the hog

Every cut of the hog

Tap a cut. Cooks first.

Tap a primal — or the list under the chart — then a pin for the retail cut

On the hog

Pork chops

4 cooks that start with this cut.

Cook pork chops

Open in recipes

Roast

Thick brined pork chops

25 min2.5 lb4 platesweeknight

Grill

Grilled thick pork chops

50 min2 lb3 platesweeknight

Roast

Pork chops, mashed potatoes

1 hr 10 min2 lb3 platesweeknight

Stovetop

Tonkatsu

30 min3 lb4 platesweeknight

Ways to cook pork chops

Same cut, different fire.

Reverse sear50 minGrillGentle heat first, hard crust last. For anything thicker than 1½ inches.250–275°F to 115°F, then 45–60 seconds a side on ripping iron or coals. Rest 8 minutes.
Butter-baste in iron20 minStovetopSmoking-hot skillet, then garlic-thyme butter in the last minute.Preheat iron until it wisps. 2–3 minutes a side. Butter, garlic, thyme — baste 30 seconds. Rest.
Two-zone grill25 minGrillHot side for crust, cool side to finish. The basic grammar of a steak fire.Sear 60–90 seconds a side, then park on the cool side lid-down to the pull temp. Bone-in filet side off the hottest coals.
Ripping grate15 minGrillThin, grainy cuts. No reverse sear — they overcook before a crust forms.Hottest grate you own. 3–5 minutes a side to 128–132°F. Rest, then slice hard across the grain.
On the coals12 minGrillDirty steak. Direct on lump, flip often, brush the ash.Seasoned lump, no grate. 90 seconds, flip, 90 seconds, flip. Pull 125°F. The fat drips and flares — that is the point.
Oven broil20 minRoastApartment steak. Rack 6 inches from the element, door cracked if your oven needs air.Blazing broiler, 4–6 minutes a side for a 1-inch London broil. Rest 10, slice paper-thin across.

CommonLoin

Pork chops

Also center-cut chops, rib chops, loin chops

The hog’s steaks. Rib chops have a bone handle; loin chops look like mini T-bones; sirloin chops are chewier.

Per animal: 2 loins · 16–24 chops at 1 inch, or two roasts instead
Per half-hog: 8–12 chops
How to cook it: Hot grill or reverse-sear if thick. Pull 140°F, rest to 145. 160°F is the dry-chop era.
Rarity: Always there. Thickness is what varies — buy 1½ inch if you can.
What to buy: Bone-in, 1½ inch. Thin chops overcook before a crust forms.
Money: You pay loin prices. Shoulder steaks eat better per dollar.
Trim: Leave a fat cap. Score it so the chop lies flat.
Leftovers: Fried rice, a sandwich with mustard, hash.

A cutting choice vs a whole loin roast.

How many

Guests

Buy (lb)

Plate

Buy 4.5 lb · ~3.2 lb to the table · 6 plates at 8 oz

How to cut

Serve whole. Slice a stuffed chop across.

4 cooks in the library for pork chops.

The whole animal

Every retail cut we track, how many you generally get, and how often it actually shows up in a case. Tap a line to pin it on the chart.

Cook through a half-hog

Boston butt

20%

Picnic

10%

Loin

20%

Belly

15%

Ham

24%

Hock

Jowl

half-hog counts are typical, not a promise from the plant.