Pork carcass section. How to properly cut up a pig carcass at home. A set of necessary tools

Perhaps the most popular meat in the world is pork. Only Muslims and Jews do not eat it, and then because of religious beliefs, and not because the product is tasteless. Raising pigs is not difficult, since these animals are the most unpretentious in both care and nutrition. Many people refrain from buying pork just because they think the meat is too fatty, but in fact, some parts of the carcass contain only 3% fat, which makes it even more dietary than chicken.

In general, in order to prepare any tasty pork dish, you need to choose the right one for it. If you want to feed the animal yourself and get a guaranteed environmentally friendly product, you will also need to master cutting up a pork carcass. In the future, this will make it possible to save on the work of a specialist.

Features of cutting

Pork is very tender compared to beef, so there is no need to ripen the meat. If desired, you can hang a slaughtered animal to facilitate the process of cutting up a pork carcass, but similar actions can be performed efficiently by placing 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 work the least during life. This also includes the neck, since pigs hardly twirl it. Thus, meat from these areas will be the most tender, and therefore the most expensive, and will be ideal for chops, roasting or roasting.

The meat from the lower part is suitable for stewing, frying in small pieces, and preparing minced meat. The lowest-grade parts - hooves, tails or ears - will be used as 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.

First, the skin can be removed completely or partially from the carcass. This action also depends on the further purpose of the cutting parts:

if the carcass is used for sausage or sale, the skin is completely removed;
if for smoking or salting - partially;
when removing lard, it is often cut off along with the skin, and that is how it is sold;
When cutting at home, the skin is often left behind.

Slaughter options

Before mastering the correct cutting of a pork carcass at home, you should invite a specialist who can slaughter the animal. It is forbidden to feed the pig the day before slaughter; you can only give it water and it is advisable to wash it well before the procedure.

The most popular slaughter options are a puncture in the neck or heart. The latter has the disadvantage that blood can collect in the chest and spoil the quality of the meat. A neck puncture involves cutting an artery. The blood quickly drains and the animal falls asleep.

You can also use weapons and electricity.

In any case, it is important to first immobilize the pig by tying its legs and do everything as quickly as possible so that the pig does not have time to get scared. Otherwise, the meat will be tough and acquire a characteristic smell.

Timing

If we talk about the age of the animal, the main rule for pigs is to slaughter them outside of hunting. Boars are not suitable for meat at all, since their meat contains the hormone androsterone, which makes the product unsuitable for food. When slaughtering a castrated boar, age does not matter.

The culinary carcass will further depend on the degree of fatness of the pig at the time of slaughter. Thus, they distinguish piglets (they are usually cooked whole), fatty pork (weight >90 kg), meat (weight 40-90 kg) and bacon (special breed and method of feeding).

When talking about the time of day suitable for slaughter, one 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 low temperature so that the meat does not spoil quickly.

Early morning on a dry and windless day is best.

Description of cutting schemes

The English scheme for cutting pork carcasses is considered the simplest, since it only involves dividing the carcass crosswise into 4 parts:

head (in Fig. 4);
front part (3);
middle part (2);
back (1).

You can see what this looks like 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);
shoulder blade (in Fig. 1);
front ham (5);
brisket (in Fig. 4);
back ham (3);
loin (2) - back and tenderloin.

The brisket is divided into ribs and bacon, and the fat is removed from the sides of the carcass in one piece.

German cutting of a pork carcass is carried out according to the same principle, in order to immediately separate the pieces of meat into varieties, but we are talking about 8 parts:

Grade I - hind leg and carbonate (in Fig. 1, 2);
Grade II - front leg, front loin and brisket (in Fig. 3, 4, 5);
Grade III - 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 it involves separating the head from the neck and dividing the limbs into hooves and the meat part of the leg.

Preparing the carcass

The further quality of cutting and deboning the pork carcass largely depends on this stage. This stage involves bleeding and singeing the animal’s skin. The former depends on the choice of slaughter and is often accomplished by hanging the carcass while the blood drains naturally. If it is to be used in the future, then a container is placed under the carcass to collect blood.

