High on the Hog — And the cuts of meat that gave the phrase its meaning

Why "high on the hog" means what it means

The term "high on the hog", when referencing a wealthy lifestyle or luxurious accommodations, actually originated with a reference to the pig's loin.

This is because the loin was and is widely considered the most valuable part of the pig. Traditionally, cuts coming from higher on the pig such as the loin, as opposed to lower cuts, such as the belly, hams, ribs, etc., were worth more. 

This is partly due to the fact that the loin is not exercised as much as some of the other muscles and, thus, is more tender. Let me break it down. 

The loin is essentially the back of the pig. It is the muscle group and corresponding bones that stretch from the shoulder at the front to the ham at the back. 

Pork cuts from the front of the loin

The first cut we get from the front of the loin is the country style ribs. These are actually not a rib at all. One could argue these are actually a shoulder cut as they come from the area where the loin attaches into the shoulder and shoulder blade. Whether this is shoulder or loin doesn't really  matter to most people. It does share more resemblance to shoulder than the rest of the loin. 

The meat is a little darker. There is a bit more fat and connective tissue. This means that this cut is highly flavorful. It lends itself well to lower and slower cooking methods such as braising or smoking. 

Pork cuts from the area above the ribs and chest

As we move back from the shoulder, we get to the area of the loin above the ribs and chest of the pig. For reference, on a cow this is where rib roasts and ribeye steaks come from. Our bone-in rib chops are cut from here. They include actual rib on the bottom of the chops and a delicious tail of fattier meat on the end where the side of bacon joins the loin. The biggest part of the chop has the "eye muscle" running through it which gives these chops their even cooking and relative uniformity. 

The rib portion of the loin can also be cut a different way. If the muscle is removed from the ribs before slicing you are left with a rack of baby back ribs. That means that every one of our bone-in rib chops have their own baby back ribs! The muscle that is removed can either be cut into boneless chops, left whole as a boneless loin, or smoked and sliced thin into Canadian bacon. 

The rib chops, either bone-in or boneless are highly versatile. They can be grilled quick and hot or done with onions in a gravy. Baby-back ribs are typically smoked or cooked in a slow cooker. Canadian bacon of course can be used as a topping or fried and mixed with your favorite breakfast dishes. It's crazy but 5 of the pork cuts we sell come from the rib portion of the pig!

Pork cuts from the center loin

Moving on back we get to what we call the center loin. This is where we get our bone-in loin chops. For beef reference, this is the area where NY strip or T-bone steaks are taken from. The top of this area of the loin has the large loin "eye" muscle. 

The bone in the area is actually just back bone. No ribs. Tucked under this bone, the tenderloin, one of the most prized cuts is found. In our bone-in loin chops, you will find the large half is the top muscle and there will be one little bite of tenderloin at the bottom. This is our most popular chop.

Easy to cook on the grill and looks like a T-bone steak. If we part this area out a bit,we can get boneless loin or chops from the top and whole tenderloin from the bottom. The tenderloin is lean and as the name suggests, incredibly tender. This cut does well with simple pan-frying, sous-vide or in the oven.

Pork cuts from the tail end of the loin

The tail end of the loin is where we find the sirloin. The primary cut from here is the chop that is pictured, the bone-in sirloin chop. It is our largest pork chop and makes for a hearty meal. These chops are not as uniform as the loin or rib chops but have excellent flavor! 

There is an irregular bone and several types of muscle intersecting which makes for an adventuresome eating experience. There will often be the end of the tenderloin in the sirloin chop as well! We grilled these last night with salt, pepper and some simple spices. They were devoured by both ourselves and the kids. 

Whatever cuts are your favorite from the loin, it is easy to see where its reputation of refinement came from. Flavorful, easy to cook and tender. Using a cut from the loin, it is easy for anyone to eat "high on the hog"!