Pork – Meat cuts manual

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Diagram of meat cuts
Skeletal diagram
Meat cut nomenclature and description

  • 1. Pork
  • 2. Dressed pork carcass
  • 3. Side of pork
  • 4. Head
  • 5. Shoulder
    • 5.1 Foot
    • 5.2 Hock
    • 5.3 Lacone
    • 5.4 Jowl
    • 5.5 Neck bones
    • 5.6 Riblets
    • 5.7 Shoulder picnic
    • 5.8 Shoulder blade
  • 6. Leg
    • 6.1 Foot
    • 6.2 Shank
    • 6.3 Leg shank portion
    • 6.4 Leg centre
    • 6.5 Leg butt portion
    • 6.6 Leg shank half
    • 6.7 Leg butt half
    • 6.8 Leg inside
    • 6.9 Leg outside
    • 6.10 Leg eye
    • 6.11 Leg tip
  • 7. Loin
    • 7.1 Rib chop or rib roast
    • 7.2 Loin center
    • 7.3 Sirloin
    • 7.4 Loin rib half
    • 7.5 Loin sirloin half
    • 7.6 Back ribs
    • 7.7 Tenderloin
  • 8. Belly
    • 8.1 Side ribs
    • 8.2 Side rib centre cut
    • 8.3 Side rib centre off
    • 8.4 Breast bone
    • 8.5 Side ribs breast bone off
    • 8.6 Side (boneless belly)
    • 8.7 Skirt

Variety meats
List of meat cut modifiers

Pork – Diagram of meat cuts

Diagram of meat cuts. Description follows.
Description of diagram of meat cuts

This diagram shows the meat cuts from pork. Pork consists of the leg, the loin, the shoulder, the lacone and the belly.

  • The leg consists of the following cuts:
    • foot
    • shank
    • leg, shank portion
    • leg centre
  • The loin consists of the following cuts:
    • sirloin
    • loin centre
    • back ribs
    • rib chop or rib roast
  • The shoulder consists of the following cuts:
    • shoulder blade
    • shoulder picnic
    • neck bones
    • hock
    • jowl
    • foot
  • The belly consists of the following cuts:
    • side
    • side ribs
Alternative loin cuts
Alternative Loin Cuts. Description follows.
Description of alternative loin cuts

This diagram shows the alternative loin cuts of pork.

Alternative loin cuts of pork consist of:

  • loin, sirloin half
  • loin, rib half
Alternative leg cuts
Alternative leg cuts. Description follows.
Description of alternative leg cuts

This diagram shows the alternative leg cuts of pork.

Alternative leg cuts of pork consist of:

  • foot
  • shank
  • leg, shank half
  • leg, butt half
  • leg, tip
  • leg, eye
  • leg, outside
  • leg, inside

Pork – Skeletal diagram

Skeletal diagram. Description follows.
Description of skeletal diagram

This diagram shows the skeletal diagram of pork. It consists of:

  • tail bones
  • sacrum
  • back bones (lumbar vertebrae 1 to 6/7)
  • back bones (thoracic vertebrae 1 to 14)
  • neck bones (cervical vertebrae 1 to 7)
  • atlas (1st cervical vertebra)
  • ear dip
  • neck of blade bone
  • blade bone (scapula)
  • wrist joint (carpus)
  • foreshank bones (radius/ulna)
  • arm bone (humerus)
  • breast bone (sternum)
  • rib cartilage (costal cartilage)
  • pin bone (ilium)
  • narrow part of hip bone (shaft of ilium)
  • knuckle bone (head of femur/acetabulum)
  • leg bone (femur)
  • aitch bone (ischium)
  • knee cap (patella)
  • stifle joint (tibio-femoral articulation)
  • hind shank bones (tibia/fibula)
  • tarsal joint

Meat cut nomenclature and description – Pork

1. Pork: is meat derived from dressed carcasses of porcine animals. It may be derived from male, female, ridgling or castrated animals.

2. Dressed pork carcass: means a pork carcass from which the hair, and toenails, developed mammary glands or skin and head have been removed and the carcass has been eviscerated and split.

3. Side of pork: means one (1) of the two (2) approximately equal portions of a dressed pork carcass obtained by a straight cut from the tail to the neck along the median line.

4. Head: means that portion of the dressed pork carcass severed at the atlas (first cervical vertebra) and may exclude the jowl.

