The four primal (basic) cuts of the hog carcass are the ham, loin, Boston shoulder, and picnic shoul- der. These four cuts represent the most valuable parts of the hog carcass. In a typical 280-pound (127-kg) market hog, the cuts will make up about 44 percent of the live weight and represent about 75 percent of the total value of the animal. Figure 16-3 shows the parts of a pork carcass.