Pork Experts

Glossary

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Baby Back Ribs - The part of the rib cut from the loin. Also known as back loin ribs. A premium cut of ribs because they are leaner and more tender than spare ribs (which come from belly region). Hatfield’s baby backs average 3” to 4” wide because the target height of Hatfield’s pork loins (at the 8th-9th rib) is 4.75”. Average length is 15” to 16”. An average of 1/8” lean meat remains atop Hatfield baby back ribs. Hatfield sells most of its baby backs by weight grade, in 4 ounce increments.

Backbone - The spine, most of which is included in the primal bone-in loin. The chine bone.

Baste - To moisten meat with a liquid while cooking, to add flavor and to prevent drying on the surface.

Belly Strap - The interconnected section of lean and fat which runs the length of the loin on the belly side. Hatfield removes part or all of the Belly Strap from most of its boneless loin products for the domestic (U.S.) market.

Blade Bone - The Scapula, part of which extends from the shoulder onto the loin side of the break between the shoulder and loin-belly. The blade bone is removed from the rib end of all boneless loins.

Blast Frozen - Products are frozen rapidly at extremely low temperatures (-10 or lower) in conjunction with high-velocity air movement around the product.

Block Table - Name for wide conveyor on Cut Floor on which hog carcass is separated into primals. Half carcass (a.k.a. side) is broken into feet, ham, shoulder, loin, rib-belly and fatback.

Blood Spots - A quality check specification on all Hatfield boneless loins.

Boil - To cook in water or other liquid, in which bubbles rise continually and break on the surface.

Boned and Rolled - Boneless fresh meat, stuffed in nets.

Bowing - Curvature in the loin which occasionally occurs (especially when vacuum packed) when a loin is chilled and the Longissimus or other muscles contract.

Braise - To brown meat in a small amount of fat, then cook slowly in a covered utensil in a small amount of liquid.

Break - To cut and separate two sections of meat at a target point, e.g., to separate a shoulder from a loin-belly.

Broil - To cook by direct heat.

BRT - Boned, Rolled & Tied. Netting process that often refers to boneless picnics, but boneless loins and hams can be BRT.

Bruising - A quality check specification on all Hatfield boneless loins.

Butterfly - To cut partway through meat (boneless loin or chop) and bend the cut open/back.

Button Bones - Part of the transverse processes of the vertebrae. Button bones appear as small bumps or protrusions about 1/2” down the rib bones from the backbone.

Canadian Style Bacon - A product derived by injecting, curing and smoking a boneless loin.

Carcass - The dressed, slaughtered animal, containing two “sides”.

Center Cut Boneless Loin - A boneless loin which excludes the rib end and sirloin end. The sirloin end, belly strap, false lean, and rib end (which includes Spinalis muscle) are all removed from this premium trim product.

Center Cut Bone-In Loin - A premium bone-in loin product. Hatfield cuts the rib end 2”-4” long (from the shoulder) to prevent any part of the blade bone from becoming part of the center cut loin, then cuts the loin end 4”- 5” long (from break with ham), at indentation of sirloin, 1 bone up from bend of tailbone.

Chef Pleaser - A Hatfield brand name for a variety of products. May include special flavoring with beef extract.

Chef’s Prime - Hatfield’s name for a 6” long piece of boneless loin at the rib/shoulder end of the loin.

Chine Bone - The thick backbone which runs the length of the loin. Sometimes called the “body” of the vertebrae.

Chilled - A temperature-related term generally used to describe fresh product.

Country Style Ribs - This rib product is prepared from the bone-in rib end of a loin and primarily includes the loin eye, Spinalis (muscle #82) and Multifidus (muscle #43). A saw operator cuts through the gaps between the feather bone and into the chine bone, then cuts perpendicularly across the ribs above the button bones. A worker with a hand knife cuts the loin eye in half by following the cut across the ribs. Some stores also cut between the feather bones to create individual sections.

Crown Roast - This specialty (partially) bone-in loin product is notched and tied in the shape of a circle. It is prepared from a center cut loin rather than the whole loin. While the product is attractive, preparation is extremely labor intensive and requires removal of feather bones and the chine bone. The baby back ribs remain on the product.

Cryovac Loins - For customers who require superior shelf life (at a higher packaging cost), Hatfield prepares a vacuum-packed bone-in loin product. #1037 includes 2 vacuum bags (specially designed to resist puncturing), each bag containing 2 whole pork loins. Trim is identical to #1102 loins.

Cured - Meat products which have been infused with special saline solutions and ingredients to enhance flavor and color, and extend shelf life.

