Pork chop

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Cooked pork chops
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Raw pork chops

A pork chop, like other meat chops, is a loin cut taken perpendicular to the spine of the pig and is usually a rib or part of a vertebra. Pork chops are unprocessed and leaner than other cuts. [1] Chops are commonly served as an individual portion, and can be accompanied with applesauce, vegetables, and other sides. Pork is one of the most commonly consumed meats in the world. [1] [2] In the United States, pork chops are the most commonly consumed meat cut from the pork loin and account for 10% of total pork consumption. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Variations

The center cut or pork loin chop includes a large T-shaped bone and is structurally similar to the beef T-bone steak. [5] Rib chops come from the rib portion of the loin, and are similar to rib eye steaks. Blade or shoulder chops come from the spine and tend to contain much connective tissue. The sirloin chop is taken from the (rear) leg end and also contains much connective tissue. The shoulder end produces chops that are considerably fattier than the chops taken from the loin end. [1]

The "Iowa Chop" is a large thick center cut with its name coined in 1976 by the Iowa Pork Producers Association due to the state producing more pork than any other in the nation. [6] The center-cut loin is often over 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, and likened to a quality cut of beef due to its size and tenderness. [7]

A "Bacon Chop" is cut from the shoulder end and leaves the pork belly meat attached. [8] Pork chops are sometimes sold marinated, or they can be prepared at home to add flavor; marinades such as a chili sauce or a barbecue sauce are common. As pork is often cooked more thoroughly than beef, thus running the risk of drying out, pork chops can be brined to maintain moistness. [9] One could also wrap pork chops in bacon to add further moistness during the cooking process.

Preparation

Pork chops are suitable for roasting, grilling, or frying, but there are also stuffed recipes. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] They can be used boneless or bone-in. Pork chops are usually cut between 12 and 2 inches (1 and 5 centimetres) thick. Improved breeding techniques have made it possible to cook pork to a lower temperature, helping it to remain juicy, while still being safe to eat. [16] United States government guidelines recommend a minimum cooking temperature of 145 °F (63 °C). [17]

It is a versatile cut of meat, which can be transformed into many different dishes and recipes. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beefsteak</span> Flat cut of beef

A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from 120 to 600 grams. Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamb and mutton</span> Meat of domestic sheep

Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, Ovis aries. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia. Hogget has become more common in England, particularly in the North often in association with rare breed and organic farming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-bone steak</span> Beefsteak cut from the short loin, including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side

The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin. Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and thus include more tenderloin steak, along with a large strip steak. T-bone steaks are cut closer to the front, and contain a smaller section of tenderloin. The smaller portion of a T-bone, when sold alone, is known as a filet mignon, especially if cut from the small forward end of the tenderloin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork ribs</span> Cut of pork

Pork ribs are a cut of pork popular in Western and Asian cuisines. The ribcage of a domestic pig, meat and bones together, is cut into usable pieces, prepared by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then served.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck steak</span> Cut of beef

Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the sub-prime cut known as the chuck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round steak</span> Cut of beef

A round steak is a beef steak from the "round", the rear leg of the cow. The round is divided into cuts including the eye (of) round, bottom round, and top round, with or without the "round" bone (femur), and may include the knuckle, depending on how the round is separated from the loin. This is a lean cut and it is moderately tough. Lack of fat and marbling makes round dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting or grilling. Round steak is commonly prepared with slow moist-heat methods including braising, to tenderize the meat and maintain moisture. The cut is often sliced thin, then dried or smoked at low temperature to make jerky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut of beef</span> Sections of cattle

During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes more tender as distance from hoof and horn increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bistecca alla fiorentina</span> Italian steak dish

Bistecca alla fiorentina is an Italian steak dish made of young steer (vitellone) or heifer (scottona) that is one of the most famous dishes in Tuscan cuisine. It is loin steak on the bone cooked on a grill until rare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short ribs</span> Cut of beef

Short ribs are a cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck, plate, or rib areas of beef cattle. They consist of a short portion of the rib bone and the surrounding meat, which varies in thickness. There are two major types of cuts: the "flanken", which is cut across the bone and leaves the bone just 1 to 2 inches or less in length, and the "English", which is cut parallel to the bone and leaves the bone up to 6 inches (15 cm) in length. English cut short ribs may be served individually, or three or four may be served connected to one another. Short ribs are popular in many international cuisines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primal cut</span> Piece of meat initially separated during butchering

