South Carolina Meats Judging Workshop

Concepts in Pork Carcass Concepts in Pork Carcass and Cut Placingand Cut Placing

Placed on Value• Most valuable to least valuable• What predicts value in pork carcasses and cuts?• Cutability and quality determine value• Cutability is the meat yield of the four lean cuts

which include the ham, loin, boston butt, and picnic shoulder

• Quality is the expected palatability of the product including juiciness, tenderness, and flavor

Factors of Importance

• Trimness: Best indicator of lean cut yield• Muscling• Quality

Jowl

Picnic Shoulder Boston Butt

Loin

Shank

Shank

Ham

Pork Carcass

First Rib

Last Lumbar Vertebrae

Last Rib

Fat Opposite 10th rib

Lumbar Lean

Loineye

Sternum

Jowl

Belly Pocket

Navel Edge

Loin Edge

Ham Collar

Muscle Scores3 2+ 2 2- 1

Factors Affecting Pork Quality

• Lean color– Reddish-pink is ideal– Pale is bad

• Firmness of the lean– Firmer is better– Softer is bad

• The amount of marbling present in the loineye.• Pale, soft, and exudative lean is unacceptable.

Pork Quality

How Do You Rank Pork Carcasses?

• Pork carcasses are ranked predominately on:– Trimness– Muscling

• If ribbed, quality is only used as a placing factor if carcass is Pale, Soft, and Exudative (PSE)

TrimnessOpposite the Last Lumbar VertebraOpposite the Last RibOpposite the first ribLoin edgeCollar fatBelly pocketNavel edgeSternumJowl

Place this class!

1 3 42

Carcass # 1

Avg. Backfat : 0.85LEA : 7.6

Muscle Score : 3

Carcass # 2

Avg. Backfat : 0.8LEA : 5.4

Muscle Score : 2+

Carcass # 3

Avg. Backfat : 0.9LEA : 4.5

Muscle Score : 2

Carcass # 4

Avg. Backfat : 1.82LEA : 4.9

Muscle Score : 2-

The Placing is 1-2-3-4• Carcass #1 is the heaviest muscled and one of

the trimmest, therefore it places first.• Carcass #2 is the second heaviest muscled and

is also one of the trimmest so it falls into second.

• Even though carcass #3 is light muscled, it is acceptable in trimness, and so it places third because carcass # 4 is unacceptable in trimness.

• Carcass #4 places last as it is the fattest, lowest cutability carcass in the class.

Practice Classes

Pork Carcass Fabrication • Fabrication: The breakdown of a carcass into

specific parts/sections• 4 lean cuts

– Ham, Loin, Boston Butt, Picnic Shoulder• We place and answer questions on:

– Pork Carcasses, Hams, Loins

Jowl

Picnic Shoulder Boston Butt

Loin

Shank

Shank

Ham

Pork Carcass

Pork HamsKnow

Terminology!

Hams - Positives• Trimness

– Less Fat• Beneath the butt face• Over the forecushion• Less collar fat• Less seam fat in the butt

face• Over the rump side of

the butt face

• Muscling• Greater area of exposed lean in

the butt face• Deeper, wider, fuller, more

bulging center-cut section• Fuller, more bulging cushion• Fuller heel• Shorter-shanked• Heavier muscled forecushion

Quality: greater amount of marbling in the butt face, more reddish-pink lean, firmer lean

Hams - Negatives• Trimness

– Most Fat• Beneath the butt face• Over the forecushion• most collar fat• Most seam fat in the butt

face• Over the rump side of

the butt face

• Muscling• Smallest area of exposed lean in

the butt face• flatter, shallow, more narrow

center-cut section• Flat cushion• Most tapering heel• Lightest muscled forecushion

Quality: low quality ham, least marbling in the butt face, more reflective , PSE lean

Pork Loins

• KnowTerminology!

Loins - Positives• Trimness

– Less Fat• Over the sirloin face• Over the blade face, over

the loin eye• Less fat over the lower

rib• Less seam fat in the

blade face/sirloin face• Over the back

• Muscling• Larger loin eye in the blade face• Fuller, more muscular back• Larger sirloin face• Greater area of exposed lean in

the sirloin face/blade face

Quality: greater amount of marbling in the loin eye in the blade face, more reddish-pink lean, firmer, finer-textured lean

Loins - Negatives• Trimness

– Most fat • Over the sirloin face• Over the blade face, over

the loin eye• over the lower rib• seam fat in the blade

face/sirloin face• Over the back

• Muscling• Smallest loin eye in the blade

face• Flat, light musculed back• Smaller sirloin face• Smaller area of exposed lean in

the sirloin face/blade face

Quality: least amount of marbling in the loin eye in the blade face, more reflective

# 1 # 2 # 3 # 4

# 1 # 2 # 3 # 4

Pork Loins 3-1-2-4 5-2-3

Point Tabulation

• 50 points per class• Cuts • Practice Calculations