BBQ Pork

There are 3 cuts of roast pork that get the BBQ'ers attention.

Forequarter cuts are usually sold as shoulder or butt roasts. I know, a butt roast is a forequarter cut and not a hind quarter cut. In Colonial times, New England butchers tended to take less prized cuts of pork like hams and shoulders and pack them into barrels for storage and transport, known as a butt, which comes from the Latin word "Buttis" meaning cask or barrel.

Most popular for smoking and processing into pulled pork, the mainstay of eastern BBQ traditions. Texas has started to catch up and a pork shoulder now decorates the table of most 4th of July celebrations in the Lone Star State. I additionally will take a pork shoulder and have it butchered into 1" thick steaks or "chops" and grill and sauce them. Top dog at my house! This differs from the popular restaurant double cut fashioned from a loin roast you'll find at most top "Chop Houses".

Middle cuts are where the loin comes from (as well as the rib sections on the lower animal). Generally leaner, these can be smoked, but use more savory herbs such as rosemary, thyme and so forth, as opposed to a pepper based rub. Common cuts are loin end (bone in), rib end (bone in and slightly more favorable), center loin boneless and center cut bone in.

Hindquarter cuts are the leg, from which we get the ham. Usually cured and sold as a smoked and sweetened happy mess of pork goodness. This is our go to ham for a quick holiday get together. The uncured or fresh ham is the staple of many households for a more formal ham roast. My Croatian wife loves her dressed ham for Easter, typically adorned with cloves, pineapple slices and basted in orange juice, CLASSIC! This cut is sold without any skin and lean, with very low fat trim, making it a roasting dream.