Pork is a popular food in Vietnam due to its affordable price, nutritional benefits, and versatility in cooking. When visiting the market, most people tend to focus on buying pork belly, pork shoulder, pork loin, or pork ribs. However, there is a most delicious and nutritious part of the pig, which is rarely available, weighing only 2 ounces. It’s called “tenderloin” and can only be found if you go to the market early.
Tenderloin – the most delicious and nutritious part of the pig
Tenderloin is not widely known because most people only know about pork tenderloin. But actually, the pig’s tenderloin has 2 parts: the outer part is the tenderloin and the inner part is the tenderloin.
The outer tenderloin is usually not as tasty as the inner tenderloin because it has more fat. The inner tenderloin has soft and tender fibers, not tough or chewy. It is worth noting that a whole pig usually has only 200-300 grams of tenderloin, so it is often sold out quickly and not many people know about it.
Because it contains soft and tender fibers, it is a favorite type of meat for those who don’t like tough meat and don’t want too much fat. Biting into a piece of tenderloin, you cannot resist the soft fibers that melt in your mouth, not tough like regular meat that can get stuck in your teeth.
Tenderloin is quite rare, so if you want to buy it, you should go to the market early or even contact the seller in advance to ensure availability.
When choosing tenderloin, pay attention to the surface of the meat, which should be dry, not moist. If you feel the meat is moist or see signs of water, it may be the result of excessive water injection or freezing. The color of the meat should be bright, reddish, without any signs of darkening. The meat should not have an antibiotic smell, should not release water or lose elasticity.
Some tips for cooking delicious tenderloin
Although the cooking recipe may seem simple, to make the perfect tenderloin dish, we need to pay attention to some important points:
– Ensure that the cooking time is long enough for the meat to become tender, not dry and tough.
– Instead of directly boiling the meat, you can sear the meat on a pan to give it a golden color on both sides before stewing or braising.
– During the stewing process, if you add a few slices of fresh ginger and scallions, it will help remove the gamey smell and bring out a more delicious flavor.
– You can also substitute rice wine with apple cider or red wine to give the tenderloin a unique and enticing flavor.
3 delicious and nutritious parts of the pig
Pork spare ribs (hip area)
The meat attached to the spare ribs and backbone is considered the most delicious meat on the pig’s body. This is also known as the emperor’s meat because it is very tender, fragrant, and sweet. However, this meat may not be as “pleasurable” to eat as other parts of the pig, but it can be used in a variety of dishes.
Pork loin (back tenderloin)
The loin is close to the shoulder meat on the pig’s back. Each pig only has 1 long loin, and it is also considered the most expensive meat on the pig’s body. It is ranked second in terms of meat quality. The loin meat is pure and tender, with small, compact meat fibers, a delicious and fragrant smell, and no excessive moisture.
Pork front leg meat (shoulder arm)
This is the third delicious meat on the pig’s body. It has a high amount of lean meat, firm texture, dark color, crisp and tender, and fragrant. This meat is suitable for stewing, braising, boiling, or cutting into pieces for steaming.
Pork shoulder meat
This meat has a smooth and tender texture, very suitable in taste, can be eaten in large quantities without feeling bored, and has a certain amount of fat but not greasy. The shoulder meat is located near the backbones of the front legs, right next to the thul meat. The meat in this position has both lean and a little fat, but there is more lean meat, and the meat fibers are divided into small pieces.
Pork hind leg meat (top of the back leg)
This piece of meat is called the thigh or ham, adjoining the tenderloin of the thigh close to the leg joint. This piece of meat is usually lean, has a fragrant smell, is tender, juicy, and has a rich meaty flavor.
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