Searing allows you to remove hair from the skin and is carried out with a blowtorch, gas torch or igniting bunches of straw. If it is wet, the lard will have a pleasant smoky aroma. Areas with thin skin should be handled carefully so as not to burn it.

After singeing, the carcass must be scraped, removing the top layer of skin and remaining bristles. In production, special equipment is used for this - scraping machines (also called scalding tanks or scalding vats).

If the skin will not be used together with meat, then it can not be singed at all, but simply removed from the carcass.

Second phase

Before further cutting up a pork carcass at home, it still needs to be gutted, that is, the entrails must be removed. Pork is usually supplied to production in the form of clean carcasses or half-carcasses.

At this stage it is important to ensure cleanliness, so it is advisable to place 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. Additionally, you should immediately prepare containers for internal organs and parts of the carcass.

The cutting begins with the separation of the head, from which the brain and tongue are then removed. Next, you should cut out the “apron”, which is the abdominal part made of meat and fat. Its separation will reveal the internal organs that need to be removed. The sternum is cut with an axe.

The first place is the esophagus. It is advisable to bandage it before cutting it so that the contents do not enter the abdominal cavity. The heart, lungs and diaphragm are removed, after which the esophagus is cut off and the intestines and stomach are removed. The gallbladder should be cut off from the liver before it is removed and very carefully, otherwise it will become bitter and unfit for food. The liver comes with the kidneys, then the bladder.

The interior is completed by wiping the internal cavity of the now empty carcass with dry napkins or towels. Using wet napkins will shorten the shelf life of meat and ruin its quality.

Third stage

Now the culinary cutting and deboning of pork carcasses is precisely the division of meat into parts.

To do this, you can divide the pig into half carcasses, cutting the sternum and spine, or simply work with the whole carcass, as is most often what happens at home:

First, the hooves are separated at the joint, after which the front and hind limbs are also cut off at the joint. Separately from the carcass, they are divided into shanks, shoulder and hind legs.
After this, the carcass is turned over and an incision is made along the ridge, removing a layer of fat from the sides and back.
Next, the 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 store it. When all the pulp has been removed, you should begin separating and cutting the ribs and spine.

In order 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.

In order to get exactly to the joint when separating the limbs, you first need to palpate the incision site.

You need to cut the belly very carefully so as not to damage the insides.

It is important to remember that the result of cutting the pork carcass into pieces 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.

Choosing the right 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 what culinary masterpieces they are best suited for.

So, the loin is suitable for frying in small and large pieces in its own juices and breading; only the back part is breaded. The shoulder and neck are suitable for stewing and frying in small pieces, and the brisket will be ideal for boiling, stewing and stuffing. All small trimmings or parts from the belly will be used for minced meat, hooves, tail and head - for jellied meat, and bones - for broths.

In order not to accidentally buy boar meat on the market, which emits a characteristic odor only during heat treatment, you should feel it. Males always have more elastic muscles.

After the pig is slaughtered and bled, and the internal organs are removed from the carcass, the pig is butchered. Simply cutting the meat into pieces in a random order, separating the heart and other organs, is the wrong decision; a certain pattern for cutting the carcass must be followed. How to do this correctly and where are the main parts of the pig carcass located?

Before butchering a pig, you need to determine what the meat will be used for: for yourself or for sale, how the pork will be prepared, etc. In accordance with the purpose, one or another scheme for cutting the pig carcass is selected.

Once this issue has been resolved, the workplace should be prepared. It is most convenient to butcher the pig directly at the slaughter site, without removing it from the hooks. If the animal was slaughtered on the ground, it is not necessary to hang the carcass on a crossbar specifically for cutting.

It is also necessary to choose the right tool for butchering a pig. To maximize the yield of clean meat as a percentage of the live weight of the animal, you need to not only work carefully, but also use high-quality, sharply sharpened knives. For cutting you will need:

Knives - each knife must be sharpened, have a blade length of 15 cm and a width of 2 cm;
Hand saw with wide blade;
Hooks, if the carcass is cut up in a hanging state;
Container with hot water;
The work table is not metal, wood or concrete should be used.

