One of the things I do (because what don’t I do?) to make our grocery budget go farther is to purchase large, more primal cuts of meat and do a little of the work myself. I find that it saves several dollars per pound over what the stores are charging to cut it in-house. Don’t get me started on how much a restaurant charges for a single steak or chop! I enjoy being able to cut things exactly the way I and my family like them to be. I am able to take advantage of sales, and keep my freezer stocked.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Saving money and having more meat in the freezer sounds great, Michelle, but I have no clue how to cut a large piece of meat! It seems intimidating! What if I mess it up?” Those are all valid concerns. I thought much the same when I started. I did mess up sometimes, but never so badly that I ruined an entire primal cut to the point where I had to throw it away. You won’t either.
This is an easy-mode, beginner friendly DIY. We are going to be making one type of cut from a pork loin, the classic loin chop. Once you see how simple it is to cut loin chops, you will never want to go back to paying full price for them. I know I don’t!
Supplies
- Boneless Pork Loin. I usually get mine from a bulk store like Costco or Sam’s Club. I also have a restaurant supply store that is open to the public where I live that carries them. Please note that I am talking about a whole pork loin, not a pork tenderloin. The whole loin is a much larger, and different piece of meat from a tenderloin.
- A sharp knife. A long bladed carving knife or a chef’s knife would be best. No tiny blades!
- Something to measure with. I have a metal ruler that I like to use. If your cutting board has inches marked off on it, that will work as well.
- A cutting board or equivalent surface.
- Paper toweling.
- A platter or plate to put the chop on once you’ve cut it.
- Something to store your chops in once they’re cut. Freezer bags, freezer containers, etc.
This project should take you less than an hour to complete. Make sure you have time to work undisturbed. If something happens and you need to stop before you are finished, make sure the loin and any chops you have cut are placed into your refrigerator to avoid spoilage.
Let’s Get Started
First Step
Wash your hands!
You need to get your pork loin out of it’s packaging and blot off any liquids with a paper towel. Keep some paper towels around for your hands as you work. Slippery fingers are dangerous when using a knife. You need to keep your grip dry.
Second Step
Let’s take a closer look at the pork loin. You should see that one side has a darker piece to it, maybe with a little marbling, something like this:
That my friends, is pure gold. I think it is more tender and flavorful than the standard loin chop you may be used to. Often this side is cut for a roast, or cubed. You can do those, but this is my favorite pork loin chop. I think you should give it a try.
Third Step
Now it is time to grab your ruler so you can measure out how thick you would like each chop to be. For easy-mode, you will be cutting 1 inch thick chops. Lay the ruler at above your pork loin. Line it up as straight and even as you can, parallel to the pork loin. Something like this:
As you can see in the picture above, I line up the blade of my knife with a mark on the ruler, one inch in from the edge of the loin. This is where you will make the first cut. Hold your blade straight against the loin and draw it back toward yourself. You should now have a shallow cut and guide line. Line you blade up in this cut and pull back again. Repeat until you have cut through the loin.
Grab your chop and set it on the plate or platter. Line up your knife again one inch in from the new edge and cut your next chop the same way as the first. I recommend moving each chop off of your cutting board as you cut it to avoid crowding your workspace.
Final Step
Now that your loin chops are cut, you need to find a way to store them safely. I usually keep one set in the refrigerator for dinner and freeze the others into portions that work for my family. I am going to assume you know how to freeze meat. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you would like me to do a DIY about packaging meat for the freezer. I use a vacuum sealer for mine. I know it is plastic, but I am not cooking anything in it, and we are about doing better, without worrying about perfect.
Closing Thoughts
There are so many ways to cut a pork loin. I encourage you to go and find videos on the ways you would like to cut them. Please let me know in the comments if you want me to show some of the other ways I like to cut a pork loin, or if you would like some of the ways I like to prepare loin chops.
I hope you enjoy this easy and money saving DIY. Please leave comments about how it went, or any questions you have for me. Thank you for being here!
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