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Cuts of pork come from a few primal sections of the carcass: the Kansas State University extension service (KSU) names the picnic shoulder, Boston butt, loin, leg or ham, belly and spareribs as the primals a processor works from. This guide lists the pork cuts KSU ties to each primal, ranks 12 cooked cuts from USDA SR Legacy data by protein per 3 ounces, and copies the federal FoodSafety.gov minimum internal temperatures for pork. For the meat itself, see our pork guide, and for other species our types of meat guide.
Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- The KSU extension guide lists six primals: picnic shoulder, Boston butt, loin, leg or ham, belly and spareribs, plus trimmings for ground product.
- Per KSU, the loin yields loin and top loin chops, a tenderloin roast, sirloin chops or roasts, country style ribs and back ribs, while the belly is mostly smoked and sliced into bacon.
- In USDA data, 3 ounces of roasted tenderloin lists 125 calories and 3.4 grams of fat, against 307 calories and 26.2 grams of fat for roasted spareribs.
- The FoodSafety.gov chart lists 145°F with a 3-minute rest for pork steaks, roasts and chops, and 160°F for ground meat and sausage.
Primal cuts of pork in the KSU extension guide
KSU’s guide Pork Processing Options for Consumers (MF3396, February 2018) explains what a processor can make from each primal. The table copies its cutout table: the share of hot carcass weight for each primal, based on a 205-pound hot carcass with average muscling, and the cut options KSU lists.
| Primal (KSU MF3396) | Share of hot carcass (KSU) | Cut options KSU lists |
|---|---|---|
| Picnic shoulder | 8.0% | Picnic shoulder roasts or steaks; often used for sausage or ground pork |
| Boston butt | 8.6% | Whole Boston butt roast; blade steaks |
| Loin | 14.6% | Pork chops; back ribs; tenderloin roasts; country style ribs |
| Ham | 15.8% | Ham; fresh ham steaks; fresh ham roasts |
| Belly | 12.6% | Fresh side; bacon |
| Spareribs | 2.9% | Spareribs; St. Louis style ribs |
| Trimmings | 7.8% | Ground pork and sausage |
Per KSU, the picnic shoulder is generally cut into roasts, and some of its meat can go into sausage. For the Boston butt, KSU says customers who would consume pulled pork “may prefer to keep the Boston butt as whole or as partial roasts,” while the other option is blade steaks.
The loin supplies most of the chops in KSU’s list: loin and top loin chops, a tenderloin roast, sirloin chops or a sirloin roast, plus country style ribs, blade chops and back ribs. KSU says the leg can be cut into hams that are smoked or kept fresh, or into ham steaks; see our ham guide.
Per KSU, the belly is mostly smoked and sliced into bacon, and the guide adds: “A set of spareribs will be returned from each half of the carcass.” KSU also notes that any part of the carcass can be ground for fresh ground pork or sausage, and that each half has a jowl, two hocks and two feet.
Pork cuts ranked by protein per 3 ounces
The table lists USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries for fresh pork, separable lean and fat, at 3 ounces (85 grams) cooked, an editorial comparison basis, ranked by protein. USDA entries are roasted where USDA lists a roasted form; the center loin chops are broiled. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values of 78 grams for total fat, 20 grams for saturated fat, 18 milligrams for iron, 11 milligrams for zinc and 2.4 micrograms for vitamin B12; protein has no %DV here because the FDA labeling rule bases a protein %DV on an amount corrected for protein quality.
| Pork cut (USDA FDC ID) | Serving | Calories | Protein | Total fat (% DV) | Saturated fat (% DV) | Iron (% DV) | Zinc (% DV) | Vitamin B12 (% DV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center rib roast (167832) | 3 oz (85 g) | 211 | 22.9 g | 12.5 g (16%) | 4.6 g (23%) | 0.8 mg (5%) | 2.5 mg (22%) | 0.7 mcg (31%) |
| Leg (fresh ham), whole, roasted (168223) | 3 oz (85 g) | 232 | 22.8 g | 15.0 g (19%) | 5.5 g (27%) | 0.9 mg (5%) | 2.5 mg (23%) | 0.6 mcg (24%) |
| Sirloin roast (167836) | 3 oz (85 g) | 196 | 22.6 g | 10.9 g (14%) | 3.5 g (17%) | 0.8 mg (4%) | 2.1 mg (19%) | 0.5 mcg (23%) |
| Top loin roast (167842) | 3 oz (85 g) | 163 | 22.5 g | 7.5 g (10%) | 2.4 g (12%) | 0.5 mg (3%) | 1.8 mg (16%) | 0.5 mcg (21%) |
| Tenderloin, roasted (167905) | 3 oz (85 g) | 125 | 22.1 g | 3.4 g (4%) | 1.2 g (6%) | 1.0 mg (5%) | 2.0 mg (19%) | 0.5 mcg (20%) |
| Ground pork, cooked (167903) | 3 oz (85 g) | 252 | 21.8 g | 17.7 g (23%) | 6.6 g (33%) | 1.1 mg (6%) | 2.7 mg (25%) | 0.5 mcg (19%) |
| Center loin chops, broiled (167827) | 3 oz (85 g) | 178 | 21.8 g | 9.4 g (12%) | 3.0 g (15%) | 0.7 mg (4%) | 1.8 mg (17%) | 0.5 mcg (21%) |
| Shoulder, arm picnic, roasted (168257) | 3 oz (85 g) | 269 | 19.9 g | 20.4 g (26%) | 7.5 g (37%) | 1.0 mg (6%) | 2.9 mg (27%) | 0.6 mcg (25%) |
| Shoulder, Boston blade roast (168259) | 3 oz (85 g) | 229 | 19.6 g | 16.0 g (21%) | 5.9 g (30%) | 1.2 mg (7%) | 3.4 mg (31%) | 0.7 mcg (31%) |
| Back ribs, roasted (168300) | 3 oz (85 g) | 248 | 19.6 g | 18.3 g (23%) | 6.6 g (33%) | 0.8 mg (4%) | 2.6 mg (24%) | 0.6 mcg (26%) |
| Country-style ribs, roasted (167897) | 3 oz (85 g) | 305 | 18.5 g | 25.0 g (32%) | 9.1 g (45%) | 0.8 mg (5%) | 1.9 mg (17%) | 0.6 mcg (27%) |
| Spareribs, roasted (169178) | 3 oz (85 g) | 307 | 17.8 g | 26.2 g (34%) | 7.9 g (39%) | 1.2 mg (7%) | 2.8 mg (25%) | 0.4 mcg (16%) |
In USDA data, loin cuts sit near the top of the protein ranking: center rib roast lists 22.9 grams per 3 ounces, sirloin roast 22.6 grams and top loin roast 22.5 grams, with the fresh leg (ham) at 22.8 grams. Roasted tenderloin lists the least fat in the table in USDA data, 3.4 grams, or 4% of the FDA Daily Value, and the fewest calories, 125.