A pig can only be butchered after draining the blood from the carcass. You should not rinse the meat first, so that it does not quickly deteriorate.

Carcass cutting schemes

There are 4 main schemes for cutting a pork carcass: German, Russian, English and American. They involve chopping the carcass into 4–8 pieces in different orders. First of all, the parts that the pig strained the least during life are cut out - they are more tender and tastier. These are the spinal muscles that run along the spine, the scapular part and the neck meat.

German scheme the most popular, since it is possible to correctly cut a pig into a larger number of parts. The carcass is first divided into two half-carcasses, each of which consists of 8 parts - a total of 16 pieces of meat belonging to different quality classes.

German cutting scheme

1st class - hind leg (ham), loin and cutlet part;
Class 2 - anterior section of the vertebral muscles, front leg ham and brisket;
3rd class - belly meat;
Grade 4 - head and legs, except hams.

English scheme cutting pork is the simplest: the half carcass is divided into 4 large pieces (head, front, middle and back). This cutting method should be chosen if the animal is slaughtered for sale.

English cutting scheme

Russian scheme similar to the German one and also involves cutting into 8 parts. The following parts of the pork carcass are obtained: ham, back, area between the neck and shoulder blades, head with neck, shoulder blade, breast, mid-legs and legs.

Russian (Moscow) cutting scheme

Simplified American circuit includes 6 parts of mascara. The loin is not separated from the back, the neck is not separated from the head, the legs are not divided and are cut together with the legs. The advantage of this method is that when using it, the pork shoulder is cut out separately.

American cutting scheme

There is no significant difference between the schemes - you can decide how to cut up a wild boar on an individual basis, as it will be more convenient.

Procedure for cutting

Pig decapitation

The head is the first to be separated from the pork carcass. Before cutting a pig's head, you need to cut it off correctly - it holds tightly, so without knowledge of the operating technology it is easy to damage the knife. The head is cut off as follows:

Two incisions are made behind the ears;
The knife is inserted transversely into one of the cuts, after which a cut is made in the throat from ear to ear;
The cervical vertebrae are sawed using a hacksaw with fine teeth.
Hooves are also cut off using a saw.

Cutting a pork head

After decapitation, the pig's head is cut up. The procedure is quite simple: you just need to cut this part of the body into two pieces and remove the eyes and teeth. The brain is removed and used in cooking; it should not be thrown away. The heart is also used from internal organs. If the head is being prepared for sale, it is not necessary to chop it.

Removal of the abdominal apron and internal organs

Butchering of the carcass begins with the ventral apron being cut off from the headless remainder. The peritoneal muscles are cut out along with the fat; This must be done carefully, trying not to damage the internal organs - their contents can penetrate into the meat and spoil its taste. Once the abdominal apron has been removed, the innards are removed from the carcass in the following order: major organs (lungs, liver, stomach), bladder and kidney portion. Most of them can be thrown away; only the heart and liver are used for food. The heart must be cut into two pieces and cleared of clotted blood.

Cutting the carcass into pieces

The emptied carcass is cleaned of blood residues using napkins and cut or sawn into two half-carcasses. Each half of pork must be cooled before proceeding.

Fat and bacon are separated from the skin;
The neck part is cut out;
The front leg is cut off from the half carcass, the shank is separated from the shoulder blade;
The rear ham is separated;
Pork loin and brisket are cut off.

Each part can be cut into several more pieces - for example, separate the rump from the back or cut the ham into small pieces - depending on how it will be more convenient to handle the meat in the future.

Cutting a piglet is somewhat different - you just need to bleed and gut the carcass, there is no need to divide it into pieces, since due to its small size it is baked whole.

Meat yield calculation

Some of the weight of a live pig is lost during the cutting process: the blood and internal organs of the animal carry significant weight. You also need to subtract the mass of bones, tendons, joints, etc. from live weight. The product that remains after cleaning the carcass, cutting up the pork side, separating the meat from the bones and removing the film covering the muscles is called pork yield.

Yield is calculated as a percentage of the live weight of the animal. It may vary depending on the breed of the pig, its gender, age, cutting skill and other factors. On average, the yield is 60–70%, in some cases reaching 78–80%.