A primal cut or cut of meat is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef or the ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic for pork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meat chop</span> Cut of meat served as individual portion

A meat chop is a cut of meat cut perpendicular to the spine, and usually containing a rib or riblet part of a vertebra and served as an individual portion. The most common kinds of meat chops are pork and lamb. A thin boneless chop, or one with only the rib bone, may be called a cutlet, though the difference is not always clear. The term "chop" is not usually used for beef, but a T-bone steak is essentially a loin chop, a rib steak and a rib cutlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean barbecue</span> Regional style of food preparation

Korean barbecue is a popular method in Korean cuisine of grilling meat, typically beef, pork or chicken. Such dishes are often prepared on gas or charcoal grills built into the dining table itself. Some Korean restaurants that do not have built-in grills provide customers with portable stoves for diners to use at their tables. Alternatively, a chef uses a centrally displayed grill to prepare dishes that are made to order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rib chop</span>

A rib chop, or rib end cut, is a cut of meat that comes from the rib section of an animal. The term is usually used for pork and lamb. Rib chops are considered the ribeye of pork and lamb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut of pork</span> Piece of pig meat consumed as food by humans

The cuts of pork are the different parts of the pig which are consumed as food by humans. The terminology and extent of each cut varies from country to country. There are between four and six primal cuts, which are the large parts in which the pig is first cut: the shoulder, loin, belly and leg. These are often sold wholesale, as are other parts of the pig with less meat, such as the head, feet and tail. Retail cuts are the specific cuts which are used to obtain different kinds of meat, such as tenderloin and ham. There are at least 25 Iberian pork cuts, including jamón.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meat on the bone</span> Non-filleted meat in culinary context

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak</span> Flat cut of meat

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbecue sandwich</span> Sandwich with barbecued meat fillings

A barbecue sandwich is a sandwich that is typically prepared with barbecued meats. Several types of meats are used to prepare barbecue sandwiches. Some varieties use cooked meats that are not barbecued, but include barbecue sauce. Many variations, including regional variations, exist, along with diverse types of cooking styles, preparations and ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kotellet</span> German sliced meat dish

Kotellets, also known as Koteletts, Karree, Karbonade or cutlets, are a German meat dish made of slices of meat from the rib area, including the bone. The piece of rib is found on both sides of the spine behind the neck. Koteletts are typically offered from pork, veal and mutton, but they can also come from beef.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 "Pork 101: Know Your Cuts - Modern Farmer". Modern Farmer . March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "The Pork Industry at a Glance" (PDF). Pork Checkoff Service Center. pp. 19–21. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2015.
  3. "Pork Chops - National Pork Board". Pork.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  4. Kelly, Williams & Caruso 2004, p.  104.
  5. "Pork Cuts: A Visual Guide". cimeatbook.com. August 19, 2014. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  6. Devine, Jenny Barker (2009). ""Hop to the Top with the Iowa Chop": The Iowa Porkettes and Cultivating Agrarian Feminisms in the Midwest, 1964-1992". Agricultural History . 83 (4): 477–502. doi:10.3098/ah.2009.83.4.477. ISSN   0002-1482. JSTOR   40607530. PMID   19860029.
  7. Roupe, Diane (2009). The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook. Thomas Nelson. p. 156. ISBN   9781418568214.
  8. Food and Wine Magazine August 2008
  9. Myhrvold, Nathan; Young, Chris (May 26, 2011). "Cooking pork safely: the science". The Guardian . Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Mylan & Turkell 2014, p. 113.
  11. 1 2 Lewis 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Pork Chop Recipes". The Food Network . Retrieved May 29, 2021. Find new inspiration for a dinnertime staple with top-rated recipes from Food Network chefs.
  13. 1 2 Dyer 2020.
  14. 1 2 Schumer 2021.
  15. 1 2 Lampe & Horton 2013.
  16. "New USDA Guidelines Lower Pork Cooking Temperature". Pork Checkoff. May 24, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  17. "Pork Cooking Temperature - Pork.org". Pork.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2021.

Bibliography