UNDERSTANDING MEATS AND GAME• Smaller cuts of meat are enclosed in Cryovac® air and moisture...
Transcript of UNDERSTANDING MEATS AND GAME• Smaller cuts of meat are enclosed in Cryovac® air and moisture...
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley and Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 15
UNDERSTANDING MEATS AND GAME
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley and Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
THE DEFINITION OF MEAT
• Meat– Muscle tissue– The flesh of domestic animals and of wild game animals.– The largest expense item of a food-service operation.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley and Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
• Water: 75%• Protein (essential nutrient): 20%• Fat: 5% of muscle tissue, and as much as 30% of the beef
carcass• Carbohydrate: very small amount
COMPOSITION
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COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
Water– A high percentage of water in muscle tissue explains the
challenge of shrinkage during cooking– Excessive moisture loss during cooking:
–Dry meat– Loss of product weight– Loss of product profit
COMPOSITION (CONT’D)
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Protein• Muscle tissue becomes firmer and loses moisture as it
coagulates.• Doneness is related to the desired degree of muscle protein
coagulation.• Excessive coagulation results in toughening of the proteins and
moisture loss.
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
COMPOSITION (CONT’D)
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Fat• Deposited throughout tissue as marbling, which separates
muscle fibers and makes them easier to chew.• Surface fat retains moisture during cooking.• A certain amount of fat is therefore desirable for: – Juiciness– Tenderness– Flavor
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
COMPOSITION (CONT’D)
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Carbohydrate• Meat contains almost insignificant amount of carbohydrates.• The small amount that is present is necessary for the Maillard
Reaction to occur, resulting in flavor and browning in meats.
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
COMPOSITION (CONT’D)
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Muscle Fibers• Determine the meat’s texture or grain.
– Fine-grained meat: small muscle fibers bound in small bundles– Coarse-textured meat: large muscle fibers
Connective Tissue• Binds muscle fibers together in bundles.
– Collagen: broken down by heat, acids, enzymes, and tenderizers– Elastin: must be physically removed or broken down mechanically
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
STRUCTURE
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Inspection• Guarantee of wholesomeness indicated by
a round stamp.• All meat produced for public consumption must
be inspected by the USDA.• Inspections ensure:– Products are processed under strict sanitary guidelines.– Products are wholesome and fit for human consumption.
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
INSPECTION AND GRADING
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Quality Grading• Quality designation indicated by a shield stamp.• Based on:– Texture– Firmness– Color of lean meat– Age or maturity– Marbling
• Not required by U.S. law; some packers use private grading system.
INSPECTION AND GRADING (CONT’D)
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
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BeefUSDA PrimeUSDA ChoiceUSDA Select
USDA StandardUSDA Commercial
USDA UtilityUSDA CutterUSDA Canner
VealUSDA PrimeUSDA ChoiceUSDA Good
USDA StandardUSDA UtilityUSDA Cull
INSPECTION AND GRADING (CONT’D)
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
Quality Grading
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Wet Aging• Smaller cuts of meat are
enclosed in Cryovac® air and moisture proof packaging.
• Protects from bacteria and mold
• Prevents weight loss from drying
Dry Aging • Larger cuts of meat are
exposed to air in controlled conditions.
• Can lose up to 20% of weight
• More expensive than wet aging
AGING
COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, ANDBASIC QUALITY FACTORS
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UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
Carcasses– The whole animal except head, feet, entrails, and hide• Exception: Pork, for which only entrails and head are
removed– Breaking down a carcass• Sides• Quarters• Foresaddles• Hindsaddles
AVAILABLE FORMS
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Primal or Wholesale Cuts• Primary divisions of quarters, foresaddles, hindsaddles, and
carcasses:– Small enough to manage in food-service kitchens– Large enough to allow variety of cuts for different uses or
needs– Easier to utilize completely than quarters or halves
UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
AVAILABLE FORMS (CONT’D)
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Fabricated Cuts• Primal cuts fabricated into smaller cuts.– Roasts, steaks, chops, cutlets, stewing meat, and ground
meat (or to customer specification)• Portion-controlled cuts– Cuts ready-to-cook; processed according to customer
specifications• Organ meats (offal)• Tripe, oxtail, heart, tongue, and kidney
UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
AVAILABLE FORMS (CONT’D)
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Forequarter• Chuck• Brisket• Shank• Rib• Short Plate
Hindquarter• Full Loin• Short loin• Sirloin• Flank• Round
UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
AVAILABLE FORMS (CONT’D)Basic Cuts for Beef
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• Understanding bone structure is essential to:– Identifying meat cuts.– Boning and cutting.– Carving cooked meats
UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
AVAILABLE FORMS (CONT’D)Basic Cuts for Beef
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UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
Specifications• Indicate the following specifications when ordering meat– Item name– Grade– Weight range– State of refrigeration– Fat limitations, or average thickness of surface fat
SELECTING MEATS FOR YOUR OPERATION
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UNDERSTANDING THE BASICCUTS
• The illustrations in this chapter demonstrate important procedures for fabricating meat.
