Francois Vecchio
(Leg section)
Breaking Down a Whole Pig the Salumiere Way
Leg
The traditional way to break down a whole pig in order to optimize the yield of premium cuts for curing salami and sausages.
During the first week of November 2011, in Palmer, AK at Nate Burris Mat Valley Meats, with Mark Sullivan, Brent Johnson
from San Francisco and Mike Phillips from Minneapolis we prepared meats to be ready for a seminar that will bring together
8 chefs to learn the Art of the Salumiere. We had the help of Elizabeth Pepin Silva photographing, we illustrated, step by step
the process of breaking, boning and trimming the meats
This section Leg / To cut and trim
Leg Section
Long Ham ( no cuts to the knuckle )
Oyster Steak
Removing the muscle inside the pelvis
Severing the Hip Joint
Lifting the sacrum
Removing the Sacrum
Femur / Hip articulations
Scoring the hip bone
Lifting the pelvis from the tip
Lifting and releasing from the underside
Precise excision of the tip of the bone to avoid the cut underlining
the muscle
No slashes or deep cuts
Opening the skin.
Finding the seam between inside the knuckle.
Uncovering the inside and knie.
Finding the seam between inside the knuckle.
Knuckle exposed, leads to the femur, femoral artery, and
vein appear.
Finding the seam of the inner shank.
Cutting behind the femur to release the inside.
Inner shank exposed.
The inside can be lifted.
Cleaning the inside.
Inside separates from the inside of the round.
Inside top.
Cleaned inside.
Shank / Inner shank.
Knee.
Remove the shank.
Femur head and sinew attachment of the inner shank.
Inner shank detached from the femur without cutting into
the surface and interior sinews.
Freeing the knuckle bone.
Pealing the periosteal on the knuckle.
No slashing around the surrounding meat.
Clean bone, outer shank and knuckle still bound by
the perioste.
Tight cutting of the hook of the femur.
The ham stays together knuckle attached to the inner
shank by the perioste.
Small and clean hole of the femur joint.
Cut out the fat pocket between inner shank and eye
of the round.
Inner Shank dressing.
Trim a margin of skin around the back of the ham.
Dressing.
Cut at the tip of the sirloin.
Leave the knuckle bone in place, cut strait to the achilles tendon.
Ham trimmed for Speck or Jambon Royal.
Compact shape held by bone membrane.
Achille’s tendon for hanging.
Critical spots, hip and bone seat.
Speck trim, (Femur membrane still connects to inner shank
and knuckle, hip tip, heel and knuckle bone in place.)
Speck or Jambon Royal skin side.
Knuckle
Inside
90% shank meat.
50/50 from ham.
Ham Fat.