Pork's mild taste makes it adaptable to a variety of seasonings and sauces. Like beef, it has different cuts that contain varying amounts of fat that lend themselves to a host of different cooking techniques. If you are watching your waistline, stick with leaner cuts, such as the tenderloin. A 3-oz. serving of pork tenderloin contains a mere 125 calories and roughly 3 g of fat.
Pork Roasts
The next time you crave meat and potatoes, cook a pork roast instead of beef or chicken. Choose a small tenderloin or a larger pork center loin roast, as both are good cuts for roasting. Loin roasts are available with or without the bone. Although bone-in roasts tend to have more flavor, they are difficult to carve. If you have a good butcher, have him remove the bone and then tie the meat around it. Before cooking, either brine the roast or give it some flavor through a dry rub or wet marinade. Serve the pork with roasted root vegetables and a side of applesauce.
Chops
Since they are cut into individual portions, pork chops work well whether you are cooking for one or for a crowd. Like a pork roast, you can purchase them with or without the bone, and the cooking technique dictates which one you buy. Use bone-in chops when slow cooking or roasting, and boneless when stuffing, grilling or cooking them on the stove top. Use thinly cut chops for stove top preparation, or pound them to 1/4-inch thickness with a meat mallet or heavy saute pan to make cutlets. Celebrity chef Giada DeLaurentiis uses a simple yet flavorful technique for pork chops by coating them with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and frying them in some olive oil.
Barbecue
Although Texans use beef in their barbecue, pork is the staple meat in most southern barbecue fare. Whether grilled, smoked or roasted, the key to good pork barbecue is a long cooking time over very low heat. Grilled ribs, either small back or larger country-style, are a welcome addition to most backyard barbecues. Use pork shoulder or butt to make pulled pork with any type of slow-cooking method. Mix the shredded pork with your favorite barbecue sauce and serve on a tortilla, over cooked rice or on a sandwich bun topped with cole slaw and a slice of pickle.
Ethnic Cuisine
Pork plays a role in many ethnic cuisines. The Chinese use it to flavor fried rice or minced with vegetables as a filling for dumplings and egg rolls. Italian cuisine offers a variety of braciole dishes using pork instead of beef, and porchetta, a simple roasted pork dish. Mexican food also includes a variety of dishes utilizing shredded pork, such as carnitas.
Sausage
Homemade sausage from pork is easier to make than you may think. Although you may not have access to an extruder to make sausage links, you can shape the mixture into patties or cook it as is and use the crumbled sausage meat in a variety of dishes.
Seasoning plays the biggest role in what type of sausage you produce. Andouille sausage, for instance, relies on a combination of Cajun seasonings while chorizo uses chili powder. Kielbasa uses allspice and marjorom, and Italian sausage gets its distinct flavor from fennel seed and crushed red pepper.
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