Meat

Lean Pork

A Hong Kong market category of pork that is mainly solid lean muscle with little internal fat.

3 identity clues

Mostly solid lean cross-section
No repeated internal fat layers
Usually boneless, whole or sliced

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Names in other languages

繁體中文: 瘦肉
English: Lean Pork
Bahasa Indonesia: Lean Pork (瘦肉) — daging babi rendah lemak
Tagalog: Laman ng baboy / Lean Pork (瘦肉)

Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): sau3 juk6

What is it?

Lean pork is a market request based on low visible fat, not one unique anatomical cut; confirm if a recipe needs a named cut.

How to identify it

Look for an even pink solid-muscle cut with only a little outer fat; it lacks pork belly layers and pork-collar marbling.

Common confusion

This item

Lean Pork

Mostly solid lean cross-section
No repeated internal fat layers
Usually boneless, whole or sliced

Compare

Pork Collar Butt

Boneless shoulder-neck cut
Fine scattered fat marbling
Usually more irregular in shape than pork shin

Compare

Pork Belly

Alternating layers of lean and fat
Usually a rectangular slab or thick slice
Skin-on pieces have one intact skin side

Compare

Pork Tenderloin

usually long and narrow when whole
lean appearance is supporting only
requires a 豬柳 label or butcher confirmation

How to identify it

Lean pork is mainly solid muscle; pork collar has fine marbling and pork belly has repeated lean-fat layers. Pork tenderloin must be confirmed by the butcher or retail label; not every lean strip of pork is tenderloin.

Common Hong Kong household uses

Confirm the dish, quantity and cut with the employer before preparation, then cook thoroughly.

Choosing & preparing

Keep raw meat separate from cooked food, use separate boards and knives, wash hands and contact surfaces, and cook the centre to at least 75°C for 30 seconds.

Storage

Keep covered on the lowest refrigerator shelf at 4°C or below and thaw frozen meat only in the refrigerator or microwave. Contain a leaking package and clean contaminated surfaces; leakage alone is not used here as a spoilage test.

Helper tip

If the employer says only 瘦肉, still confirm sliced, shredded, minced or for soup.

What Ma’am or Sir may say

買一斤瘦肉，切片炒餸。

The employer wants one catty of low-fat pork sliced for cooking.

Useful market phrase

唔該要一斤瘦肉，切片。

Meaning: One catty (斤) of Lean Pork, sliced, please.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-24

Sources (6)