SECTION 24-1

Meat is an important part of many people's diets.
It is also an essential part of most foodservice establishment menu offering.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF MEAT

• Meat is the muscle of animals, such as cattle and hogs.
• Contains four basic nutrients: water, protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
• Following amounts of nutrients: 75% of muscle is water; 20% of
• Muscle is protein; and 5% of muscle is fat.
• Shrinkage occurs when the meat loses water in cooking.

Two types of fat in meat: marbling, and fat cap.
Marbling is fat within the muscle tissue.

The more marbling in a piece of meat, the more tender and more flavorful the meat will be.

Fat cap is the fat that surrounds muscle tissue.
Purpose is to keep the warm and as an energy sources.

Wrap lean meat with fat, such as bacon, before roasting is barding.

Larding long, thin strips of fat or vegetables are inserted into the center of the lean meat.

Meat products have three components: muscles fibers, tissues, and bones.

CONNECTIVE TISSUE

• Connects muscles to bones and binds muscle fiber together.
• Tough
• Collagen is soft, white tissue that breaks down into gelatin and
• Water during slow, moist cooking processes.
• Elastin is a hard, yellow tissue that doesn't break down during cooking.

TENDERIZE MEAT

• Sear the meat and then use a long, slow, moist cooking method
• Tenderize meat
• Slice meat thinly, against the grain
• Grind the meat.
• Break down collagen in connective tissue by adding a chemical tenderizer

Learning the bone structure of an animal will help you identify the different cuts of meat and how they are carved.

Primal cuts, sometimes called wholesale cuts, are large, primary pieces of meat separated from the animal. Most popular purchased by foodservice industry.

Fabricated cuts are smaller portions take from primal cuts. Menu sized portions and limited waste.

The carcass is what is left of the whole animal after it has been slaughtered.

CUTTING THE CARCASS

• Beef carcass are split into two sides called forequarter
• And the hindquarters
• Veal and lamb carcass are divided between their ribs
• To create the fore saddle and hindsaddle

In 1906, the Federal government passed the Meat Inspection Act.
Inspect all meat that crosses state lines.
Meat wholesome, and the animal was not diseased.

The USDA stamp will only reveal it is fit for human consumption.

GRADING MEAT

• Meat is graded for both quality and yield.
• Quality grading is a means to measure differences
• In the quality of the meat you purchase.
• Type of grading reveals meat's tenderness, juiceness, and flavor
• Quality grades are different for each type of meat

GRADING

• USAD Prime meats are used in the very best
• Foodservice establihments. Excellent marbling and a thick layer of fat cap
• Choice grade is more widely accepted because of its flavor and tenderness
• Select grade has very little marbling, used primarily for processed meat products
• Yield grade measures the amount of usable meat on beef and lamb.

PURCHASING MEAT

• Factors to consider when purchasing meat:
• Menu and select meats that will fit those recipes.
• Cooking methods to be used
• The price
• Quality and value in mind

Fresh meat should be stored in the refrigerator, if you will not be using it in a day or two it should be stored in the freezer.
FIFO, make sure to label and date.

SECTION 24-2

CUTS OF PORK

• Pork is the meat from hogs that are less than one year old.
• Five different cuts:loin, shoulder, Boston butt, belly, and fresh ham
• Loin can be divided into several fabricated cuts, can use a variety of cooking methods.
• Shoulder is the lower part of the foreleg. Cook using any method.
• Above shoulder is Boston butt, a high fat content, but is very meaty.

Spareribs belly has a high percentage of fat and a little lean meat.
Ham is a portion of the hind leg.

Untitled Slide

PROCESSING PORK

• Processing is the act of changing pork by artificial means.
• Curing is preserving pork with salt, sugar, spices, flavoring, and nitrites.
• Pickle curing, injection curing, sugar curing
• Smoking involves exposing the pork to the smoke of fragrant hardwoods.
• Irradiation has proven to be an effective way to eliminate potentially harmful microorganisms and enhance food safety.

CUTS OF LAMB

• Lamb meats come from sheep that are less than one year old.
• Shoulder, shank/breast, rack, loin, and leg
• Pink to deep red;firm and finely textured; and some marbling
• 2-5 days in the refrigerator;6-9 moths in the freezer
• Meat from older sheep is called mutton

CUTS OF VEAL

• Veal is the meat from calves that are less than nine months old; some may be 8 to 16 weeks old
• Shoulder,shank/breast; rack;loin; and leg
• Veal is delicately flavored and tender
• Following characteristics:
• Firm texture; light pink color; and little fat.

CUTS OF BEEF

• Americans eat more beef than any other kind of meat.
• Divided into these primal cuts: chuck, brisket/plate/flank; rib, loin, and round.
• Check for grade and inspection stamp; best quality has a bright red color
• Fat content and marbling
• Processing beef: curing, aging, and irradiation

SECTION 24-3

Cooking impacts the tenderness. In general, the more tender the cut of meat, the drier the cooking technique can be.

COOKING

• High-heat cooking: broiling, grilling,: are used for tender cuts of meat
• Low-heat is the best method for preparing large cuts of meat
• Does not shrink the meat because of the moist heat
• A meat's fat content will affect cooking method
• Marinades can also add fat to lower fat meats.

MEAT'S DONENESS

• The cooking method
• The type of meat
• The internal temperature of the meat
• The color and size of the meat
• The amount of time the meat is cooked

INTERNAL TEMPERATURE

• To take the internal temperature follow these rules:
• Insert at an angle, into the thickest part of the meat
• Avoid taking the temperature in fatty areas
• Avoid touching or getting near bone
• Meat is done when it's reached its proper internal temperature

DONENESS

• Learning what the color indicate helps to determine when a particular type of meat is done
• Rare meat is browned on the surface with a red center; medium-rare is browned on surface thicker outer layer of gray
• Medium meat is browned on the surface , thicker layer of gray and a pink center
• Medium-well meat is browned on the surface with a thick outer layer of gray and a center that is barely pink
• We'll done meat is browned on the surface and gray on the inside

ROASTING MEATS

Carving roasted meats correctly is important, always carve against the grain.
If cut on grain it will be tough and stringy.

COOKING METHODS

• Broiling & grilling
• Sautéing & pan-frying
• Braising & stewing
• Plating meats
• Presented as a focal point of the meal