5. Shoulder: means that portion of the carcass which is separated from the loin and belly by a straight cut passing posterior to the second (2nd) thoracic vertebra and between the second (2nd) and third (3rd) rib.
Shoulder
5.1 Foot: means that portion of the shoulder which is separated from the hock by a straight cut at the wrist (carpal) joint.
Foot (Front Foot)
5.2 Hock: means that portion of the shoulder which is separated from the foot as described in item 5.1 and from the shoulder picnic by a straight cut which passes through the base of the shaft of the arm bone (distal extremity of the humerus).
Hock
5.3 Lacone: a term used to describe the entire front leg, namely: the foot and hock.
Lacone
5.4 Jowl: means that portion of the shoulder which is separated from the shoulder picnic by a straight cut which passes near the inside of the ear dip.
Jowl
5.5 Neck bones: refers to most of the neck bones (cervical vertebrae) and up to the first three (3) backbones (thoracic vertebrae) with adjoining ribs along with the adhering meat.
Neck Bones
5.6 Riblets: means the rib portion of the neck bones.
Riblets
5.7 Shoulder picnic: means that portion of the shoulder which is separated from the lacone, neck bones and jowl as described in items 5.2, 5.3, 5.5 and 5.4, respectively, and from the shoulder blade by a straight cut passing through the neck of the blade bone (scapula) and at right angle to the jowl cut.
Shoulder picnic
5.8 Shoulder blade: means that portion of the shoulder which is separated from the neck bones, jowl and shoulder picnic as described in items 5.5, 5.4 and 5.7, respectively.
Shoulder blade
6. Leg: means that portion of the carcass which is separated from the loin and belly by a straight cut passing through the narrow part of the hip bone (shaft of the ilium).
Leg
6.1 Foot (hind foot): means that portion of the leg which is separated from the shank by a straight cut passing through the hock (tarsal) joint.
Foot (Hind Foot)
6.2 Shank: means that portion of the leg which is separated from the foot as described in item 6.1, and from the leg, shank portion by a straight cut passing through approximately the mid-point of the shank bones (tibia and fibula).
Shank
6.3 Leg shank portion: means that portion of the leg which is separated from the shank as described in item 6.2, and from the leg centre by a straight cut passing approximately at right angle to the base of the shaft of the leg bone (distal extremity of the femur).
Leg shank portion
6.4 Leg centre: means that portion of the leg which is separated from the leg, shank portion as described in item 6.3, and from the leg, butt portion by a straight cut passing at right angle to the proximal end of the shaft of the leg bone (femur) at a point behind (posterior to) the ischium.

Note: the leg centre does not contain the knuckle portion of the leg bone (proximal articulation of the femur).

Leg centre
6.5 Leg butt portion: means that portion of the leg separated from the leg centre as described in item 6.4.
Leg butt portion
6.6 Leg shank half: refers to an alternative portion of the leg which may include the shank and is separated from the leg, butt half by a straight cut passing at right angle to the middle of the shaft of the leg bone (femur).
Leg shank half
6.7 Leg butt half: refers to an alternative portion of the leg separated from the leg, shank half as described in item 6.6.
Leg butt half
6.8 Leg inside: means that portion of the leg located inside (medial side) of the leg which is separated from the leg outside by cutting lengthwise along the natural seam. It contains two (2) main muscles, namely: semimembranosus and adductor.
Leg inside
6.9 Leg outside: means that portion of the leg located outside (lateral side) of the leg which is separated from the leg inside as described. It contains two (2) main muscles, namely: semitendinosus and biceps femoris. It may exclude the leg, eye (semitendinosus).
Leg outside
6.10 Leg eye: means the round-shaped muscle (semitendinosus) found at the outer (posterior) extremity of the leg outside.
Leg eye
6.11 Leg tip: means that portion of the leg located in front of (anterior to) the leg bone (femur), obtained by two (2) straight cuts at right angles to each other. The first cut begins approximately at the knee cap (patella) and follows the full length of the leg bone (femur) up to the vicinity of the knuckle bone articulation (head of femur/acetabulum). The second cut is at right angle to the first and intersects the first cut at the articulation. It contains three (3) main muscles, namely: vastus medialis, rectus femoris and vastus lateralis.
Leg tip
7. Loin: means that portion of the carcass which is separated from the leg and shoulder as described in items 6 and 5, respectively, and from the belly by a straight cut, which passes slightly below (ventral to) the fourth (4th) chine bone (thoracic vertebra) and tenderloin muscles (psoas major and minor).
Loin
7.1 Rib chop or rib roast: means that anterior portion of the loin which is separated from the loin centre by a straight cut passing behind (posterior to) the seventh (7th) chine bone (thoracic vertebra).
Rib Chop or Rib Roast
7.2 Loin centre: means that central portion of the loin containing no cap muscle (trapezius), which is separated from the rib chop or rib roast as described in item 7.1, and from the sirloin by a straight cut which passes through a point in front (anterior) of the pin bone (ilium or tuber coxae).

