6: Pork Identification and Fabrication

Pork is the meat of hogs, usually butchered before they are one year old. With the exception of beef, Americans consume more pork than any other meat. The pork we eat is leaner and healthier than it once was because of advances in animal husbandry. Because hogs are butchered at a young age, their meat is generally very tender with a delicate flavor. It is well suited to a variety of cooking methods. More than two-thirds of the pork marketed in the United States is cured to produce products such as smoked hams and smoked bacon.

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