DFD Pork - Dark, Firm and Dry. Caused by long term stress, which results in low levels of muscle glycogen. Tissue pH is higher than normal because little lactic acid is formed. Equivalent condition to “Dark Cutter” in beef.

Denuded - a piece of meat with practically all surface fat removed. A.k.a. “peeled.”

False Lean - Muscles which are thin and surrounded by fat, thus giving a misleading impression that the cut is leaner than it actually is. The term usually refers to muscles near the surface of the rib end of the loin.

Fat Cover - Expected to be 1/8” +/- 1/8” as loins leave Cut Floor loin spur line.

Feather Bones - A row of bones, connected to the backbone, which runs along the top of the hog from front to back in the rib region. Feather bones are exposed when carcass is split.

Feather Bone Meat - The Multifidus muscle (#43), found on the lean (nonskin) side of a boneless loin. Hatfield presently leaves this muscle on all center cut boneless loins.

Frenched Rack - To remove intercostals meat, lean, and fat over the rib bones on rack or chops.

Fresh - Refers to meats that have not been canned, cured, smoked or frozen.

Fry - To cook in oil or fat.

Glands - The lumbar lymph nodes are located against the tenderloin. Hatfield has been removing all these dark red or brown glands from tenderloin products since at least 1994.

Gouging - severing or penetrating the silver (membrane) of the loin during fat trimming, thus removing part of the lean muscle. Our goal is to prevent gouging on any Hatfield loin.

Gristle - Cartilage. The term sometimes also is used to refer to other connective tissue such as ligaments or even tendons. The major presence of cartilage (which Hatfield removes) on the loin is adjacent to the Scapula (bladebone) at the rib end.

HRI - Hotels, Restaurants and Institutions.

Iliacus - Small muscle which partially surrounds Psoas major at widest (ham) end of tenderloin.

Indentation to Sirloin - Guide point for bandsaw operator to separate bone-in loin end (such as #1104) from bone-in center cut loin (such as #1103). Usually 4”-5” from break with ham, 1 Bone from bend of Tail bone. Also unofficially known as “Saddle” at Hatfield.

Injected - Meat cuts which have had solutions introduced throughout the muscles by injection or pumping.

Intercostal - Adjective meaning “between the ribs.”

IQF - Individually quick frozen.

Japanese Color Chart - Chart used to visually compare and grade pork by toning and segregate PSE loins from export product. #1 is at the light end of the tone spectrum, while #6 is at the dark end.

Loin End - Section of bone-in loin at the sirloin/ham end of the loin. Hatfield cuts the loin end 4”-5” long, at indentation of sirloin, 1 bone up from bend of tailbone, when preparing center cut loins. Products #1104, #1249.

Loin, Pork - Primal which includes the back of the hog. The loin remains after the shoulder, ham, rib-belly and fatback are removed from the half carcass/side of pork. Hatfield presently breaks the shoulder from the loinbelly between the 2nd and 3rd Ribs; breaks the ham from the loin-belly 1.5” anterior to the exposed part of the pelvic bone (and between the 3 rd and 4th sacral vertebrae); breaks the rib-belly from the loin at 4.75” curved height at the center (8th-9th rib) of the loin; and retains only a thin layer of fat (1/8” +/- 1/8”) on the heaviest volume whole loin, #1102.

Marbling - Intramuscular fat; flecks of fat within the lean. It is an important factor affecting quality in meat. Marbling enhances palatability by increasing juiciness and flavor.

Marinate - to be labeled “marinated, a product must use a marinade that is a mixture in which food is either soaked, massaged, tumbled or injected in order to enhance taste, tenderness, or other sensory attributes such as color or juiciness.

Natural - The term Natural may be used on labeling of meat and poultry used on labeling of meat and poultry products provided: The product contains no artificial flavor, or flavoring, color ingredient, or chemical preservative or other artificial or synthetic ingredient. The product and its ingredients are minimally processed. Minimal processing may include: Processes to make food edible, or to make it safe, e.g, smoking, curing, cooking, freezing, drying and fermenting. Physical processes which do not fundamentally alter the raw product or only separate a whole into component parts, eg. Grinding meat or poultry, separating eggs, or pressing fruit.

Organic - Organic pork includes products from hogs that have been produced and meat that has been processed and handled in compliance with the USDA’s Organic Standards. These standards involve an entire process in which synthetic inputs (including antibiotics, genetic engineering and food supplements or additives) into all phases of production or processing are prohibited.

Panbroil -To cook uncovered in a frying pan.

Panfry - To cook in a small amount of fat.

