Pork Processing Percentages
This Chart shows approximately how many pounds and what
percentages of  each cut of pork you can expect from a hog.

This chart should help you understand that "it's not all meat".

They show the amount of meat to be processed, the weight that the customer can expect to receive, and the percentage of loss through boning, fat removal, and trimmings. These authoritative charts are the results of many cutting test made by meat experts.

Of course, it must be realized by consumers that the size of the animal, the amount of fat, the grade of the meat, and the amount of trimming and boning that is done by the meat processor all affects the percentage of meat that the consumer will receive. This chart can be considered as a guide to give some ideal of the amount of meat to be received.

Count on the cuts below, 52 lbs from an average side of a 215 lb live hog. It is possible to buy whole pork loins at some markets. A clearly trimmed loin will have no waste. From a 150 lb carcass, a loin might weigh 9 lbs.

Take-home meet to expect from a 75 lb. half-pork

(Trimmed cuts as usually found at retail)

Aging Pork

Never “Age” Pork.

Instead cut and wrap it within  24 to 48 hours of slaughter.

Only good quality Beef and Lamb should be “Aged” before cutting.

Last Updated - Sunday, April 26, 2009 03:55 PM