Back pork meat cut, a long muscle running along the back, a relatively narrow strip of delicate meat of pale pink colour. Suitable for stewed and fried dishes, perfect for shish kebabs and grilled meat, as well as for minced meat.

Part of the front quarter, obtained after cutting off the ham and loin.

A soft, sticky and great cut. Suitable for preparing beaten steak and schnitzel, as well as stewed roast, meat roulades, goulash and soups, as well as meat and vegetable jelly.

European pork knuckle is a part of the front or back leg. The meat is juicy, very sticky, with overgrowth and covered with skin around a thick bone. Knuckle requires long heat processing. It is usually served whole, that is with bone, although it may also be used in other dished, e.g. goulash. When cooked or roasted for a long time, knuckle meat is delicate and delicious. It goes very well with horseradish or stewed cabbage with cumin.

Lower pork meat cut with large overgrowths of meat and lard. The thickness of bacon slices ranges from very thin to several centimetres thick. Suitable for roasting, cooking and stewing, as well as for smoking and minced meat.

Shoulder is the upper part of the front leg.  It is delicate and covered with fat tissue. It may be slow roasted or stewed and is perfect for mincing. It is popularly used in goulash or as filling for potato dumplings, pierogi or stuffed cabbage. It goes well with spices and herbs that are more distinctive in flavour.

Collar is the neck cut of pork. It is a very aromatic part of European pork. It contains quite a lot of fat and connective tissue which stand behind its deep flavour.It is known for its flavour and tenderness. It tastes excellent for example with mustard. It is delicious when baked in the oven but, most importantly, it is a must at every barbecue party. It may be served as steaks or cutlets. Pork collar may be cured and roasted, stewed and fried coated in breadcrumbs.

Back pork meat cut, a large muscle with a regular fibre structure and a thin fat layer. Suitable for baking whole after curing, frying in slices or stewing after frying.

Ribs are long strips of bones covered with quite a thick layer of muscles and fat overgrowth. Ribs may be roasted or used in goulash or soup. The longer and flatter ribs are perfect for the St. Luis-style Spareribs. They taste delicious when roasted as a whole or grilled. They may also be cut into individual ribs and served with home-made sauces. Triangular ribs – meaty and delicate are good for goulashes, soups and broths as well as for roasting.

Pork loin is popular meat, valued for its flavour. Good quality loin is delicate and juicy with white and compact fat.  Loin is a long cut that runs along a bone and it is divided into front section, which is more fatty and middle and back sections, which are more lean. The middle section of loin has a shape that makes it the most suitable for roasting. The front and back sections are used for cutlets. The entire loin with bone may be roasted, too. Loin should not be processed straight from the fridge. Before heat processing (roasting, stewing, frying, cooking), loin should warm up to room temperature so that it does not lose its juice and dehydrate.

European pork is universal meat that is popularly used for home cooking and for various kinds of delicious cold cuts. This is due to the rich taste of this meat.  Good quality pork is delicate and juicy with white and compact fat.  Good quality pork may be recognised by its colour – it should be pink (the darker the shade of pink, the better the quality of pork) with white strands of fat.

Red colour means that pork is young and was stored in the right temperature.  The darker the colour of pork, the better its quality and the richer its flavour. The fat layer on a piece of pork moisturises the meat during heat processing and fills it with the right aroma. It is particularly important for leaner pork cuts, such as loin or tenderloin. If you want to roast meat that is not sufficiently fatty, put it in a net with an extra piece of fat, for example lard from another pork cut.  European pork is easy to prepare and tastes best with onion, garlic, thyme, mustard, oregano and balm vinegar.