Side by side
Picnic shoulder
Front leg · hand · arm shoulder
The lower half of the foreleg, below the shoulder proper. Leaner and more sinewy than the butt above it, with a thick skin that crisps into crackling if you let it dry out first. It is the traditional cut for pressed and boiled pork dishes across Asia and Europe alike.
Skin should be smooth and dry to the touch. A damp, sticky rind will steam rather than crisp.
Leg
Ham · fresh ham · gammon
The hind leg, the largest single piece on the pig and the one the whole curing industry is built around. Fresh it is lean and mild; salted and air-dried for a year or more it becomes jamón, prosciutto or country ham, depending on which side of a border the cellar sits on.
For roasting, pick a piece with the skin still on; for stir-frying, ask for the inside round, which is the tenderest section.
Which one to buy
- Better forPicnic shoulder : Leg
- Boiled & slicedPicnic shoulder88 : —
- RoastingAbout the same78 : 80
- SausagePicnic shoulder66 : —
- CuringLeg— : 92
- Braised in soyLeg— : 68
Other comparisons
All cuts
Beef Primals
Chicken Portions
Bluefin Tuna Cuts
Temperatures are guidance for whole-muscle cuts. Ground meat and poultry need 71°C / 160°F throughout.