6.1:
Meat
• Identify the grades of meat
• Identify the primary cuts of meat
• Describe factors that go into purchasing meat
• Analyze the best ways to cook and prepare meat
Meat
• Beef
• Veal
• Lamb
▫ Young sheep
• Mutton
▫ Older sheep
• Pork
Meat Inspection
• Meat inspection is mandatory in the United States:
• The Food Safety & Inspection Service
• (Division of USDA)
• Ensures that meat is wholesome
• Processing facilities and equipment meet food safety standards.
• Stamp signifies wholesomeness & safe to eat
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Grades of Meat
• Grading refers to the meat’s quality. The quality
of meat is based primarily on its overall flavor
characteristics and tenderness.
• 2 Grading Systems
▫ Quality grade
▫ Yield grade
Only meat products approved for wholesomeness may be graded.
Grading is voluntary.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Grades of Meat
• Quality grade: ▫ Measures the flavor characteristics of meat
products.
▫ The USDA evaluates meat for traits that indicate its tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Page 353
Prime
Choice
Select
Good (only used for veal and lamb)
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Grades of Meat
Lower grades for beef:
Standard, commercial, utility, cutter, & canner
Lower grades for lamb:
Utility & cull
Lower grades for veal:
Standard & utility
Lower grades used for ground beef & other processed products
Use lowest grades for canning
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Grades of Meat
• Yield grade:
▫ Measures the proportion of edible or usable meat
after it has been trimmed of bones or fat.
Differences in the fat amount on the outside of the
meat can cause the yield of usable product to vary
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Before a cooking method can be chosen, a chef must
understand:
▫ various cuts of meat
▫ physical composition of the muscle tissue &
how it is affected by heat.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Muscle tissue:
▫ 75% water
▫ 20% protein
▫ 5% fat
▫ Made of muscle fibers bound together and
surrounded by connective tissue.
Connective tissue increases as the animal ages &
amount animal exercises This tissue makes the meat tougher but also more flavorful.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Connective tissues: Collagen & Elastin
▫ Collagen Breaks down during long, slow, moist-heat cooking methods
▫ Elastin Connects meat to the bone
Will not break down during cooking
Trim away by hand before cooking
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Most tender cuts: ▫ Come from muscle groups with the least amount of
exercise
▫ More marbling built up between muscle fibers
▫ Examples: Tenderloins, roasts
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Before a cut of meat becomes available for purchase by an
operation…
▫ After harvesting (slaughtering), the processor cuts the whole carcass
into large sections.
Butchered for beef: 4 sections
Veal (Cattle age of 1 day to 14-15 weeks): 2 halves
Hogs: 2 halves (no other type of meat can be handled in the facility)
Lamb or Mutton: Cut directly into primal cuts (upcoming slide)
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
▫ After initial cuts: Meat must be aged between 48 and 72
hours to allow the muscles to relax.
Hang the meat during “aging” to lengthen
muscle fibers and increase tenderness
As meat ages: Color darkens
Flavor improves
More expensive ▫ Loses moisture that reduces its yield
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
▫ At the end of the aging period, the butcher
cuts the carcass into primal cuts. Primary divisions of meat produced by the initial
butchering of animal carcasses
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Beef
Veal
Pork
Lamb
Cuts of Meat
• After the butcher makes primal cuts, fabrication can take
place.
▫ The process of butchering primal cuts into usable portions.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Retail cuts of meat are those cuts that are ready for sale.
▫ Can be primal or fabricated portions Foodservice purchasers can purchase retail cuts that
are primal cuts, and then fabricate them for their own
use or buy fabricated portions.
More butchering = Higher prices
Fabricating primal cuts will save money
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Cuts of Meat
• Fabricators make cuts from the boneless loin or tenderloin of beef, veal, lamb, or pork into a variety of menu cuts. ▫ Medallions
Small, round pieces molded by wrapping in cheesecloth
▫ Noisettes (nwah-ZET) Small, round portion of meat (French word for hazelnut)
Interchangeable with medallion
▫ Scallops Thin, boneless cuts lightly pounded
“Scallopini”
▫ Emince’ (eh-manss-AY) Thin strips of meat for sauteing
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Other Cuts of Meat
• Offal meat: ▫ Organ meat from hogs,
cattle, or sheep.
▫ Though no longer popular in
the United States, offal meat
is still enjoyed in other
regions of the world.
Types of OFFAL MEATS
• Sweetbreads
▫ thymus glands
• Liver
• Kidney
• Tripe
▫ Muscular stomach lining
• Heart
• Brain
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Other Cuts of Meat
• Kosher meat: ▫ Slaughtered to comply with
Jewish dietary laws.
▫ In the US, only beef/veal
forequarters, poultry, and some
game are used
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Other Cuts of Meat
• Game meat: ▫ Meat from animals that are not typically raised domestically.
Deer
Wild Boar
Moose
Elk
▫ Can be farm-raised:
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Purchasing Meat
• Consider the following general guidelines when purchasing meat: ▫ Cost:
Fabrication is a way to reduce meat costs. ▫ Freshness:
Often, high-quality frozen meats do not appear that different from fresh-meat products.
▫ Fat Content: The fat content of meat products often influences the cooking method
used. Consider marbling & fat cap
▫ Equipment: Consider the types of equipment an operation has before deciding what
types of meat products to purchase. ▫ Vendors:
It is always a good idea for an operation to shop around to ensure getting the best price for its needs.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Storing Meat • After inspecting all meat products…
▫ Store in coldest part of the cooler or in its own unit
▫ Hold fresh meat at 41°F or lower
▫ Frozen meats kept frozen
▫ If in the same storage as ready-to-eat food, store meat
BELOW the ready-to-eat food
▫ Follow FIFO
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Determining Doneness
• Food preparers can cook beef, lamb, and some game meat to a wide range of doneness.
• Example: ▫ A beef roast is rare when the internal temperature is 130°F. The
meat appears red inside with a thin layer of brown on the outside. ▫ At an internal temperature of 145°F, the roast is medium. The meat
is pink inside with a well-browned surface. The surface of meat cooked to medium is firmer than rare meat.
▫ Well-done meat is completely cooked, leaving little or no juice. The
cooked surface of the meat is firm and dry, and the internal temperature is 160°F.
• In general, as meat cooks, the exterior should develop a deep brown color.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Determining Doneness
• Consider carry-over cooking:
▫ Heat absorbed during the cooking process that continues to cook
the meat after it is removed from its heat source.
Example: Top round of beef may increase 15° after being taken out of
the oven.
May want to take meat out before it just reaches desired
temperature
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Section 6.1 Summary
• The two grades of meat are quality grade and yield grade. • A number of butchering processes take place:
▫ Primal cuts are the primary divisions of meat produced by the initial butchering of animal carcasses.
▫ Fabrication is the process of butchering primal cuts into usable portions.
• Meat must be purchased from plants inspected by the USDA or a state department of agriculture.
• Before a chef can determine the right cooking method for a cut of meat, he or she must understand the physical composition of the muscle tissue and how it is affected by heat.
6.1 Chapter 6 | Meat, Poultry, and Seafood