Types of Meat• Beef

– Cattle, more than 1 year old– Bright red flesh

• Veal– Calves, 1-3 months old– Mild flavor, light pink color, little fat

• Lamb– Young sheep– Mild but unique flavor– Bright pink color w/ white brittle fat

• Pork– Meat from hogs– Grayish pink color w/ white fat

Cuts of Meat

BEEF

Types of Cuts

• Wholesale Cuts • Retail cuts• Lean cuts

Types of Cuts• Wholesale cuts– large cuts for marketing– part of the animal the meat came from– distinctive bone shape– Clues to the tenderness of the meat

• Retail Cuts– Smaller cuts (supermarket)– Specific to the meat you are buying– Listed 3rd on label

• Lean– Less than (based on 3.5 oz. serving)

• 10 grams of fat– Appearance

• Less than ¼ in. fat around meat

– Beef Roasts & Steaks: round, loin, sirloin

Locomotion meats Tough

Support meats Tender Most nutritious Best flavor Costs the most

• Rib, loin, Sirloin, tender loin, top sirloin, bottom sirloin

Ground Meat• 45% of the beef sold in America is Ground

Beef

• Beef trimmings• Law- cannot contain more than 30% fat by

weight

• Different types sold– Chuck- hamburgers 80 - 20– Sirloin and Round - leaner ($$$)

– Lamb, pork, veal

Meats

• Marbling is the small amount of fat throughout the meat which provides tenderness, flavor and moistness

Inspection & Grading• USDA• Meat

– Graded according to:• Marbling (internal fat w/in the muscle tissues)• Age of animal• Texture and appearance of meat

• Common grades of beef:– Prime

• Well marbled, tender, flavorful, $$$– Choice

• Most common, less marbling than prime but still tender– Select

• Least amount of marbling, least expensive• Lamb & Veal

– Same as beef w/ “good” replacing “select”• Pork

– Not graded due to uniform quality

Label

Storing Meat

• Refrigeration/Freezer• Ground Meat- – refrigerator 1-2 days– freezer 3-4 months

• Fresh Meat- – refrigerator 3-4 days– Freezer 6-9 months (beef can be stored to

12 months)

Thawing meat Meat

• In refrigerator– on the bottom – On a Plate or tray

• Leak proof bag in COLD water– submerge in sink– Change water every 30

minutes

• Microwave – On a plate

Wet vs. dry cooking

• Wet- use water– Boil, stew, roast

• Dry- cooks only with heat and some oil or fat – Sautee, grill, pan fry, stir fry

Marinating Meat

• Marinade- – Tenderizing– Add flavor to meats

• 3 basic ingredients– Oil, an acid, seasonings

• Using marinades– Fish- 30 minutes to an hour– Meat and poultry- 6-8 hours (30 min. for some flavor is

good)– To cook:

• Drain food from marinade• Make a separate batch to baste with

Tenderness

made by:– Marinating with acid– Pounding– Moist heat cooking– Grinding– Scoring

Cooking Meats

Use a meat thermometer to ensure Meat is properly cooked meat

Place:-In center away from the bone- into the thickest part of meat

Undercooked ground beef can result in E. coli

Doneness

• Medium rare- 150• Medium 160• Well-done 170

• Ground meat- 160