Shoulder, loin, belly, and leg
The shoulder is often divided into an upper Boston butt and a lower picnic shoulder. Both are at the front of the pig. US Pork's shoulder descriptions show the distinction, and South Dakota State Extension explains how those sections relate to the loin, belly, and ham.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to read each cooking note.
| Cut and location | A useful cooking direction | Ask at the counter |
|---|---|---|
| Boston butt Upper shoulder | A familiar choice for smoked pulled pork, a slow roast, or a braise. For a trimmed boneless shoulder, see our pulled pork recipe. | Is the blade bone in or removed? How much surface fat is left? |
| Picnic shoulder Lower shoulder | Also suited to smoking or slow cooking for pulled pork. | Does it include skin and bone? Match the preparation to the exact piece. |
| Loin Along the back | Chops suit grilling or pan cooking. Larger loin pieces can be roasted. Loin back ribs are another cut from this region, used in our baby back rib recipe. | Which chop is it, what thickness, and is it bone in or boneless? |
| Tenderloin Inside the loin area | A small lean muscle suited to roasting or grilling. It is a different shape from a loin roast. | Is this a tenderloin or a larger loin roast? Do not swap them without changing the recipe. |
| Belly Underside | Fresh belly suits smoking, braising, or roasting. Try our smoked pork belly bites with fresh skinless belly. Cured bacon is a different product. | Is it fresh or cured? Is the skin on, and how is it trimmed? |
| Leg or ham Rear leg | A fresh leg can be roasted. A cured ham needs directions suited to its labeled preparation. | Is it fresh, cured, fully cooked, or marked to cook before eating? |
| Hock Lower leg near the joint | A smoked cured hock can go in a bean soup. Use directions written for the exact product. | Is the hock fresh, cured, or smoked? Check its preparation directions. |
The Pork Checkoff describes chops as loin cuts, tenderloin as a separate lean cut, and fresh belly and its cooking uses. USDA distinguishes fresh ham from cured and cooked ham. Read the label rather than assuming every ham is ready to serve.
Which rack of ribs?
- Baby back ribs
- Also called loin back ribs. They come from the loin area and are smaller than spareribs.
- Spareribs
- These come from the belly side of the rib cage. A full rack has a different size and shape from baby backs.
- St. Louis style ribs
- A sparerib rack trimmed to a more rectangular shape. It is a style of trimming, not another part of the animal.
- Country style ribs
- The Pork Checkoff places these where the loin and shoulder meet. Ask which cut is being sold and whether it contains bone, then choose a matching recipe.
These names follow the Pork Checkoff rib guide. Our Smoked Baby Back Ribs recipe is written for baby backs, so a different rack may need different preparation and timing.
Pick the pork dinner
For shoulder, start with Smoked Pulled Pork and the pulled pork portion guide. For fresh belly, try Smoked Pork Belly Bites. The meal planner can combine a main with sides and desserts.
Compare beef cuts and chicken cuts, or return to Meet the butcher.