What does "high on the hog" mean?

by Cookthink

To eat high on the hog originally meant to eat the cuts taken from the loin and leg—ham, chops and loin—that were generally considered to be the best cuts of pork. The phrase has come to denote eating well in a more general sense. One can be said to be living high on the hog during prosperous good times, but the phrase is also used to describe someone living extravagantly or beyond one's means. Recipe: Pan-Roasted Pork Chops With Mustard-Caper Sauce (Cookthink) Recipe: Pan-Seared Pork Medallions (Cookthink) Reference: What is Boston butt? (Cookthink) Reference: How to tie a pork tenderloin (Cookthink) (Image courtesy of Wessels Living History Farm.)