Main parts of pork carcass

Before cutting a pig carcass into separate pieces using a knife, for sale or for your own consumption, you should understand which part of the pig is tastier and where which one is located. If the meat is being prepared for sale, the most valuable parts, such as the carb of the pig or the pork loin, must be handled with particular care.

Pork parts

Ham

The largest part of the carcass is the hind leg. Since it is better to cut the pig carcass into pieces so that they are easy to handle, the ham is often divided into two pieces along the thigh line. There are more muscles in the upper half, so it goes for various meat dishes; the lower half of the ham is used to prepare jellied meat.

Shoulder blade and neck

The shoulder and neck are divided into three pieces: clean shoulder meat, bone-in shoulder meat and neck meat. Because the pig's neck is virtually immobile throughout its life, its meat is very tender. The shoulder blade, on the contrary, is tough and requires careful cooking.

Knuckle

The pork knuckle is the least valuable, as it consists of the toughest meat and cartilage. It can be smoked or used as jellied meat.

Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is the most tender part; it is located along the animal's spine. Pork tenderloin is used to make chops and is part of the carb, the part of the pork that runs along the entire spinal column and involves the psoas muscles. You can cook almost any dish from it. Another part of the back is the loin, which covers the ribs. The back ends with a rump from which kebabs are prepared.

Abdominal apron, head and internal organs

The abdominal apron of the animal is divided into the brisket, peritoneum and hypogastrium. The head is divided into cheeks, suitable for bacon, and a tongue, well suited for aspic. The rest is finely chopped and used as jellied meat. Internal organs (heart and liver) can also be eaten, although they are less tasty than cow offal. Thus, cutting a wild boar involves using almost all parts of the carcass.

Video: “Butchering a pig for sale”

Knowing which part of the pork is used for what purpose, you can quickly and correctly obtain the desired pieces of meat from the pork carcass. The main thing when cutting is to use a good knife and follow the chosen pattern exactly.

Pork meat is popular in many countries as a tasty and nutritious product, but there are peoples who do not eat pork due to their religious prejudices.

Pork is a juicy, tender and tasty meat, widely used in cooking. Pork contains more fat than beef. From pork meat you can prepare: cutlets, soups, schnitzel, escalope, kebabs and much more. After cooking, the meat acquires a sweetish taste.

Pork is digestible, but nutritionally inferior to beef. It has more stickiness and fat.”

E. Molokhovets

The main indicator when buying meat is its color. The meat is dark in color, which means it comes from an old animal; too light - indicates that the animal was fed hormonal drugs. This negatively affects human health. You need to buy pale pink meat from a young animal. The fat of this meat is white and soft.

Cutting scheme

First, the carcass is cut into several main parts, and then certain pieces of meat are cut out of each part. When cutting pork, the fat is cut out immediately. It goes for salting. Internal fat is also removed.

Each part of the pig has its own taste, and one or another area of the pork is suitable for preparing a certain culinary dish.

Pork is divided into two main groups:

I grade:

II grade:

neck tanks;
shank;
knuckle

Experienced butchers cut a pork carcass into 40 parts.

Cutting technology

Exists Several options for cutting a pork carcass:

American.
German.
English.
Moscow.

Before cutting, it is necessary to determine For what purposes is meat prepared?

for sale;
salt, smoke;
for personal use.

A cut according to one of four options is suitable for sale.

The cutting of a pig carcass in Russia follows a standard pattern:

Pork is ideal for preparing a variety of mouth-watering dishes. But in order for it to turn out soft and juicy, you need to know which part is suitable for which dish.

Parts of a pig carcass and what dish they are intended for

Spatula

It is considered first-class meat and is used to prepare stewed and boiled dishes, and:

Kostrets

This is the end of the dorsal part of the carcass. Prepare from the lean part:

shashlik;
suitable for baking.

Loin or carbonate

This is the dorsal area of the pork carcass. The loin is the lean part of the carcass. The prepared dishes turn out very juicy.

The following is also prepared from the loin:

The difference between carbonate and loin

This is the same meat, only when cut, the meat on the bone is considered a loin, and the loin without a bone is carbonated.

