The Wholesale Butchers Guide: Pork
Wholesale butchers in Staffordshire and Cheshire are going from strength to strength. So in this edition of the wholesale butchers guide we look at another one of our most popular products; that being of course wholesale pork.
Pork offers an incredible range of unique cuts and variations. In fact, it can sometimes seem a little daunting or overwhelming when looking at such an incredible range. However, you need not to worry. At HP Westwood, we have over 80 years of experience providing premium quality meat wholesale produce.
So let’s take a look at some of the different options available in the world of pork.
Gammon
One of the saltier options available when it comes to meat wholesale; gammon is one of the UK’s favourite types of pork. Whilst it can be quite divisive, largely due to the aforementioned saltiness, most meat enthusiasts will find a place on their plate for this joint. This crowd pleasing meat is usually offered cooked smoked or unsmoked. The two different cooking processes pretty much tell you all you need to know. Smoked gammon is pork which has been cooked using salt and smoke whilst unsmoked is only treated in salt.
Amongst the more casual meat eaters, the smoked taste can be a little overpowering, but the smoked editions definitely have their fare share of lovers. To smoke or not smoke your pork is one of the core questions at the heart of wholesale pork. And there is only one way to find out; try it for yourself.
Bacon
One of the quintessential pieces of the full English breakfast; bacon arguably produces more debate amongst it’s followers than any other pork type. Taken from just under the pigs belly, this cut is largely enjoyed all over the world.
Some people like it crispy. Others prefer to take the fat off and some people prefer it maple cured. The truth is; you really can not go to wrong any cut of bacon.
Sausages
From one of the main staples of the English breakfast to another. Sausages are not the first type of pork that comes to mind when people think of dynamic meat wholesale options. However, sausages offer many unique and special cuts. A popular sausage in the UK is the world famous Cumberland sausage. Looking further afield, the chili sausage has recently grown in popularity in certain parts of Europe. All of these options might not interest you though. All you may require is to indulge in a simple plain old sausage.
Belly Pork
Belly pork is a boneless and fatty meat taken from, as you might have guessed, the belly of the pig. The increasingly popular cut of pork is gaining significant popularity in Asian countries such as China and Thailand. Belly pork is arguably best cooked slowly. This makes the pork extremely tender and juicy.
Pork Lion
Taken from the tissue located on the dorsal side of the rib cage; another cut of pork which is uncommon to see filling up local supermarket and butchers shelves is pork loin. How to cook the perfect pork loin steak is open to much debate amongst meat enthusiasts. Most avid pork lovers can agree that the meat should be cooked fat side up. Cooking the pork fat side up allows the layer of fat to act as a baste for the meat. In turn, this stops the pork from drying out and it makes the pork much more succulent.
Picnic Ham
It is not very often a meat’s name perfectly sums up what a meat is used for. But with picnic ham, the name pretty much tells you all you need to know. Picnic ham is a relatively inexpensive form of ham and is therefore used for many casual forms of dinning such as picnics. This type of ham is taken from the upper part of the front leg of the pig. In fact, the meat is taken that high up that some of the meat is taken from the bottom part of the shoulder.
Boston Butt
The cut of pork known as Boston butt is cut you have probably come across in your local wholesale butchers however you did not know it was called that. The Boston butt is taken from the upper part of the shoulder and it usually looks like pork wrapped in a lot of tightly wrapped string.
Pork Hock
Pork hock is quite a unique cut of pork. It is commonly used as an ingredient in soup, stock and pots of beans as the cut is sometimes considered to be too rich to enjoy on it’s on. Ham hocks are usually smoked and they require a lot of cooking to make them plateable. The hock is usually taken from the top half of the back legs of the pig. We firmly believe that this unique cut should be sort out.
Pork Neck
The pork neck is, to no one’s surprise, taken from the neck of the pig. This cut is usually very tough and potentially hard to chew. This is due to the fact that the neck has to be quite strong to support the head of the pig. Interestingly, the bone of the pork neck is often more popular in Asian countries and it is used in many oriental dishes.
Hog Jowl
Hog Jowl is quite a unique type of pork as upon first glance, it is difficult to differentiate between hog jowl and bacon. The cut has quite a bit of fat as well as some marbled lean meat too. Sometimes, if the cut is cured or smoked, the meat is sometimes referred to as pork jowl bacon. Predominantly taken from the bottom of the jaw, this cut is one of the most unique tasting cuts you can buy.
Pigs Ear
Potentially the strangest cut on this list, pigs ears are more commonly used by dogs to chew on. However, some people occasionally enjoy chomping down on a pig’s ear too. More popular in South America, pigs ears are often described as tasting like sweet bacon with a surprisingly spicy punch.
Pig Snout
To many, the thought of eating a pig snout seems quite foreign and potentially scary. But more and more people are beginning to enjoy this very unique cut of wholesale pork. Depending on where you take the cut from on the pig’s snout, you will get varying degrees chewiness as well as different textures. Often the chewy and crispy bits are described as being quite sweet and some meat enthusiasts have even compared it to taste to treats such as candy.
In Need of Wholesale Pork?
Are you in need of whole pork? If so, do not hesitate to contact us. With high quality Red Tractor assured pork; we are sure to have something to fit your pork requirements.