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Meat cuts · Czech cuisine

Leg of pork

The hind leg of the pork side, divided into muscles – lean meat for schnitzels, roasts and quick pan dishes.

AI illustration of Leg of pork
AI illustration

At a glance

Cut
Rear of the side: hind leg from the loin to the hind hock, with pelvis and thigh bone.
Production
Bone-in, or boneless whole or divided into topside, silverside, thick flank, rump and palec svíčkové.
Use
Schnitzels, roasts, quick pan dishes, strips.
Substitutes
Tenderloin for pan dishes, shoulder for roasts.

Where on the animal

Diagram: where the cut sits on pork – leg (ham)Leg of pork: Pork – Leg (ham). An approximate diagram; butchers divide the carcass in slightly different ways from country to country.

Pork

  • Leg (ham)

An approximate diagram; butchers divide the carcass in slightly different ways from country to country.

The leg is the hind limb of the pork side, with the pelvis and thigh bone. It is separated from the loin by a cut perpendicular to the spine; the hind hock follows below, and the sacrum with the tail is removed from the rump side. Boneless, it is sold whole with a thin layer of fat on the outside, or divided into vrchní šál (topside), spodní šál (silverside), ořech (thick flank), květová špička (rump) and palec svíčkové, the thick end of the tenderloin.

Topside is a compact block for large schnitzels cut across the grain. Silverside is slightly firmer but lean and suits roasting with its rind and fat. Thick flank and the darker, tender rump suit any method, including quick pan cooking; topside, thick flank and rump are also cut into strips.

In German it is Schweinekeule or Schinken, in Austria Schlögel, used mainly for schnitzels.

Techniques and tips

Related entries

Sources