This part has become very expensive, although it is not grade I. The loin has always been expensive. This part is low-fat and when cooked, the dishes turn out tender and juicy.

Prepare from the neck:

boiled pork;
meat in French;
shashlik.

Brisket

This is the abdominal part of the pork carcass. Brisket suitable for frying and smoking, perfect for bouillon because it has a layer of fat.

Prepared from brisket:

pilaf;
ground meat;
soups.

Ham

This is the back of the leg. The ham is ideal for baking and grilling.

Knuckle

This is the front leg of a pig. Ideal for baking and preparing jellied meat

Head

Due to the large amount of collagen, the head is cooked jellied meat and brawn. In some countries, the head is stuffed and saltison is made from it.

Separately cut cheeks go to smoking, language - on aspic, ears - cooking Grilled.

Peritoneum

The fattest part of pork. It is used for frying, stewing and manufacturing rolls.

Legs and tail

Due to the high gelatin content, they are ideal for cooking aspic.

Scheme of cutting a half carcass

It is done in stages:

separate the lard;
legs are removed;
The legs are divided into several parts: the shoulder blade, the shank and the leg.
cut off the neck, then the breast and finally the loin.

What parts of a pork carcass are the most delicious?

The most delicious meat is considered to be cut from the part that is not involved in movement. It is located on the back - the closer to the tail, the juicier the meat will be when cooked. The pig's neck is also motionless, and therefore when fried it is juicy and soft.

Kira Stoletova

Pigs are considered highly productive farm animals. From one individual you can get 100 kg of selected meat. However, before selling meat and lard products, the animal must be butchered. The carcass of a piglet or an adult pig has similar cutting methods. The price of meat tenderloin depends on the breed of the animal and the quality of the cut.

If the pig carcass was cut up for sale incorrectly, then such a product will cost less. To correctly separate parts of a first-class pork carcass from second-class ones, you should use special schemes.

Types of cutting schemes for artiodactyls

First of all, you need to decide what the parts of the pig will be used for. The cutting of artiodactyls depends on the final sale of the product. There are several options:

for cooking at home;
for sale on the market;
for salting or smoking;
for lard.

If meat goes to market, the cuts must be even, and a certificate from a veterinarian is required to confirm the safety of the product. For home consumption, you can cut artiodactyls less carefully.

There are four most common schemes for cutting a carcass:

German;
English;
American;
Moscow.

According to the German scheme, the pork carcass is divided into 2 equal parts, after which they are divided into 8 cuts depending on the type of meat. The classification of parts according to the German scheme looks like this:

First grade - hams from the hind legs, lumbar section, cutlet part.
The second grade is hams from the forelimbs, brisket, and shoulder blades.
The third grade is belly.
The fourth grade is limbs, head.

Cutting an artiodactyl in English involves cutting a pig carcass into 4 parts. Each piece is named depending on its location:

head;
front cut;
central cut;
rear cut

The American method involves dividing the carcass into 2 longitudinal parts of the pig, after which each larger part is divided into 6 pieces:

head;
front ham;
sides;
back ham;
tenderloin with back part;
shoulder blades, shoulder part.

Also, cutting and boning a pork carcass in the American way distributes the meat according to the purpose of cooking. The shoulder part is divided into meat and fat tenderloin. The vertebral and lumbar sections are distributed in the same way, and the side is divided into ribs and meat.

In the CIS, pork carcasses are divided according to the Moscow scheme. Artiodactyls are cut into 8 cuts, which have the following names:

head;
cutlet part - tenderloin from the back;
scapular part;
sternum;
legs from the first joint to the second;
hooves;
back ham;
cervical part.

Meat grade

In many countries, parts of a pork carcass are valued differently. However, the first grade always includes a layer of meat along the pig's spine. The muscle tissue from this place is soft and tender, since the artiodactyl does not use these muscles when walking. Additionally, prime cuts of pork include the neck. Unlike other farm animals, pigs hardly move their heads.

