How to Cook Pork

We humans have loved pigs for over seven thousand years. We learned early on that not only are pigs easy to raise but they are wholly delicious. Pork is the world's favorite meat. Collectively the world ate 100 million metric tons of pork in 2006. The highest consumption of pork is in China where each person ate 40 kilograms in 2006. Back in the day, if pork wasn't cooked properly, it could kill you. Since then not only have the conditions of our animal pens improved but we also know not to eat pork raw.

Types of Pork

Pork, as you may have guessed, comes from pigs—the domestic pig is sus domesticus. From the domestic pig we get ham, bacon, ribs, roasts, chops, hocks, trotters, side pork, blood, tails, cheeks, brains, kidneys, intestines for sausages, and a lot more. Like most domesticated livestock, every piece of the pig can be used in some way. The domestication and harvesting of pigs were essential to the survival of humanity.

Cooking Pork

As far as the kitchen, I can't think of one cooking application where pork could not be used. Pork can be steamed, boiled, fried, grilled, sautéed, microwaved, baked, broiled, or roasted. Man, I love pork. Perhaps the favorite of the pork products is bacon. I have met strict vegetarians who will occasionally eat a piece of bacon. Bacon seems to be the perfect balance of salt, fat, smoke, and meat. So perfect that it can tempt vegetarians who vomit at the thought of butchering a pig into eating it. Behold the power of pork fat!