Great Big Piece of Pork

[chickenlady]

Due to a great deal through my co-op, I am now the proud owner of a really big big piece of pork. I knew I was buying 8.5 pounds of pork loin, but for some reason I thought I would know what to do with it once I got it. Well, I am clueless! Right now it's packaged as one large piece in plastic. I would like to portion it into manageable servings and freeze those. I have a vacuum sealer. My question is how should I cut it up? Chops? Roasts? How big? How thick? I really have no inkling on this.

Anyone have any suggestions or advice? Please be explicit--I am a recovering vegetarian and have never before purchased or prepared pork loin.

Thanks!

Edited to add that we are a family of four: 2 adults & 2 toddlers, if that makes any difference.

Edited July 27, 2006 by chickenlady (log)

[Navin Johnson]

I am often in the same situation with a large pork loin, and with similar family size (2 adults, and 3 hungry boys aged 1, 2, and 4). It's an economical and versatile choice for a family -- and tasty.

What I've found best is to cut it into roasts of about 2-3 lbs and freeze them individually sealed. That way you can eat them as a roast if you choose, or else you can cut into whatever size chops suits you, chop smaller for stir fries, or even grind. If you cut it up into chops or grind ahead of time, you've lost the option to do a roast, etc.

I think this leaves the most options while still not having to contend with the whole 8-15lb loin.

And congratulations on your recovery.

-Eric

[TongoRad]

I do both: chops (about 1 1/4" thick) and a single roast (about 2-3 lb.), cut from the center. Usually the end piece is a little sinewy, and that part works well for kebabs if you want to trim it. I leave the fat on all of it and package the chops two-per-package, wrapped in foil and then placed in a ziplock bag for freezing. The chops are great for a weekday meal, and the roast is usually reserved for a weekend type thing.

The loin is very lean, so be sure not to overcook it and you'll have some great meals for an affordable price. The 1 1/4" chops may be big, but are not as susceptable to overcooking as a thinner one.

[tino27]

I agree, this is a great way to save a bunch of money ... at the local Acme every once in a while they will sell the entire loins for a fraction of what they charge normally. Out of a 9 pound loin, I usually cut 2 2.5-3 lbs roasts and then nice thick pork chops. The only different that I do is to trim them before freezing them (two layers of plastic wrap AND a freezer bag). That way when they thaw, they are ready to be used. The only problem is that your freezer will fill up pretty quickly.

[BarbaraY]

We enjoy pork very much so I often buy a whole loin. There are only myself and my grown daughter so a loin goes a long way.

I cut off one or two small roasts then cut a number of chops which I wrap individually. Odd shaped pieces are left whole so I can shred it for stir-fry or cube it for souvlakia.

[Davydd]

My god! That's pure gold. An 8.5 lb pork loin is very hard to come by. My suggestion is to make breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. Here, this will help.

http://web.mac.com/davydd/iWeb/Site/BPT_Tutorial.html

[Blanche Davidian]

I agree that less carving = more options. 2-2.5 lbs per hunk o' meat is just right for us. Leftover roast makes great cuban sandwiches. Also, the fattier ends are good for cutting into stew cubes for Posole (in the crockpot) or Green Chilli. Cooking Light published a great recipe for pork bulgogi a couple years ago that is always a hit.

I bought a probe thermometer for roasting and it changed my life. The meat turns out soooo much better.

[chickenlady]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I haven't tackled the beast yet, but am planning on cutting it into roasts for maximum flexibility. I haven't taken it out of the plastic yet, but it looks the same on both ends. Several of you mentioned irregular or fatty ends. Will these become apparant when I unwrap it?

Also, thanks for the great cooking ideas. One question: can I use loin interchangeably with tenderloin? I know there would be significant differences in cooking times for roasts, but what about recipes that call for it sliced into bite size pieces?

My suggestion is to make breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches.   

I have never even heard of such a thing, but clearly you've made a study. I guess we'll have to try it out.

[Davydd]

Pork loin, pork tenderloin and pork chops come from the same back side of the pig. Pork chops to me have a chewier texture but the pork loin and pork tenderloin are pretty close. I am not sure what differentiates them but they can be used interchangeably in those breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches though I believe the pork tenderloin is a tad more lean. Some day I will visit a butcher and get a first hand visual lesson about all this. The various descriptions on the Internet are not all that complete.

The breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is pretty much confined to the Midwest heartland. I think the various pages on my web site gives pretty good clues about them.

[rooftop1000]

Julie

at one end of the roast there will be a fat line that separate the large "whiter" meat from a redder part. I cut that whole chain off sometimes and trim it up into chunks to add to tomato sauce. Where it is the largest I tend to leave it in the chop so you get the 2 textures in one pork chop...those are all mine hubby doesnt like the fat line in his meat.

tracey

[Lan4Dawg]

a couple of tips:

use your cutting board w/ the channels to collect any blood/juice fr/ the pork (there will be some)

open the package at one end and slide the pork out w/ the open end up right to reserve what ever blood/juices are in the package

save the blood/juices and what ever fat you trim to season soups, greens, beans, &c.

label every thing! a couple of months fr/ now when you open the freezer and are standing there muttering, "what the....I wonder what this is?" you will appreciate it. I like to place all of the cuts in a single bag and re-label that to keep things organized.

use a good sharp knife and remove the "fell"/silver skin when carving (this is actually easier if the meat is slightly frozen) just slide the tip under one end and scrape--some times the back of the knife works better than the edge if you can get the proper leverage but use best judgement.

good luck. I buy whole loins all the time and cut in to roasts, chops, and pieces for stews/soups/&c all the time as it is so much cheaper.