Note: the loin, centre contains no pin bone (ilium) and no cap muscle (trapezius).

Loin centre
7.3 Sirloin: means that posterior portion of the loin which is separated from the loin centre as described in item 7.2.

Note: the sirloin contains the anterior half of the pin bone (ilium).

Sirloin
7.4 Loin, rib half: means that anterior portion of the loin, which is separated from the loin, tenderloin half by a straight cut which passes behind (posterior to) the last rib (alternative cut).
Loin, rib half
7.5 Loin, sirloin half: means that posterior portion of the loin, which is separated from the loin, rib half as described in item 7.4 (alternative cut).

Note: The loin, tenderloin half contains no rib or parts thereof.

Loin, sirloin half
7.6 Back ribs: refers to the ribs with adhering meat obtained from the rib half or rib end of the loin.
Back ribs
7.7 Tenderloin: means the cylindrically-shaped muscle (psoas major and minor) located on the inside (ventral side) of the loin sirloin half.
Tenderloin

7.8 Button bones: that portion of the back bones (transverse process of the lumbar vertebrae) with the adherent connecting meat tissues removed from the loin.

8. Belly: means that portion of the carcass which is separated from the shoulder, leg and loin as described in items 5, 6 and 7, respectively.
Belly
8.1 Side ribs: means that portion of the belly containing the ribs and adhering meat, which is separated from the side (boneless belly) by a cut following the contour of the breast bone (sternum) and rib cartilage (costal cartilage).
Side ribs

8.2 Side rib, centre cut: that portion of the side rib from which the breast bone and rib cartilage have been removed.

8.3 Side rib, centre off – that portion of the side rib from which a portion of the centre cut has been removed. Side rib centre off is comprised of a portion of the centre cut, the breast bone and rib cartilage.

8.4 Breast bone; pork bones – that portion of the side ribs from which the pork side rib, centre cut has been removed and only the breast bone and/or rib cartilage remains.

8.5 Side ribs, breast bone off – that portion of the side rib from which the breast bone has been removed.

8.6 Side (boneless belly): means that portion of the belly from which the side ribs have been removed as described in item 8.1.
Side
8.7 Skirt: means the muscular costal part of the diaphragm.
Skirt

Variety meats

  • back fat / gras de dos
  • ears / oreille
  • heart / coeur
  • kidney / rognon
  • liver / foie
  • rind / couenne
  • snout / museau
  • tail / queue
  • tongue / langue
  • feet / pieds
  • brain / cervelle

Pork skin (rind): means skin obtained from a dressed pork carcass or portions thereof and excludes the snout, lips, scalp and ears.

List of meat cut modifiers

  • Bone in / De coquille
  • Boneless / Désossé(e)
  • Breaded / Pané(e)
  • Butterfly chop / Côtelette papillon
  • Cap removed / Paré
  • Chop / Côtelette
  • Chop with pocket / Côtelette à farcir
  • Cutlet / Escalope
  • Crown / Rosette
  • Crown roast / Couronne
  • Delicatize(d) / Attendri(re) mécaniquement
  • Diced pork / Porc en dés
  • Frenched chop / Côtelette à manche
  • Kabob / Brochette
  • Medallion / Médaillon
  • Portion / Partie du
  • Roast / Rôti
  • Rolled / Roulé
  • Semi-boneless / Semi-désossé(e)
  • Skinless, Skinned / Découenné
  • Steak / Tranche
  • Stuffed / Farci(e)
  • Tenderize(d) / Attendri(r)
  • Tied / Ficelé
  • Trimmed / Paré

Note: While not required, these modifiers may be used to describe pork cuts provided they are informative and not misleading.

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