grades of meat - mrs. moehr's facs...

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

http://youtu.be/Tsdmqhn50uM

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.


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)


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


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


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.


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.


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


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


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)


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


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



Beef

Cuts of Meat

• After the butcher makes primal cuts, fabrication can take

place.

▫ The process of butchering primal cuts into usable portions.


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


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


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


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


Other Cuts of Meat

• Game meat: ▫ Meat from animals that are not typically raised domestically.

Deer

Wild Boar

Moose

Elk

▫ Can be farm-raised:


http://www.fossilfarms.com/

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.


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


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.


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


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.


grades of meat - mrs. moehr's facs...

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