Meat

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

 Wholesale cuts – large cuts for marketing – Basically is the part of the animal the meat came from – Listed 2 nd on label

Types of Cuts

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

Label

Bone Shapes

   Wholesale cuts have distinctive bone shape Nearly identical in all 4 types Clues to the tenderness of the meat

Lean Cuts

 Lean – Less than (based on 3.5 oz. serving)  10 grams of fat   4 grams of saturated fat 95 milligrams of cholesterol – Appearance  Less than ¼ in. fat around meat – Beef Roasts & Steaks: round, loin, sirloin, chuck arm – Pork Roasts & Chops: tenderloin, center loin, ham – Veal Cuts: all except ground veal – Lamb Roasts & Chops: leg, loin, fore shank

Ground Meat

    Beef trimmings Law- cannot contain more than 30% fat by weight Different types sold- leaner ($$$) You may ask to have meat ground up for you at the store (If not available) – Lamb, pork, veal

Inspection & Grading

      USDA Stamped w/ harmless vegetable dye 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

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)

Processed Meat

      Processed for distinctive flavor Types: – Ham, bacon, sausage, cold cuts Curing – Placing the meat in a mixture of salt, sugar, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, ascorbic acid and water Smoking – Liquid smoke for flavoring Drying & Salting – Preserves meat Combo – Bacon- cured and smoked – Chipped beef- dried, salted and smoked