Pork Butcher Chart

I love knowing exactly what I am cooking and serving my friends and family.  With that in mind, in the coming months, you will start seeing a series of “back to basics” posts.  Fig + Cotton will soon be your destination to find the ins and outs of certain basic ingredients and cooking tips. In addition, I am creating a list of recipes that every home cook should have in his or her repertoire.   Those will start rolling out soon as well.  Fun things around the blog!

So, we start with pork.  Pork is a very versatile protein that we eat quite a bit here at the Hodges’ house (I am actually making my version of this tonight!).  I created a butcher chart for you so you can get a better idea of exactly where your pork chops, honey baked ham, and delicious cured meats are coming from.

Few quick tips for cooking pork:

• Internal temperature should be 160º to 170º.
• For fully-cooked hams, the internal temperature should be 140º.
• Pork should be cooked like any other low fat meat: either for a short period of time at high temperatures, or for longer times at lower temperatures. 
• Moist heat, such as braising, poaching, simmering, and using a slow cooker such as a crock pot work very well.
• Thinly cut pork chops can be pounded and then sauteed or grilled for 5-7 minutes.
• Pork roasts usually need to cook for hours.
• Before roasting pork, sear all sides to create a flavorful crusty surface on the meat.
• Do not overcrowd pork when cooking. Leaving space between them will allow them to brown and cook more evenly.
• If using a marinade for basting, set some aside before placing raw pork in it to marinate. Never reuse marinade that the meat was marinated in.