• Silverskin: a thin layer or membrane of connective tissue that often covers the surface of a muscle.– Not always necessary to remove for braised meats– Should be removed from roasts, sautés, and grills of tender
meats
FABRICATING MEAT
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
• Principles of Low-Heat Cooking– High heat toughens and shrinks proteins, resulting in
excessive moisture loss.– Roasts cooked at lower temperatures have better yields.– Moist heat penetrates quickly because liquid and steam are
better conductors than air.
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Breaking Down Connective Tissue• Rib and loin cuts– Always the most tender cuts– Used mostly for steaks and chops
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Breaking Down Connective Tissue (cont’d)• Leg or round– Beef: Most suitable for braising.– Veal, lamb, and pork: These meats are from younger
animals and are therefore tender enough to roast.
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Breaking Down Connective Tissue (cont’d)• Chuck or shoulder– Beef: Most suitable for braising.– Veal, lamb, and pork: These meats are most often braised
but are young enough to roast or cut into chops for broiling.
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Breaking Down Connective Tissue (cont’d)• Shanks, breast, brisket, and flank– Beef: Can be broiled if cooked rare and sliced thin (London
broil)
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Breaking Down Connective Tissue (cont’d)• Shanks, breast, brisket, and flank (cont’d)
– Veal, lamb, and pork: These meats are most often braised.– Shanks are especially suitable for braising due to their high
collagen content that is converted to gelatin, giving body to braising liquids and good eating qualities to the meat.
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Other Factors Influencing Choice of Cooking Method• Fat content– Barding: Tying slices of fat over the surface of meat to
protect them while roasting– Larding: Inserting strips of fat with a larding needle into
meets low in marbling
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Other Factors Influencing Choice of Cooking Method (cont’d)• Tenderness is not the only goal of cooking– Other goals:• Develop flavor• Prevent excessive shrinkage• Develop appearance
TENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS(CONT’D)
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Searing and “Sealing”• Searing meats at high heat creates:– Desirable flavor– Color by browning all sides
• Blanching meats in boiling water leads to:– Some protein coagulation– Not as much protein is carried out of meat with lost
moisture• “Sealing” does not seal in juices, as meat has no pores to
seal. Rather, it is has an open network of fibers.
COOKING AND HANDLING MEATSTENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS
(CONT’D)
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Cooking Frozen Meats• Meats cooked from the frozen state lose no moisture through
defrosting, but lose more moisture during cooking.– Cooking frozen meats complicates the cooking process;
adjustments in procedure are required.– Cooking frozen meats requires more energy.– … Therefore, most meats are thawed first and then
prepared.
COOKING AND HANDLING MEATSTENDERNESS AND APPROPRIATE COOKING METHODS
(CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
• Rare: Brown surface, thin layer of gray, red interior
• Medium: Thick layer of gray, pink interior
• Well done: Gray throughout– White meat (veal and
pork)– From pink to gray-pink
to off-white
• Touch– Rare: Feels soft; gives to
pressure– Medium: Feels
moderately firm; springs back readily when pressed
– Well done: Feels firm; does not give to pressure
DONENESS
Dry-Heat Cooking
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Moist-Heat Cooking• Doneness is indicated by tenderness, not by temperature.– Most of the time the meat is well done.– Low temperatures, no higher than simmering, are essential
to avoid toughening protein in moist-cooked meat
DONENESS
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
• Juiciness– Three main factors determine the perception of juiciness:• Internal fat• Gelatin• Protein coagulation
• Carryover Cooking– Internal temperature continues rising after meat is removed
from oven
DONENESS (CONT’D)
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
• Variety meats include the organs, glands, and other meats that don’t form a part of the dressed carcass of the animal.
– Liver– Kidneys– Sweetbreads– Brains– Heart – Tongue– Oxtails– Tripe
• Other variety meats include intestines, caul, and feet.
COOKING VARIETY MEATS
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
• Game is used to refer to poultry and meat animals normally found in the wild.– Venison• Marinating widely used for flavor and tenderness• Low in fat
– Boar– Buffalo or American bison– Rabbit– Hare
GAME AND SPECIALTY MEATS
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Fresh Meats• Should be stored at 32ºF (0ºC) to 36ºF (2ºC).• Allow for proper air circulation.• Do not open vacuum packaged meats until ready to use.• Keep meats separate in the cooler and avoid cross-
contamination.• Use as quickly as possible; fresh meats keep well for only two
to four days.
STORAGE OF MEATS
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COOKING AND HANDLING MEATS
Frozen Meats• Should be stored at 0ºF (–18ºC) or colder.• Wrap frozen meats well to prevent freezer burn.• Recommended shelf life for meats at 0ºF (–18ºC).– Beef, veal and lamb: 6 months– Pork: 4 months (pork fat turns rancid easily in the freezer)
• Defrost carefully in the refrigerator.• Do not refreeze thawed meats.
STORAGE METHODS (CONT’D)