Buying Pork in bulk

Buying pork in bulk can save you money. Just follow this advice.

Butcheries discount bulk purchases. Most often, a bulk buy will include a variety of cuts so you can amaze your family with interesting tasty meals. You'll find more than 150 recipes on this website with a handy recipe search facility to ensure easy access to delicious meal ideas.

Insist on Fresh Pork cuts

Always insist on buying fresh pork cuts. This does not apply to packaged frozen pork products such as Eskort Gold Medal Pork Sausages.

Freezing and storing pork
Ask the butcher to weigh and label the each cut (name and weight). When you arrive home, pack your pork into suitable portion sizes for meals and entertaining. Use this guide to calculate portions.

 

HOW TO CALCULATE PORTIONS

  

 

Small cuts (steaks, chops rashers etc.)

Count the individual items in relation to portion sizes for the individual members of your family.

  

 

Large cuts (de-boned)

100g of boneless pork is a small portion whereas 200g would be a portion for people with larger appetites. If you are entertaining, calculate portions by dividing the weight of the joint by 170g/portion. As an example, when cooked, a boneless 1,4kg roast will serve 8 people. Consider the extra fractions of a portion as delicious left overs.

  

 

Large cuts (with bone)

Allowing for the bone weight, work to an average portion of 220g. In this case, when cooked, a 1,4kg roast with bone will serve 6 people. Consider the extra fractions of a portion as delicious left overs.

  

Packing and labelling pork

Toolkit

Permanent marker, masking tape, freezer bags.

Tips

  1. Place meal content in freezer bag, squeeze out as much of the air as possible and seal. Cut a strip of masking tape and adhere it to the freezer bag.

  2. Write the name of the cut, the date purchased and the number of portions on the strip of masking tape.

  3. The thicker the plastic, the greater the protection against drying out and freezer burn and the longer the pork can be kept frozen. Double wrap if using cling wrap.

  4. When freezing prepackaged pork, over wrap with cling wrap if you plan to store for 3 months or longer.

Vacuum packing pork

Vacuum packing is highly recommended because the packing material is thick and all air is removed so no drying will take place when frozen.

Freezing pork guidelines

Storage depends on the quality of the wrapping and how well the air has been removed within the pack. If large cuts such as roasts are well packaged, they can be stored for 6-9 months. Smaller cuts such as chops should be consumed within 3 months of storage.

Information courtesy of: South African Pork Producers Organisation