lopka - identify this cut of pork?

The_Mousie

Hi all
I was in the butchers and saw this pork cut on display. The girl on the counter said it was a polish cut.
Has anyone ever cooked with it?
It looked like hand-sized variable shaped pieces and was £2.99 a kilo.
Was wondering if it's a slow cook cut? It was next to the offal which makes me think maybe it is?
I tried googling it but nothing came up.
Any pointers appreciated.

nuatha

Is this any use?

I'd suggest googling pork neck and pork shoulder, though a competent butcher should be able to tell you which part of the pig the cut is from. If its neck or shoulder then its perfect for slowcooking.
HTH

The_Mousie

I think it may be lopatka.
I wrote down the word carefully but reckon they spelt it wrong!
Might try some next week braised in a nice sauce.
The butchers also had lamb and pork hearts so I'll dog out some recipes for those too.
Thank you!

Dippypud

The_Mousie wrote: »

I think it may be lopatka.
I wrote down the word carefully but reckon they spelt it wrong!
Might try some next week braised in a nice sauce.
The butchers also had lamb and pork hearts so I'll dog out some recipes for those too.
Thank you!

Lopatka means 'spatula' in English as a direct translation ...

maybe this is like 'blade steak' which can be from either beef or pork.

nuatha

The_Mousie wrote: »

I think it may be lopatka.
I wrote down the word carefully but reckon they spelt it wrong!
Might try some next week braised in a nice sauce.
The butchers also had lamb and pork hearts so I'll dog out some recipes for those too.
Thank you!

You're welcome.
It could be a dialect or local term that the Butcher was introduced to - I know some of the british cuts can have a whole slew of regional names.
If you're looking for suggestions, try pulled pork.
I should be ashamed to admit it, but I've never tried pork hearts. Unfortunately its becoming a trendy cut but it might be worth enquiring about pork cheeks, its another cut that needs slow cooking (or curing as bacon) but is an absolute delight (at least until the price shoots up)

Dippypud

The_Mousie wrote: »

I think it may be lopatka.
I wrote down the word carefully but reckon they spelt it wrong!
Might try some next week braised in a nice sauce.
The butchers also had lamb and pork hearts so I'll dog out some recipes for those too.
Thank you!

I got hold of some friends in Poland and this is what they said :

lopatka is like shoulder area of pork bit fatty but in general a really nice cut of meat nice and tasty and you can use it in anything like curry pasta etc and you can cook it how you like i normally cube it fry it gently and then lob everything else in for me curry or stew etc .
and ...
as usual Im late to the party, but as has already been said tis the shouldery bit, a bit difficult to give cooking advice as my wife is a terrible cook and i dont cook pork myself unless its bacon as i get it served to me all the bloody time over here.
also ...
Sounds like it could be what we call "hand of pork" which is just below the shoulder, it has quite a bit of fat and is on the bone so makes for a really tasty roasting joint, bloody cheap too, you can get it 3/4" thick and bbq over charcoal and ummmmmmmmmm