Know Your Cut of Meat: This one ?

[AAQuesada]

On 6/9/2021 at 9:44 AM, weinoo said:

Maybe the terms pork collar, secreto in Spain, etc. etc. are all just fancier ways to call that topmost portion or frontmost portion of the shoulder?

 

I thought the secreto was in between the shoulder and belly like a pork skirt steak? At least according to Charcutería..

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, AAQuesada said:

I thought the secreto was in between the shoulder and belly like a pork skirt steak? At least according to Charcutería..

 

I think the issue is...it's a secret!

 

Per Raichlen...

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There is no definitive answer. A butcher’s “secret cut” may depend on the butcher. This Spanish anatomy chart confirms my suspicions by labeling three disparate parts of the pig secreto or presa de paleta (see the cheek, shoulder, and front loin).

 

Per Second City Prime:

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The secret is out! Our Pork Secreto is ingrained with layers of marbled goodness and flavor - ready for you to cook immediately. The pork secreto is cut from the outside of the pork shoulder which makes for an amazing cut of meat - with the consistency of a ribeye cap but the look of a skirt steak.

 

Per Otto Wilde: (who??)  

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It is so mysterious, as the fibrous and fan-shaped muscle of the Spanish Iberico pig (Cerdo Ibérico) lies hidden between the back and back fat. If the butcher doesn’t cut it correctly, the cut is hardly recognizable which is why it gets its name Secreto.

 

 

And finally:

 

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The Iberian special cut, which is known as “secreto” in Spanish, is a cut located in the back part of the loin next to the forequarters between the fat. It is the pig’s armpit.

 

My guess  - it can be almost anything!

[AAQuesada]

The cut at the end of the loin is properly called the 'Pluma'. I think it's more that American butchers are doing what ever they want lol. Presa is a seprate cut as well. 

 

You have to scroll down a bit but the link below compares the 3 cuts..

 

https://nafood.com/spanish-iberico-pork/

[Margaret Pilgrim]

AAQ, have you used NA Food?    Quantity size seems daunting but quality sounds excellent.