There is a general classification of meat grades that is used in the culinary industry:

The first grade usually includes the shoulder girdle of the artiodactyl, loin, sternum, lumbar region and ham.
The second grade includes the head, forearm and shanks.

Cutting pork carcass cuts and their use

Boning and cutting a pork carcass into cuts also includes cutting the parts themselves. The following are the names of the parts of a farm pig carcass:

ham;
scapulocervical girdle;
knuckle;
dorso-lumbar cut;
abdomen;
loin;
sacrum;
head.

Ham

A ham is a cut from the thighs of an artiodactyl. Traditionally, ham is sold by the cut. With this cutting, you can cut off the maximum amount of meat from the bone. A whole ham can often have ragged edges, which reduces its value.

Meat cut from the thigh of an animal is used in the preparation of many meat dishes. The upper part of the ham contains a large percentage of muscle mass, so dishes such as:

shashlik;
schnitzel;
boiled pork.

The lower part of the ham usually contains less meat, so jellied meat is most often prepared from it.

Scapular-cervical girdle

The shoulder cut and neck of the pig are called the shoulder and neck. Cut this cut into three pieces:

shoulder blade without bone.
shoulder blade on bone.
neck.

The boneless spatula is used for baking and frying. Goulash, frankfurters and sausage are also prepared using this meat.

The boneless shoulder part of pork is a drier, tougher meat, so in the culinary industry this part is marinated before cooking. The cut is also suitable for frying and smoking.

The neck is considered tender meat, since the animal uses little of this muscle mass during life. It is used to prepare shish kebab, escalope and chops.

Cutting pork carcass for shish kebab!!!

Live healthy! What parts of pork can you eat? (06/08/2016)

Cutting a pig into 9 classic pieces

Knuckle

The knuckle is the part of the pork that is located on the first joint of the front leg. The same cut of the hind limb is called shank. The knuckle is considered second-class meat because the muscle tissue on the legs is dense. Most often, jellied meat is prepared from this cut. Due to its high muscle density, the knuckle is well suited as a base for meatloaf.

In some countries, this cut is smoked, after which the meat is cut off in a thin layer from the bone.

Spinolumbar cut

This part of the pork carcass is also called carbonate. The back lumbar cut is considered first-class meat in all schemes, due to its high taste. In the Moscow scheme, this part is called cutlet. The quality of the loin cut depends on how much concentrate the animal consumed.

The cut along the spine is the most expensive part of the carcass. It is used to prepare the following dishes:

escalope;
chops;
steaks.

After heat treatment, meat from the lumbar region is baked or smoked. Sausages and sausages are also prepared from this cut.

Abdominal

This cut includes the following parts of the artiodactyl body:

sternum.
underscores.
abdominal part.

The sternum is the thick edge of the abdominal part in the lumbar region. This meat contains a high percentage of fat, so it is better suited for baking and smoking.

The thin edge of the peritoneum is called the flank. This part is closer to the ham and is suitable for making rolls.

Lard with meat streaks is called undercut. Such a sebaceous layer is valued much more than a pure product. Podcherevok is suitable for baking and smoking.

Korean

There are 2 types of this part of the carcass:

loin on the bone;
boneless loin.

The meat on the bone is cut from the back along with the base of the ribs. This muscle mass has good taste, so the loin is often used for baking and served on the bone. Clean ribs are suitable for jellied meats and broths.

A boneless loin is a clean piece of meat that is cut from the lumbar girdle of an artiodactyl. A similar part is used for steaks.

Sacrum

This cut is located at the end of the animal's dorsal girdle. The sacrum has the smallest percentage of body fat. The lean part of the meat is primarily suitable for boiling or barbecuing. Since the muscle mass from the sacrum is lean, it can be consumed by people with diseases of the pancreas and liver.

Pig head

This cut has low taste, however, due to its low cost, many chefs prefer to use this part for preparing various dishes. Most often, the head is used for jellied meat and broth. Pig tongue is used to make aspic.

Animal brain, when properly prepared, is considered a delicacy. The cheeks of the artiodactyl have a good layer of fat and are suitable for baking. In Asian countries, pork ears are fried after being marinated in mustard.