The rib and shoulder cuts list more fat in USDA data: 26.2 grams for spareribs, 25.0 grams for country-style ribs, 20.4 grams for the arm picnic and 18.3 grams for back ribs, against 17.7 grams for the cooked ground entry. The Boston blade roast lists 3.4 milligrams of zinc, 31% of the FDA Daily Value, the most zinc in this table in USDA data. For beef cuts, see our steak and ground beef guides, and for leaner picks our lean meats list.
Where each USDA cut sits in the KSU primals
USDA’s SR Legacy descriptions name the primal too: each loin entry begins Pork, fresh, loin, the Boston and picnic entries sit under shoulder, and the fresh ham entry reads leg (ham). The table matches each USDA entry with the KSU primal it comes from; KSU lists back ribs and country style ribs with the loin and ground product with the trimmings.
| Pork cut (USDA FDC ID) | Primal in the KSU guide | USDA SR Legacy food group |
|---|---|---|
| Center rib roast (167832) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Sirloin roast (167836) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Top loin roast (167842) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Tenderloin, roasted (167905) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Center loin chops, broiled (167827) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Country-style ribs, roasted (167897) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Back ribs, roasted (168300) | Loin | Pork Products |
| Spareribs, roasted (169178) | Spareribs | Pork Products |
| Shoulder, Boston blade roast (168259) | Boston butt | Pork Products |
| Shoulder, arm picnic, roasted (168257) | Picnic shoulder | Pork Products |
| Leg (fresh ham), whole, roasted (168223) | Ham | Pork Products |
| Ground pork, cooked (167903) | Trimmings | Pork Products |
These are generic database entries, not products of any company; the Nutrition Facts label on a package is the figure for that product. Our types of chicken guide uses the same USDA source for poultry.
Cooking temperatures for pork cuts
The federal FoodSafety.gov chart lists the minimum internal temperatures below; the table copies its pork and ham rows as written, and the chart’s rest time applies only where it lists one.
| Food (FoodSafety.gov chart) | Cut or form | Minimum internal temperature | Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork | Steaks, roasts, chops | 145°F | 3-minute rest |
| Pork | Ground meat and sausage | 160°F | None listed |
| Ham | Raw ham | 145°F | 3-minute rest |
| Ham | Precooked ham (to reheat) | 165°F | None listed |
The FoodSafety.gov chart gives pork steaks, roasts and chops a lower figure than ground meat and sausage, lists the 3-minute rest only for the whole cuts and raw ham, and adds a note: “Reheat cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants to 140°F.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the primal cuts of pork?
The KSU extension guide lists the picnic shoulder, Boston butt, loin, leg or ham, belly and spareribs; USDA SR Legacy files the cooked cuts under Pork Products.
Where does pork tenderloin come from?
KSU lists the tenderloin roast among the cut options from the loin, and the USDA SR Legacy entry is named Pork, fresh, loin, tenderloin.
Which pork cut lists the most protein?
In USDA SR Legacy data, center rib roast lists about 22.9 grams per 3 ounces, with the fresh leg (ham) at 22.8 grams.
What is the difference between spareribs and back ribs?
KSU lists spareribs as their own primal next to the belly and back ribs as a loin cut; in USDA data, roasted spareribs list 26.2 grams of fat per 3 ounces and back ribs 18.3 grams.
Is Boston butt part of the shoulder?
USDA SR Legacy names its entry Pork, fresh, shoulder, blade, boston (roasts), and KSU lists the Boston butt and the picnic shoulder as separate primals.
What temperature should pork chops reach?
The FoodSafety.gov chart lists 145°F with a 3-minute rest for pork steaks, roasts and chops, and 160°F for ground meat and sausage.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a health condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Types of Chicken: FSIS Classes, Cuts and USDA Values, Types of Meat: Federal Definitions and USDA Values for 20 Meats, Types of Sausage: 20 Kinds Compared in USDA Data.