How to Butcher Pork Chops

Added: 12.03.10 by John | Views: 951 | Comments: 2

Video

Images

Ingredients/ Instructions

Ingredients

  • boneless pork loin roast

Instructions

Step 1

Transcript: Butcher Your Own Pork Chops
Hi, I'm Chef John Mitzewich for About.com Food. Today I'm going to show you how easy it is to butcher your own center cut pork.

This is a demo the butchers do no want you to see! And why don't they want you to butcher your own pork chops? Because it's going to cost them money. If you cut your own pork chops you're going to save a lot of money.

Step 2

Save Money by Cutting Pork Chops
Let me explain. These are boneless pork chops, also know as center-cut pork chops, because they are usually cut from the center of the pork loin. They run about $5.75 a pound.

By the way, boneless pork chop is kind of an oxymoron because chop means something with a bone in it. But boneless pork chops are much more popular and easier to cook and are the dominate pork chops on the market. Very expensive.

This is a boneless pork loin roast, about $4.25 a pound. So why the butchers are terrified of you knowing this info is you can take this, cut it into four pieces your self, and save $1.50 a pound.

So the butchers are not going to be happy with me. I'm going to need some sort of disguise now, maybe something like this. Hmm, I look the same. Anyway, I'll figure that out. Let me show you this technique.

Step 3

Cut Pork Loin Roast Into Equal Pieces
Make sure you buy the right cut; it's about two pounds. This is a boneless pork loin roast. We're going to cut it into four equal pieces.

Now, I'm no math major but if you cut a two-pound boneless pork loin roast into four pieces you have four 8-oz boneless pork chops.

Step 4

Trim Extra Fat From the Pork Chops
Once you done that you can trim any extra fat from the sides. It's up to you; it's pretty lean as it is. And, there you go.

That was easy and we saved a lot of money. The butchers aren't happy, but we don't care. You're in no danger, I'm the one taking all the risks here.

Step 5

Benefit of Pork Loin Roast
Now, let me explain the main difference. You see that extra red meat around the outside? That's because the boneless pork loin roast is a little closer to the shoulder.

That is really delicious and tender, so don't let it deter you. It's totally worth the extra savings.

To recap, take a boneless pork loin roast, cut it into four pieces and save $1.50 a pound. Just don't tell the butchers. I hope you give that a try. Enjoy!

  • Rate Me:
    438
  • Short Description: This video shows the easy way to butcher your own pork chops, so you can save money from that.
  • Preparation: 5 Min
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Tags: pork

Comments

  • John - Fri 12 Mar 2010 @ 16:03

    Cutting your own pork chops from a pork loin roast is easy to do and a great way to save money. This is a trick the butchers do not want you to see!

  • John - Fri 12 Mar 2010 @ 16:03

    This video clip, produced for About.com, is a nice trick to save some significant money the next time you're going to cook boneless pork chops. Most people buy them pre-cut, and ready to grill or sauté, but right next to those already-cut chops in the meat case you'll see packages of "boneless pork loin roasts." These pork roasts are always much less expensive per pound, sometimes as much as $2.00 less a pound than the boneless pork chops. As you'll see in this video recipe, taking that pork roast and cutting it yourself is ridiculously easy, and you actually get a better nicer product. I joke in the clip about the butchers not wanting you to know this, and it's true. There are many pre-cut pieces of meat in the case that you can do yourself, if you know which larger cut to start with. So, to get your amateur-butchering career off to an easy start, I decide to go with these boneless pork chops that are really fast and simple to break down. Just don’t brag about this to the butchers, as they tend to be large, hairy men, with lots of very sharp knives. Enjoy!