12 Easy Ways to Serve Lean Pork (2024)

FAQs

What are lean pork options? ›

Loin: The area between the shoulder and back legs is the leanest, most tender part of the animal. Rib and loin chops are cut from this area, as are pork loin roasts and tenderloin roasts. These cuts will be dry if overcooked.

Instead of frying, opt for grilling, roasting, baking, or broiling. It's best to avoid fat-heavy pork products like bacon. Opt instead for leaner varieties that are minimally processed and higher in protein. Eating undercooked or raw pork can result in parasitic infections.

Cook it light

Broil, grill or roast on a rack so natural fat from meat drips away. Cook thin cuts of meat quickly, with little or no fat, by pan-broiling or “dry sautéing” in a nonstick skillet with a little juice or broth. Add stock, wine or fruit juice to the skillet after the meat is removed.

Lean pork is every bit as good for your body as lean beef and chicken. In one study, substituting lean pork for beef and chicken led to less body fat and better heart health. For a spicy take, try ancho-rubbed pork tenderloin. It's lean, flavorful, and perfect for grilling.

Pork is high in both saturated fat and sodium (salt), which have been linked to an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, or diseases that affect your heart and blood vessels.

In particular, some pork cuts are high in saturated fatty acids, so-called bad fats. Excess saturated fats can increase your risk of developing heart problems, obesity, and other long-term illnesses. Undercooked pork also carries the risk of viral and bacterial infections that pass on from pigs to humans.

It is only in Leviticus 11:7 that eating pork is forbidden to God's people for the very first time—“… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc.)

Cook pork, roasts, and chops to 145 ºF as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source, with a three-minute rest time before carving or consuming. This will result in a product that is both safe and at its best quality—juicy and tender.

What is the most common way to cook pork? ›

Roasting is one of the most versatile methods to cook pork. It involves oven cooking in an uncovered pan with no added liquid and it won't take long to find a recipe that caters to your particular flavor.

Brining pork chops is one of the best ways way to guarantee a juicy cooked pork chop. Even a quick 30-minute brine (or up to four hours) makes a big difference. It's not strictly necessary — you can still use this method to make great pork chops even without brining — but if you have some extra time, I recommend it.

Use a marinade: Marinate the ground beef in a flavorful liquid such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or red wine before cooking. Add a flavorful liquid: Add a small amount of beef broth, tomato sauce, or red wine to the ground beef while it cooks to add extra flavor.

If you're looking for the leanest option when it comes to pork, look for loins and chops. Check out the chart below to see how pork stacks up.

Overcooking is one of the leading causes of a tough, dry piece of meat. The best way to ensure a juicy cut is to slow-cook it in a slow cooker, oven, smoker, or pot. If you have the time, slow-cooking is the best way to cook lean meat. After an all-day slow-cooking session, the meat will turn out juicy and tender.

The leanest pork choices include pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham. Choose lean turkey, roast beef, ham, or low-fat luncheon meats for sandwiches instead of luncheon/deli meats with more fat, such as regular bologna or salami.

Lean meats - Beef, lamb, veal, pork, kangaroo, lean (lower salt) sausages. Poultry - Chicken, turkey, duck, emu, goose, bush birds. Fish and seafood - Fish, prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops, clams.