Conclusion

There are several schemes with which you can butcher a pig. The cost of cuts depends on the quality of the cut and deboning.

Pig meat is classified by grade, depending on its taste. The cutting scheme for the artiodactyl is selected depending on what breed is being raised on the farm and in what area the final product will be used.

In this article we will tell you how to cut up a pig after slaughter, what tools to use and how to separate body parts. It may seem that this is not important, however, if you improperly separate the pig carcass, you risk spoiling the quality and presentation of the product. There are different cutting schemes. They are used depending on what the meat is intended for: for sale, for home use, baking in the oven, cooking steaks or sausages.

Workplace and tools

It is most convenient to butcher a pig where it was slaughtered. If it was hanging on hooks during slaughter, leave it. This way you can keep the carcass suspended.

If the individual's weight allows, use a table. The surface for cutting a pig carcass should be made of wood or concrete, but not metal.

Make sure the place is clean. Unsanitary conditions will reduce the quality of meat. This is especially important if you intend to cut up the carcass and sell it on the market.

Use the sharpest tools. For this purpose you will need knives, a special cutting dagger and a bone saw.

Each knife for cutting a pig should have a blade no shorter than 15 cm, 2 cm wide. You will also need hot water to rinse your hands and tools. There is no need to wash the carcass itself and the meat before or during cutting, otherwise it will begin to deteriorate.

The carcass must be bled. Only then can the process begin. The pig butchering scheme is selected depending on the purpose of the meat.

In Russian or German: what are the schemes?

You can cut a pig in different ways. There are four main schemes:

Russian;
American;
German;
English

The German one is often used, since in this case the carcass is divided into the maximum number of parts. First, a piglet or pig is chopped into half carcasses and quarters, then each of them is cut into 8 pieces. Separate the back, then the front ham, the loin, the brisket, the front side of the spinal muscles, the legs, the belly meat, and the head.

According to the English scheme, pig carcasses are divided into only 4 parts: back, middle, front and head. It is suitable if the meat has a commercial purpose rather than a culinary one.

The Russian scheme involves cutting pig carcasses into 8 large pieces. This is the head with the neck, shoulder blades, the area between the shoulder blades and neck, breast, ham, middle and lower leg areas.

The American scheme is simplified. The carcass is cut into 6 pieces. The back and loin area go together. This will be pork tenderloin. The neck and head and legs are also not divided. Each leg is cut off with a ham. The belly and brisket are also taken together, cutting off the right and left sides. Only the pork shoulder is cut out separately.

The original Hungarian method saves time, for which the animal is not even skinned. First, the head of pig carcasses is cut off, the hind legs, including the thigh, are separated, then the front legs. And finally, the skin and meat are removed from the neck, chest, and upper back.

They usually operate starting with an incision in the back. The skin is removed, the meat is separated, and only then the pig carcass is cut up and gutted. This method allows you to do all the work in 10 minutes.

Where to start cutting, entrails and lard

Now about how to properly cut the main carcass. Before gutting, you need to cut off a part of the carcass called the abdominal apron. This is the name given to the muscles and fat on the belly of pigs. You need to cut so as not to touch the insides, otherwise you can spoil the meat. Especially a boar.

After this, the organs are removed. First the lungs, stomach, heart and liver, then the bladder. Lastly, we reach the renal part. Almost all internals are suitable for use.

When cutting dairy animals, the body is not divided into parts, only gutted, since the whole pig is cooked.

Cutting the half carcass includes separating the fat. Each half is divided into three large pieces, which are then also cut. The hind leg, shank (part of the hind leg without the hoof), front leg, and neck are separated. The shoulder and pork knuckle (middle part of the front leg) are separated. Separately cut out the brisket and loin (part of the pork from the loin).

Any resulting parts of the pork carcass can then be divided into pieces.

Varieties and main parts of meat

The following division of pork into varieties is accepted. The first includes: ham, shoulder, loin, brisket, loin. For the second - a shank, cheeks with neck cuts, a drumstick. Pig is also cut into these parts for retail trade. The price depends on the variety.

