What is the difference between loin and tender loin?

Question

What is the difference between loin and tender loin?

Answer 1

The loin on a hog (for instance) is the outer muscle that lays along both sides of the backbone from the ribs, down towards the hips of the critter. Thats the big thick strip of meat.

The tenderloin lays below that. Toward the inside of the animal. Its a thinner strip of meat and but very lean.  I've always thought that because tenderloin was a more difficult strip of meat to get to when you were butching the animal, it was more expensive.

Answer 2

The loin is the center cut of the pork chop. The tenderloin is the filet.

Answer 3

I'll assume your talking about pork tenderloin vs. pork loin.

A pork loin is a boned out rib of pork that is tied and roasted.

A pork tenderloin is the small piece of meat( equivalent to a Fillet Mignon) which lies underneath the loin end of the of the pork loin ( there's a loin end and a rib end).

The tenderloins weighs less then a pound( usually) and pork loin can weigh up to 7 or 8 lbs.

So a tenderloin of pork is the "Fillet Mignon" of the pork.

The loin would be equivalent to a prime rib( if you want to compare the cuts to a steer).

That should give you a visual picture.