It's small size and lack of structural integrity limit its usefulness,
but it's often smoked whole and sold for slicing and snacking. The photo
specimen was 14 inches long, 2-3/4 inches wide, 1-3/8 inches thick and
weighed just over 1 pound with a yield nearly 100%.
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With no connective tissue this cut is very tender and has little structural integrity. I have a cookbook with Chinese recipes calling for tenderloin to be sliced crosswise very thin and then the slices cut into narrow strips before frying. This is sturcturally imposible with the American tenderloins I've dealt with, they'd just crumble to tiny fragments. Maybe Chinese pigs have tougher tenderloins. |