Often people, for example, hearing the name “rump”, do not understand what we are talking about, where this organ is located, and in general, what part of the pig is it - the back or the front. Therefore, we will tell you what the main parts of the carcass and meat are called.

Pork rump is the area of the lower back where the sacrum is located. Above comes carbonate (carbonate is incorrect) and pork tenderloin. These are the most valuable parts of a pig's body.

Carbonade is the meat that is located on both sides of the spine on the back. The part of this meat that goes to the ribs is the loin.

The pig's sketch in the diagram is at the bottom, this is the abdominal zone. The brisket sits higher and is especially prized when sold boneless. The shoulder blade is the upper part of the front leg, with or without bone.

Division into parts and culinary use

Let's take a closer look at how to cut a pig carcass and how to use it, because for each part of pork there are corresponding rules.

The cutting of a pork carcass for retail sale is done anatomically to distribute the meat according to quality and purpose.

The half carcass is divided into cuts: cervical-scapular, dorso-lumbar, rib, chest, shoulder, plus the hip part. The varietal cut also includes subscapular ribs, shanks, flank (groin area), tenderloin, and intermammal area. Each cut part has its own name and is divided into smaller ones.

Neck cuts include the boneless section of the neck and cheek meat. It can be stewed or grilled. Stewed or fried, it is very tender and soft.

The concept of pork loin has several meanings. Now let’s figure out what part of the pig this is. As a rule, this is meat from the back, from which you can prepare the perfect schnitzel, escalope, or kebab. But if someone calls the front part of a pork breast that way, it wouldn't be a mistake.

Pork loin is divided into bone-in loin, cutlet part and cutlet part.

Other parts and their value

The lumbar zone of the carcass is pork tenderloin and thick sirloin.

The ham can be on the bone or without it. This also includes the upper zone of the fillet. This meat part is cooked whole and is also used for cutlets and broths. It also makes ideal oven-baked pork - pork meat baked in the oven.

Brisket is also available on the bone (ribs) and without it. This also includes the flank (also called the belly) - the area located on the stomach. Brisket is often baked and used to make entrecote (richer than beef). This meat is also suitable for broths and roasts.

The most tender meat is pork tenderloin, suitable for goulash, kebabs, soups and many other dishes. The knuckle and shank are not as valuable. The meat is tough, but it has its uses. As a rule, it is cooked at home. Sometimes they roll it into a roll and then get a product for frying and stewing.

Handling and use of piglets

Suckling pig meat is considered a delicacy. It has a delicate taste and low fat content.

Small piglets, weighing less than 6 kg, are baked whole in the oven, without even removing the head. They are first tarred and gutted. The pig's entrails are removed through a large longitudinal incision. It is done along the entire length of the carcass. The abdomen and sternum of the animal are cut.

A medium-sized pig can be divided into half carcasses and cooked even at home, spreading them out on a large baking sheet. When cutting in this case, the head is also left behind.

With large piglets that weigh 7 kg or more, you will have to tinker. Half carcasses of such animals need to be cut into two parts. There will be 4 pieces in total. They are cut crosswise in the middle. The hind leg goes into one half, the shoulder with the front leg goes into the other.

This meat is best baked in the oven or grilled.

What else you need to know about cutting and storage

When preparing to cut a pig, remember that cutting a pig follows the same principle. It doesn’t matter whether you are slaughtering boars or sows and what their weight is. The only thing is that knur meat smells bad; its use is possible, but unpleasant. There will be no hunters to buy it either. No matter what measures you take to eliminate the stench, an uncastrated boar without preparation for slaughter will smell.

Otherwise, everything is the same for pigs: division into parts, their names, approximate amount of meat, although they look different. The final yield - how much product you get from a pig - is influenced not only by the weight of the carcass, but also by the accuracy when cutting.

Dressed carcasses are stored chilled or frozen. If you are going to sell pork cuts quickly, you need to keep them out of the freezer for no more than two days. Lard is stored separately.

Thus, although cutting a pig has a lot of nuances, it is quite within the capabilities of almost everyone who has chosen pig farming as their business.

If you found answers to your questions in our article, be sure to write about it in the comments.

Don't forget to like.