Pork confusion

[Roger Burton]

Hi chaps, I’m in the UK so there may be different names for these cuts in your country. I understand some of the terminology but am still a little confused, for instance a local butcher often has ‘pork knuckles‘ cheap, I’ll buy one soak it and boil it and end up with some pleasant tender meat ... but then there are some other offerings ‘ham’ sometimes ‘bacon’ sometimes ‘gammon’ then ‘streaky’ sometimes ‘smoked’ or there are ‘hocks’ ... not forgetting ‘trotters’ (I think these are feet). So is ‘ham’ the only one that’s cooked or what’s the difference between a bacon and gammon joint or pork hock .... confused, sorry.

 

[mjd]

I had the same question about beef and @MorningGlory helped me with a diagram she found online. Here's one for pork.

 

[Morning Glory]

Its confusing - both gammon and ham are cured, as is bacon. Ham is gammon that has been cooked. At least that is how I understand it.

How to cook and prepare gammon and ham

Both gammon and ham are cuts from the hind legs of a pig. Gammon is sold raw and ham is sold ready-to-eat. Gammon has been cured in the same way as bacon whereas ham has been dry-cured or cooked. Once you’ve cooked your gammon, it is then called ham.

 

[Roger Burton]

That looks helpful mjd and MG that cut and paste is good but I’m afraid you’ve added another area of confusion (for me anyway) “cured” what is curing ? and it says ’dry curing’ so there is maybe ‘wet curing’ or is that brining ... it’s a minefield as far as I’m concerned and don’t le’s get onto ‘scratchings’ !

 

[Morning Glory]

That looks helpful mjd and MG that cut and paste is good but I’m afraid you’ve added another area of confusion (for me anyway) “cured” what is curing ? and it says ’dry curing’ so there is maybe ‘wet curing’ or is that brining ... it’s a minefield as far as I’m concerned and don’t le’s get onto ‘scratchings’ !

Another cut and paste I'm afraid:

Curing (food preservation)​

In food preparation, curing refers to various preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of salt, sugar and either nitrate or nitrite. Many curing processes also involve smoking. The etymology of the term is unclear, but it is thought to derive from the same Latin cura, -ae, from which the other English meanings are also derived.

Terminology

Curing with salt and sugar may be called salting, salt-curing, sugar-curing or honey-curing. The application of pellets of salt, called corns, is often called corning. Curing in a water solution or brine is called wet-curing or pickling or brining. Paul Bertolli notes that a pickle contains nitrite in addition to salt. (Bertolli 2003) The curing of fish is sometimes called kippering.

Curing Foods

 

[Roger Burton]

Thanks MG excellent.

 

[caseydog]

What you call gammon, we call ham. It is from the hind leg.

You will often hear us use the term "pork butt," is it also called a Boston butt or pork shoulder. That is the from upper front shoulder of the pig. It is labeled as blade in MG's diagram. The part below that, labeled "hand," is often called the "picnic" here. Both of those cuts are typically cooked low and slow. The butt is a BBQ staple (pulled pork).

Our bacon (streaky bacon) comes from the belly. It is usually cured AND smoked in the USA. The bacon I've had in the UK is from the back of the pig -- part of the loin, I believe. We often call it Canadian bacon in the US.

CD

 

[GadgetGuy]

We call them little ham hocks. I used to buy them & use them to help season a pot of dried beans, greens & other things, but now, since there is concern for fat in the diet, I've switched to smoked turkey wing & legs. Seems to do the job very well!! There is far less fat & salt in these!!

 

[CookieMonster]

ham hocks come in miniature to giant sizes.
these are on a 10" dinner plate....

did lentils and ham hocks two days back - there was essentially no meat on them.... one, two bites worth - but the lentils/stew veggies were GGGReat!

boiling/braising/etc they add lots of flavor - if you want to eliminate/minimize the fat, chill overnight and skim off the congealed fat before proceeding with the dish.

most bean/pulse dishes benefit greatly from an overnight 'rest' anyway - so it's a two-fer situation....

 

[GadgetGuy]

Here's the less fattening alternative to the ham hocks, for those of you who want the smokey favor, but not as much fat.

 

[Morning Glory]

What you call gammon, we call ham. It is from the hind leg.

You will often hear us use the term "pork butt," is it also called a Boston butt or pork shoulder. That is the from upper front shoulder of the pig. It is labeled as blade in MG's diagram. The part below that, labeled "hand," is often called the "picnic" here. Both of those cuts are typically cooked low and slow. The butt is a BBQ staple (pulled pork).

Our bacon (streaky bacon) comes from the belly. It is usually cured AND smoked in the USA. The bacon I've had in the UK is from the back of the pig -- part of the loin, I believe. We often call it Canadian bacon in the US.

CD

Gammon is uncooked ham in the UK - so you call both uncooked and cooked 'ham'?

Not my diagram - 'tis mjd's

Streaky bacon in the UK also comes from the belly. It tends to be the most popular, I think.

 

[TastyReuben]

Gammon is uncooked ham in the UK - so you call both uncooked and cooked 'ham'?

We do where I live, yes.

 

[caseydog]

Gammon is uncooked ham in the UK - so you call both uncooked and cooked 'ham'?

Not my diagram - 'tis mjd's

Streaky bacon in the UK also comes from the belly. It tends to be the most popular, I think.

View attachment 57932

When you say "bacon" in the US, it is assumed you mean streaky bacon. If you were talking to someone about back bacon, you would probably call it Canadian bacon in the US.

CD