Partial Belly Strap Removed - Product now known as “Boneless Loin, Strap On.” A Hatfield boneless loin from which only the fattiest part of the belly strap is removed.

Pocket Chop - This chop is produced by making a cut into the eye of the chop for stuffing purposes.

Porterhouse Chop - A beef term which refers to a loin chop containing all or most of the tenderloin piece.

Portion Control Cuts - items which have been cut, sliced or formed to specified weights or thicknesses.

Precooked - Products which have been cooked but may require reheating or additional cooking prior to eating.

PSE - Pale, Soft, Exudative. Light-toned meat of undesirable appearance. Tissues have low pH and poor water-binding capacity. Often little marbling. Muscles can be pulled loose from connective muscle attachments. Often caused by Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS), especially short-term stress before slaughter. The result is accumulation of high levels of lactic acid in muscular tissue after slaughter. Also caused in part by lower levels of the pigment myoglobin.

Purge - Juice which exudes from meat cuts after cutting or trimming, sometimes accumulating in packages.

Rib End, Bone-In - Section of bone-in loin at the shoulder/rib end of the loin. Hatfield cuts the rib end 2”-4” long (from the shoulder) to prevent any part of the blade bone from becoming part of the center cut loin.

Rib End, Boneless - Section of boneless loin at the shoulder/rib end of the loin. A byproduct which varies in length depending on primary product being produced.

Riblets - A narrow strip of bones with 1/8” to 1/4” of meat, averaging 3/4” to 1” wide and 7” to 8” long, which is cut (3/4” from backbone) from the tenderloin region. Costal processes of the lumbar vertebrae.

Rib Strips - Thin (less than 1” wide) section of ribs generated by squaring up center cut loins for Portion Control Chop or Smoked Loin production. More prevalent with purchased raw materials.

Rib Tips - Product #1301 is a byproduct of cutting baby back ribs to 14” length for #1209. Tips also are a byproduct of #2 loins. The tips are short sections of baby back rib, usually less than 4” long. Always cut from shoulder end of baby back (unless salvaging a broken back loin).

Saddle - Unofficial Hatfield term for indentation to sirloin.

Side Strip Muscle - The Psoas minor muscle (#58) runs the length of the tenderloin. Occasionally called the “chain.”

Silver - Another name for the membrane.

Simmer - To cook in liquid at a temperature of approximately 185 ° F.

Sirloin/Hip Bone - Bone at the ham/sirloin end of the loin. This bone is always removed during loin boning.

Simply Tender - Hatfield’s brand of injected (but NOT cured) fresh pork. Unlike Tenderplus products, Simply Tender are not flavored or seasoned.

Sirloin (Boneless) - Choice cut of meat from the ham/sirloin end of the loin. Hatfield’s boneless sirloin is comprised of only 3 muscles, the lighttoned Gluteus medius and the darker Gluteus accessorius and Gluteus profundus. Hatfield’s boneless sirloins are often free of surface fat. They average 18 ounces per piece. They should always weigh at least 8 ounces and be free of blood spots, cartilage and connective tissue.

Smoked - Meat cuts which have been exposed to the dry smoke of hardwoods, or which have had liquid smoke applied externally or as a cure ingredient.

Spinal Cord - Hatfield removes this cord of nerve tissue which extends through the spinal canal in order to improve the appearance of our loins and to meet customers’ perceptions that cord removal increases shelf life.

Spinalis - A thin but wide muscle at the rib/shoulder end of the loin which is darker in tone than the eye (Longissimus) of the loin, a.k.a. Chefs Prime.

St. Louis Style Spare Ribs - Spare ribs with the brisket bone removed.

Strap On - Boneless Loin with most of the belly strap still attached. Only the fat part of the belly strap is removed. cf. “Partial Belly Strap Removed.”

Tail Bone - Hatfield uses the bend as a guidepoint in cutting loin ends from (center cut) loins.

Tenderloin - Muscle at sirloin/ham end of loin which is in channel and thus separated by bone from the loin eye and sirloin. Usually weighs 12- 13 ounces after hand-trimmed. Hatfield hand-pulls the glands, fat, and Psoas minor (side strip muscle) off of the tenderloin. Very tender and porous. Equivalent muscle to filet mignon (tenderloin) in beef.

Tenderplus - Hatfield’s brand of injected (but NOT cured) and seasoned fresh pork. Products include tenderloins, sirloins, boneless loin sections and picnic cushion roasts. Flavors include peppercorn, teriyaki, garlic and onion, and Italian.

Vacuum Packed - Refers to the process of encasing meat cuts in bags or pouches fabricated from laminated plastic, evacuating air from the bags and sealing them for extended refrigerated storage.