Transcript PowerPoint - Bowdle FACS

• Meat is traditionally
considered the center of
a plate, the focus of the
meal.
• Since it is such an integral
part of the meal, it’s
important to know how
to properly cook the
different cuts of meat and
how to identify quality
meat.
• Cuts of meat are a combination of:
– Muscle
– Connective tissue
– Fat
– Sometimes bone
• Muscle tissue constitutes the most important
part of meat.
• Most meat cuts are skeletal muscle (which
means it is connected to the bone and
provides the animal structure and movement)
• Water is the main ingredient in muscle tissue,
comprising up to 75 percent.
• The lost of water during the cooking process is
called shrinkage.
• Excessive shrinkage can cause a
meat dish to be dry and tough
• Protein is the
second most
abundant element
in muscle tissue.
• Protein give cooked
meats much of
their texture,
nutrients and
flavor.
• The structure of meat is made up of bundles
of muscle fibers that contract to create
movement. These muscles are made up of
long threadlike cells. Groups of muscle cells
are held together by connective tissue.
• Connective tissue is protein that bundles
muscle tissue together and connects muscle
strands of muscle to bones, joints and skin.
• Strands of muscle tissue tend to run in the
same direction giving each muscle a grain.
The grain of a muscle is an important
consideration when cutting raw meat or
carving cooked meat. Cutting
perpendicular to the grain
shortens the muscle
strands and creates a
tender finished product.
• The amount of connective tissue in a
particular cut of meat is the most important
factor in determining how tough that cut is.
Active muscles have the most connective
tissue. The age of an animal also influences
the tenderness of meats because older
animals have more developed connective
tissue that younger animals.
• There are two types of connective tissue that are
important to chefs—elastin and collagen.
• Elastin is a flexible but tough connective tissue
found in ligaments and around tendons.
(Sometimes called silver skin)
Should be removed before cooking.
• Collagen is the most prevalent
connective tissue in meats. When
collagen is cooked with moisture, it breaks down
into tender rich gelatin. It does not need to be
removed if cooked properly.
• Fat provides the moisture,
tenderness and flavor to
meats.
• Two different types:
– Subcutaneous fat- the fatty
tissue that forms around the
outside of muscles
– Intramuscular fat- fat that is
distributed within the muscle
• Layers of fat that form around a muscles are
often left intact because it can protect meat
from drying out and during roasting and
grilling the fat melts, essentially basting the
meat as it cooks.
• Well-fed animals also develop streaks of fat
within a muscle. This intramuscular fat is
called marbling, which is a factor in meat
grading.
• In general, the more
marbling a carcass has,
the better its grade will
be. Marbling makes
certain cuts more tender,
juicy and flavorful.
• The texture of meat is greatly influenced by
aging.
• Aging is the time meat is
allowed to rest after
slaughter. Enzymes in meat
cause muscle tissue to relax
and even break down
connective tissue.
• Reputable meat processors
always age meats under proper temperature
conditions to avoid the development of
foodborne pathogens.
• Shortly after death, all carcasses pass through
a state called rigor mortis. Rigor mortis is
when muscle tissue temporarily becomes
extremely hard and stiff.
• While meat is in this state, it is difficult to cut
and extremely tough to eat. As time passes,
the muscle tissue begins to relax and becomes
usable.
• The length of time required for a carcass to
soften depends on the size of the animal (among
other factors). The process can take as long as 48
hours.
• Besides aging to eliminate rigor mortis, some
meats are aged to improve flavor and tenderness.
Beef, lamb and certain game meats benefit from
aging. Pork, veal and most poultry do not
improve from aging and should be used as fresh
as possible.
• The traditional method for aging meat is done
by hanging a carcass or large cut of meat in a
low humidity refrigerator for as long as six
weeks.
• During this time, the surface of the meat
being aged becomes dry or moldy.
• When ready to use, the surface is trimmed of
the unusable parts. The interior muscle is left
tender and flavorful.
• The disadvantage of the traditional dry aging
method is the amount of loss from trimming and
shrinkage. This loss can be as much as 20%.
• A large portion of meat
packed today is packaged
in vacuum-sealed plastic
bags. Aging meat while
still in these vacuum bags is
known as wet aging.
• Today most meat is wet aged.
• The inspection and grading of meat are two
separate function performed by the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• Inspection is mandatory and grading is
voluntary.
• All meat sold in the U.S. must be inspected.
• It is important to note that inspection is strictly
an assurance of safety and wholesomeness and
not an indication of quality.
• Inspections are performed on live animals before
slaughter and also after slaughter to examine the
animals’ organs to ensure that the animals are
not ill or diseased.
• Inspectors also ensure that meat is handled ,
processed and stored under sanitary conditions.
• Grading is classifying products according to
quality.
• Each classification of meat has its own set of
grades and criteria for grading.
• Grading of meats is based on marbling,
maturity and muscle conformation.
• Grading is voluntary and helps meatpackers
market their products.
• Being able to identify various cuts of meat and
which part of the animal they come from is
important for determining how to prepare and
cook them.
• The most important consideration when trying
to match cooking method to a cut of meat is
the amount of connective tissue the cut
contains.
• Cuts of meat are categorized as tough or
tender. Tough cuts have more connective
tissue than tender cuts.
• Collagen (connective tissue) is broken down
by heat and moisture. Therefore tough cuts
are best cooked by a moist method.
• Tender cuts , which do not need tenderizing
are best cooked by dry methods.
• Active muscles (those that support the
animal’s weight and are responsible for
mobility) are found in the front legs and
shoulders. These are tough meats.
• The muscles along the backs are considered
tender meats.
• After slaughter, meat carcasses are cut into
large sections. These major divisions of the
carcass are called primal cuts.
• Primal cuts are broken down further into
subprimal cuts.
• Foodservice subprimals are often different
from retail cuts sold in supermarkets and
butcher shops.
• The bovine family of animals includes cattle.
The most commonly used cattle in beef
production are steers (males castrated at a
young age) and heifers (females that have not
borne a calf).
• Primal cuts include
the chuck, rib, loin,
round, brisket, plate
and flank.
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Prime*
Choice*
Select*
Standard
Commercial
Utility
Cutter
Canner
*Grades most commonly used in foodservice
• Veal is the term used for immature bovines.
Most veal comes from male calves of dairy
breeds.
• Many chefs prefer “special-fed” veal which has a
light color and smooth velvety texture. Specialfed veal is produced from animals between 18
and 20 weeks old that are fed milk or milk based
formula.
• Veal grading: prime, choice, good, standard,
utility
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Shoulder
Rack
Loin
Leg
shank/breast
• Sheep under one year of age are categorized
as lamb. The meat of fully mature sheep is
called mutton. Mutton is darker,
fattier, and has a
stronger flavor than
lamb.
• Not widely used in U.S.
• Grading: Prime, choice,
good, utility
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Shoulder
Rack
Loin
Leg
Shank/breast.
• Pork process in the U.S. comes mostly from
animals that are 7 to 12 months old. At this
age, there is no discernible difference
between the meat of male or
female pigs.
• Unlike other meats, pork is often
created and sold with its skin.
• Grades- No. 1, No. 2, No. 3,
No. 4, Utility
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Shoulder butt
Picnic shoulder
Loin
Ham
Belly
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Brains
ears
feet (trotters)
hearts
intestines (chitterlings)
kidneys
liver
marrow
stomach (tripe)
sweet breads (thymus gland and pancreas)
tails