collar of bacon......

[danoid]

....i am trying to find a way to describe this cut of pork to butchers here in the states (so i dont get the deer in the headlights look)......i have seen delia do it for christmas with some molasses for blaackened crackling....

sounds good...so why wait till christmas

thanks for your help

[funnygirl]

It looks like a gammon joint.

http://www.deliaonlin...ckened-crackling.html

[HowardKennitby]

This might help
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon

[danoid]

thank you thank you!!!

[Clanad]

You're probably going to receive the same deer in the headlights response at most meat counters here in the U.S., especially if you use terms like "gammon".

Here, the usual terms are "ham", which is the butt joint which can be uncured or cured (usually a salt cure) and smoked or unsmoked. The cheaper ones are water injected to make them more moist. It can be a shoulder cut as well but the expected fare at Easter (and other holidays) is the butt cut since it can be quite large if needed (maybe 10 to 15 pounds).

Then, "bacon", at least here in the U.S., usually is only rib meat that's removed in whole slabs with the skin on and is about 2 inches thick. It's then cured (as above) and most often smoked. For the sliced variety the skin is also removed. It's quite fatty and most people look at the packages closely seeking the one that includes more lean meat. Additionally, the thickness of the slice can vary greatly... usually about 1/8 of an inch and when it gets upwards of over 1/4 inch it's marketed as "thick sliced".

One can buy the bacon in "slabs"... that is with the skin still on and unsliced, but it's still cured and/or smoked. You would cut it away from the skin and slice it yourself.

Finally, one can buy "side pork" which is the same cut as described above, but uncured and unsmoked, usually with the skin still on. It's more common in our Southern States, but can be found elsewhere.

Bacon and side pork of any variety is mostly considered a breakfast meat. Sometimes it's included as a flavoring for side dishes like long or green beans and certainly any dried bean dishes.

[danoid]

so Clanad, thank you for your thoughts....i suppose that it would be amusing to see the looks if i did ask for gammon.......so is there any easy way or easier way to convert the term "collar of bacon" to something that would make sense to a butcher here in the states.....other than in the "shoulder" area of the pig.....

thanks

[237SJ]

I think you should ask for Pork Shoulder. Same as it is here in the UK. My Dad used to breed pigs and my Mum always said to never get the shoulder joint because that is the part of the animal where the antibiotics are injected (same as in sheep for the same reason - never buy the shoulder)

[Clanad]

I would ask for a shoulder "picnic", but then there are lots of shoulder cuts and the nomenclature depends on how it's cut.

You can check here for common names of prok cuts here in the U.S.:

http://www.mealsforyo...ize?meatcutspork.html

[danoid]

thank you thank you one and all

[mike11111]

When I was a kid a half shoulder of mutton was a rare treat for Sunday lunch. Much tastier than leg of lamb.