Butchery

I use these to help when I hear some new or regional name. They show the cuts and where they came from.

As to what to use them for, well mine is just old dumb experience. As a kid I would ask about why one a stew and another a steak and of course all the poor (but funny) bad decisions I made cooking. LOL Course I had my own teeth back then, which made mistakes easier to stomach!

This helps me with pork:

http://www.albertapork.ca/pdf/cut_chart.pdf

This with beef;

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatcharts_photos/beef.pdf

IMO, learning and knowing the specific cuts- where they come from and what mucsles they are comprised of- will help as you educate yourself through your own experiences. 

Take a pork butt for instance: You have a continuation of the muscle group that extends forward from the loin, and lays on the flat side of the scapula. On the other side, you have the smaller muscles that lie within the ridged part of the same bone.  The most attractive piece is obviously the top portion, IF one is slicing for presentation. If your shredding the whole butt, mix it all together, no big deal. 

Sometimes the "chuck roll" portion (as it would be named in Beef), is separated from the fresh butt, and smoked, and called a Cellar Trimmed Butt, or CT Butt. (Fancy names are usually done for marketing or profitability.)

Unless you are doing competitions, find out what YOU like and what pleases YOU, and pursue that knowledge and experience base. If in competition, find out what pleases THEM and pursue that. Two horses of two different colors IMO.

HTH.