which is the abdominal part of meat and fat. His department will open the internal organs that need to be removed. The sternum is chopped with an ax.
The first step is the esophagus. It is advisable to bandage it before cutting so that the contents do not fall into the abdominal cavity. The heart, lungs and diaphragm are taken out, after which the esophagus is cut off and the intestines with the stomach are taken out. The gall bladder should be cut off from the liver before it is taken and very carefully, otherwise it will become bitter and unfit for food. With the liver, the kidneys, then the bladder.
Completing the interior wiping the inner cavity of an already empty mascara with dry napkins or towels. Using wet wipes will shorten the shelf life of the meat and ruin its quality.
Third stage
Now the culinary cutting and deboning of pork carcasses is precisely the division into pieces of meat.
To do this, you can divide the pig into half carcasses, chopping the sternum and spine, or just work with the whole carcass, as is most often the case at home:
- First, the hooves are separated along the joint, after which the front and hind limbs are also cut off along the joint. Separately from the carcass, they are divided into shanks, shoulder blade and back ham.
- After that, the carcass is turned over and an incision is made along the ridge, removing a layer of fat from the sides and back.
- Next, a loin is removed from the spine, the neck, tenderloin and other parts are separated, in accordance with the selected cutting scheme.
It is important to wipe each piece of meat only with a dry cloth, and then send it for storage. When all the flesh is removed, the separation and cutting of the ribs and spine should begin.
Useful Tips
For the cutting to be of high quality, it is necessary to prepare in advance all the necessary tools and containers for meat and offal.
To cut a bone without splinters, it is recommended to put a knife to it and hit on its back with a hammer.
In order to get exactly on the joint when separating the limbs, you first need to feel the place of the incision.
The abdomen must be cut very carefully so as not to damage the insides.
It is important to remember that the result of cutting pork carcass into parts depends on the quality of work, so do not rush. You need to choose a convenient place to work and prepare well for the process in advance.
The right choice of meat
In order for each dish to be prepared, as in a restaurant, you need to know not only the name of the parts of the pork carcass when cutting, but also for what culinary masterpieces they are best suited.
So, for frying in small and large pieces in its own juice and breading, a loin is suitable, only in breading - the back. For stewing and frying in small pieces, a shoulder blade and neck are suitable, and the brisket will be ideal for boiling, stewing and stuffing. All small scraps or parts from the belly will go to minced meat, hooves, tail and head - to jellied meat, and bones - to broths.
In order not to accidentally buy boar meat on the market, which emits a characteristic smell only during heat treatment, it should be felt. Males always have more elastic muscles.