By Chef Alli on May 5, 2017

Making the Cut

How to create four great cuts of meat from one pork loin

Have you secretly been eyeing those giant pork loins in the meat case at your local butcher or grocer? Have you always wanted to purchase one, but were afraid of what you’d have to do once you got it home? Guess what? You no longer have to be intimidated. Bring that bad boy home and know you can conquer it. Also, keep in mind there are several ways you can slice a pork loin; below is how I prefer to do so for my family — it’s easy, it’s economical and these cuts are perfect for how I like to cook. I divide the pork into:

6 Pork Chops — 1 ½” thick
6 Cutlets — thinly sliced, ½”–¾” (cutlets are also known as breakfast chops)
1 Pork Loin Roast
6-8 Country-Style Ribs

Package your pork cuts for the freezer. I wrap mine in plastic wrap, placing pieces of parchment between my chops and cutlets, then place each cut of pork into separate freezer bags (four total, in this case).

Lay the pork loin (the one pictured here is 10 pounds) out on your cutting board and admire its magnificence, contemplating how much money you are saving and how good your family is about to eat

Starting at the largest end of the pork loin, use a sharp knife to evenly slice six chops, each one about 1 ½” thick.

Using the same sharp knife, evenly slice six cutlets from the loin, each one about ½”–¾” thick.

Slice the remaining portion of the pork loin in half evenly. The first half (next to where you sliced off the chops and cutlets) becomes your center loin roast. If you’d like, this roast can be cut into two smaller roasts.

Cut the remaining half of the pork loin (this is the blade end) into six to eight country ribs. (We cut these into kebab meat, but you can also cut them into smaller pieces and use them as stew meat. Or, this can become a second roast, perfect for butterflying, stuffing, tying and roasting.)