MEATS

WHAT IS MEAT?

• The meat you prepare should be tender, flavorful, and attractive
• Meat is the edible portions of mammals.
• The major meat-producing animal are cattle, swine, and sheep.
• You need two to three daily servings from the meat and bean group.
• These servings should be 5 to 7 ounces of lean cooked meat

Nutritional value
All meat and meat products
Contain proteins essential for building and repairing tissue.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

• Meats are a good sources of:
• Iron, phosphorus,
• Copper,
• Thiamin, riboflavin, and
• Niacin

The amount of fat meat contributes to the diet depends on the kind and quality of the meat.

FAT GIVES MEAT FLAVOR AND APPEAL

GENERAL FACTS

• Each year the average American will consume more than 65 pounds of beef, and ground beef
• The average American will eat more than 200 pounds of meat this year.
• Currently about 50% of meals are eaten at home, and Americans will spend 13% of their income on food.
• Meats remain the centerpiece of the plate, but consumers still have questions
• Hamburger has evolved from a simple grilled patty with cheese to a gourmet item

BEEF

• Beef comes from mature cattle over 12 months of age.
• It has a distinctive flavor and firm texture.
• Beef carcasses are classified according to age and sex.
• Steers are young, castrated males. Heifers are young females who have never had a calf.
• Beef carcass is the largest

BEEF CARCASS

• The carcass first is cut lengthwise through the backbone into halves
• The two halves are called sides.
• The sides are cut into quarters and then into smaller pieces, called wholesale cuts.
• Meat cutters divide the wholesale cuts into still smaller pieces, called retail cuts.
• These are purchased at the grocery store

GROUND BEEF

• Ground beef contains only the fat originally attached to the meat before grinding.
• Grind beef must be made of trimmings that contain the targeted fat percentage
• 80/20;
• Hamburger can have extra fat added to it during grinding
• The fat content of neither ground beef nor hamburger can be more than 30% of the total weight

VEAL

• Veal is very young beef
• Cattle less than three months of age
• Veal is very lean
• Veal also has quite a bit of connective tissue
• A veal carcass is next to beef in size, but it is still much smaller

PORK

• Pork is the meat of swine
• Most pork comes from animals that are 7 to 12 months old.
• Pork is tender because the animals are so young
• The meat is grayish pink to light rose in color
• The pork carcass is small enough to be shipped whole, but is usually split

PORK

• Ham comes from the pork leg.
• It is cured and usually smoked
• You can also buy hams that require cooking, which may or may not include the skin and bone.
• Bacon is smoked pork belly meat,slab or precut
• Canadian bacon is made from the boneless pork loins.

SOME PEOPLE INCORRECTLY CALL

Ground beef contains only the fat originally attached to the meat before grinding.

Hamburger can have extra fat added to it during grinding.
Fat content cannot exceed 30%.

VEAL

• Veal is a very young beef.
• Cattle less than three months of age.
• So young little fat has developed.
• Veal has light pink color and a delicate flavor.
• A veal carcass is next to beef in size, but it is still much smaller.

PORK

• Pork is the meat of swine.
• Comes from animals that are 7 to 12 months olds.
• Animals are young most pork is tender.
• Meat is grayish pink to light rose in color.
• The pork carcass is small enough to be shipped whole

PORK

• Pork can be fresh cured or smoked
• Ham comes from the pork leg
• Bacon is smoked pork belly meat
• Can buy a slab
• Canadian bacon is made from boneless pork loins.

LAMB

• Lamb is the meat of sheep less than one year old.
• Tender and delicate flavor.
• Fresh lamb is pinkish-red in color with white fat.
• Yearling lamb are one to two years of age.
• Mutton over two years of age

VARIETY MEATS

• Edible parts of the animal other than the muscles.
• Liver, heart, kidney, tongue, and sweetbreads.
• Other variety meats include beef tripe(stomach lining);
• Brains, chitterlings(cleaned intestines) and pork jowls
• Inexpensive and are rich sources of many vitamins and minerals

INSPECTION AND GRADING OF MEAT

• Federal inspectors must examine all meat and meat products
• Shipped across start lines. Inspect both live and the carcass
• A round purple inspection stamp is placed on all wholesale cuts
• Yield grades help wholesales identify which carcasses will produce the most
• Edible meat per pound.

GRADING

• Quality grades assure consumer meat has met set standards that predict taste appeal.
• Quality grades for beef are based on marbling, maturity, texture, and appearance
• Marbling refers to the flecks of fat throughout the lean.
• Choice meats are high quality with good marbling.
• Select meats are leaner, prime cuts have the highest grade

SELECTING MEAT

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAT

LOCATION OF THE MEAT IN THE ANIMAL

• Bone shapes can tell you the part of an animal from which meat was cut
• Location of muscle tissue in an animal indicates the tenderness of the meat cut
• The tenderness of a meat cut gives you a clue about how to cook it.
• Moist heat methods
• Dry heat methods

MEAT LABELING

• Meat
• Name of the cut
• Name of the retail cut
• Net weight
• Price

NAMES ON LABELS

• Three part format
• Kind of meat appears first
• Next is the name of the wholesale cut
• Is the name of the retail cut
• This information lets you comparison shop more easily

DECIDING HOW MUCH MEAT TO BUY

• The number of people you will serve and
• The amount of bone in the meat will affect your purchase
• Whether or not you want to have leftovers
• How many people 1lb of meat will serve
• To determine how much to buy multiply the amount of meat per serving by the number of people being served

COST OF MEAT PER SERVING

• Cost per serving of meat depends partly on the tenderness of the meat
• Tender cuts cost more than less tender cuts
• The amount of waste in a meat cut also affects the cost per serving
• Meat extenders like dried beans and rice can stretch meat dollar
• N

STORING MEAT

• Most meats are stored in the refrigerator
• Coldest part of the refrigerator
• Freezer for meats that will not be used for within a few days
• Rewrap in moisture proof and vapor proof paper
• Label each package with the date, name and weight of the cut

PRINCIPLES OF COOKING MEATS

• Cooking meats destroys harmful bacteria that can be present in raw meat
• Elastin is very tough and elastic, and cooking cannot soften it
• Collagen is also tough and elastic, but cooking can soften and tenderize it
• Marinating involves soaking meat in a solution called a marinade
• During cooking heat coagulates(thickens into a mass) the proteins in the muscle fibers

CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE WHEN COOKING MEAT

• Temperature control is a key principle
• Cooking losses include fat, water, and other volatile substances
• Cooking losses are important because they can affect the appearance and eating quality
• Affect the number of servings meat will provide
• Low temperatures will keep cooking losses to a minimum

METHODS OF COOKING MEAT

• Cooking meat safely
• Roasting meat
• Broiling meat
• Grilling meat
• Pan broiling

METHODS KOF COOKING MEAT

• Frying meat
• Braising meat
• Cooking meat in liquid
• Microwaving meats
• Variety meats it depends on the tenderness of the cut