How to prepare pork – 7 incredible methods from around the world

If you’ve ever been left scratching your head when it comes to how to prepare pork, you’re not alone.

Even though everyone knows that the pig is one tasty animal, it can seem a little intimidating. With so many delicious possibilities, the last thing you want to do is serve an anti-climax.

Fortunately, we’re here to help.

There are hundreds of ways to prepare pork from around the world (Credit: Pexels)

How to prepare pork around the world

To help provide some inspiration for your next piggy feast, we’ve scoured some seriously awesome pork recipes from around the world.

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Although some methods might sound impractical, trust us – they’re well worth looking into. Here’s our guide to the incredible techniques you can use to prepare pork.

Porchetta is a classic Italian dish (Credit: Alamy/Brent Hofacker)

1. Porchetta

Hearty, herby and wholesome, traditional Italian porchetta is a ticket to porky heaven. A typical recipe requires garlic, rosemary, fennel, and a whole heap of salt and pepper, all inside a boneless joint of fat crusted pork.

The meat is then roasted for eight hours plus and served as a filling for panino, usually as a popular street food.

Mett includes raw pork mince (Credit: Alamy/Jörg Beuge)

2. Mett

Raw pork is generally best left alone until it has been in the oven. Mett might well be the exception to that rule.

To make the dish, highly seasoned raw minced pork is mixed with garlic and caraway and spread on a piece of bread. This German and Polish tradition is delicious – even if it sounds a little daunting.

Lion’s head meatballs are popular in China (Credit: Alamy/Kyoko Uchida)

3. Lion’s Head

Every country around the world has figured out that putting ground meat in a ball makes it absolutely irresistible, and China is no exception.

Lion’s Head is the daddy of Chinese meatballs, usually measuring about 10cm in diameter and served in a richly savoury broth. Coming in two varieties – white and red – this traditional dish proves that mincing can be the best way to get maximum taste.

Saltimbocca is another Italian classic (Credit: Alamy/Zoonar GmbH)

4. Saltimbocca

One of the best uses for pork is as a blanket for other, less illustrious meats. A prime example is the Italian staple of saltimbocca. A relatively simple dish, saltimbocca features a veal cutlet, wrapped in sage and prosciutto and fried in butter.

Salty, sweet and fabulously straightforward, this one way to make the most out of ham.

Kalua pork is a Hawaiian tradition (Credit: Alamy/Jeffrey Whyte)

5. Kalua

Few foods cook slowly quite like pork. If there’s one recipe that shows of the ingredients slow cooking pedigree, it’s kalua pork.

Using the traditional Hawaiian method of wrapping the meat in taro leaves before placing it underground in an imu oven ensures that the resulting dish has an unbelievable succulent texture, as well as a unique flavour.

Lechon is popular in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines (Credit: Alamy/Roast Whole Pork)

6. Lechon

Christmas traditions are always awesome wherever you are. However, Puerto Rico may just take the piggy biscuit when it comes to Yuletide perfection.

Lechon features a whole roast suckling pig, liberally seasoned and spiced and served as a sharing barbecue for entire communities. Definitely beats a dry, dessicated turkey.

You can eat lardo on toast (Credit: Alamy/Christine Webb)

7. Lardo

If fat equals flavour, then lardo might just be one of the tastiest things you can find anywhere. This Italian delicacy is made from cured strips of pig fat, seasoned with salt and rosemary and traditionally spread on toast or used as a salty topping to other dishes.

If it’s pure depth of flavour you’re after, look no further than this ancient classic.

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For non-veggies, the world is full of amazing recipes with meat right at the centre. What sets pork apart is its unparalleled diversity.

Whether you have a hankering for ham or a hearty roast, there’s only one animal to turn to.