Some body asked me to write on Pork as it's grilling and smoking
Pork—the Great White Meat

The modern-day hog is a perfect example of proper breeding and feeding techniques. It is often said that “the only thing you throw away when you butcher a hog is the tail and its squeal.” Speaking as a sausage-maker, I agree with that statement.

Pork has great potential and much versatility, and many leading chefs are using it on their menus. In the garde manger kitchen, pork is the most popular and most used meat. More than 80% of all sausages are made with pork. Good butchers use pork and maximize their sales volume because of the versatility and customer acceptance of this product.

The hog carcass is simply broken down from head to the tail sequentially. Here is the procedure, step-by-step.

Dissection of pork
1. Remove the head, then remove the cheeks and the fat and brains, and make head cheese.
2. Remove the two shoulders by cutting away each shoulder. Next, remove the Boston butt—the upper part of the shoulder. The lower piece is processed by removing the hock, boning out the remaining bones and turning it into a country ham.
3. Remove the belly, and square it off. Later, you can smoke and cure the belly into bacon.
4. Remove the legs, and remove the pelvic bones and trotters (feet). Hind legs may be cured and smoked as hams or used uncured as fresh hams—this is where the famous roast leg of pork comes from.
5. Split the loins, remove the fillets and cut into pork chops for grilling. If you decide not to cut chops, bone the whole loin and use for roasting or slice into medallions.

Cuts of pork
Leg (le cuissot)        roasting and stewing                  15 lbs.
Shoulder (I'epaule)
Loin (la longe)            grilling and roasting                18 lbs.
Spare rib (l’echine)        barbeque grilling                  3 lbs.
Boston butt (l’epaule/plat de cotes)         sausages      8 lbs.
Head (la tête)            head cheese                              10 lbs.
Feet (le pied)            pickling                                     2 lbs.
   
Signs of quality
Pork should have lean flesh and be pale pink with fine texture. The fat should be white, firm and smooth, and not excessive. The bones should be relatively small, firm and pinkish. The skin or rind should be smooth and free of hair.   


Bacon
During the last 20 years, the practice of using the whole carcass of a hog for sides of bacon has ceased. The only parts of a hog that are now cured are legs, bellies and shoulders. The trotters and shanks are still in demand, especially in various ethnic cultures. In Europe, full sides of a hog are cured, split into five pieces, and sold either completely or in joints.

Below are both the American and European versions of bacon cuts. Bacon can be baked, grilled, fried or boiled. In America, most bacon is either grilled or fried. The eye of the pork loin is used to create Canadian bacon. In Europe, a product that compares with Canadian bacon is rashers. On both continents, bacon is served at breakfast, bunch, lunch and dinner. Ham hocks are used to flavor several dishes, and in some areas of the United States, is the main protein served because of its low cost.

Cuts of bacon
AMERICAN
Ham        grilling/baking    cured wet or dry
Belly              bacon                          cured wet or dry
Canadian     grilled                   cured wet or dry
Hock             soups                           cured wet or dry

EUROPEAN
Collar        grilling                  4.50 kilos             9.9 lbs.               cured/smoked
Hock          grilling                 4.50 kilos             9.9 lbs.               cured/smoked
Back           grilling                 9 kilos                19.8 lbs.              cured/smoked
Streaky           grilling             4.50 kilos             9.9 lbs.              cured/smoked
Ham                                         7.50 kilos          16.5 lbs.              cured/smoked

Signs of quality
On properly cured bacon, there should be no stickiness, and the bacon should not have mold on its surface. It should have a pleasant aroma overall, and the outer skin should be smooth and free of wrinkles. The fat should be white and not excessive in proportion to the lean meat. The lean meat should be pink with fine texture. The side of bacon should be firm to the touch.

Note: Before cooking ham, it is advisable to soak it in cold water for at least 24 hours.
This will remove excess salt from curing. Also, before cooking a large ham, remove the pelvic bone to facilitate carving.