Carving a Whole Pig

No clear-cut rules exist on how to carve a pig. We found that a two-person carving team moves much faster than a single carver.

One person can carve the large sections off the carcass, while the second person cuts these sections into serving pieces. To start place the pig on its side then:

    Remove and carve the shoulder and attached leg. The meat will cut right off the bone. Slice across the grain of the meat.

    Remove the back leg and carve the meat. With the two legs off, the skin should peel right off the pig. (The skin can also be removed before the carving begins. This outside shell can then either be disposed of, or saves. In some cultures, the skin is used to make pork rinds or as a flavoring for other foods.)

    Next, cut the back meat and pork loins. These sections of meat are very tender and cut into nice serving pieces. The bacon is located right next to the pork loin. (Understand that this meat will not taste like store-bought bacon unless it is cured.)

    The next areas to go are the back and shoulder meat and the back jowl meat just above the shoulder.

    Finally, remove the spare ribs. The small pieces of meat located between the ribs are ideal for pulled pork barbeque.Turn the pig over and carve the second side in the same order. The pig was cooked to the point that the meat will cut off the bone easily. Pork from a freshly roasted pig tastes great whether eaten plain or used in or with a barbeque sauce.


    For a downloadable version of this, click here.