All In One Food

The structure and composition of meat mostly consists of muscle tissue and the muscle tissue consists of three major components, water, protein, and fat. Water is about 75% of muscle tissue, this is why shrinkage can be a problem when cooking problem. An important nutrient in meat is the protein and the most abundant solid material found in meat. Protein is about 20% of muscle tissue in meat. When protein has coagulated to the desired degree, the meat is done. Fat is about 5% of muscle tissue in meat. Fat surrounds the muscles in meat, you might have a negative mind towards fat in meat because of health and dietary concerns, but a certain amount of fat is needed for a few reasons.

1. Fat in the meat helps keep the meat juicy. Marbling is fat that is deposited within the muscle tissue. The juiciness you enjoy in a well-marbled beef is because of the fat more than the moisture. Surface fat protects the meat from drying out during cooking, roasting. Barding is adding surface fats where they are lacking.
2. Fat in the meat helps keep the meat tender. Marbling separates muscle fibers, making them easier to chew.
3. Fat is the main source of flavor in meat.

Carbohydrates are very little in meat, but it is a big part in the Maillard reaction, this reaction takes place when the meats are browned by roasting, broiling, or sautéing. Good flavor and appearance of browned meats will not be without the carbohydrates in meat.

Lean meat is composed of long, thin muscle fibers bound together in bundles, which gives a distinctive texture or grain of a piece of meat. Fine grained meat is composed of small fibers bound in small bundles, while large fibers have a coarse textured meat. Connective tissues are muscle fibers that are bound together in a network of proteins and each muscle fiber is covered in a sheath of connective tissue.

Meats High In Connective Tissue

• If they come from muscles that are more exercised.
• Older animals are high in connective tissue, so veal meat is tenderer than meat from a adult cow.

Meats with high connective tissue can be made tenderer by different cooking techniques

• Collagen and Elastin are the two different kinds of connective tissue.
• Collagen, white in color, can be broken down by long, slow cooking in moisture. Acid helps break down collagen. You can marinate meat in an acid mixture, or add an acid like tomato or wine to the cooking liquid to help tenderize it.
• Enzymes are naturally present in meats and they break down some connective tissue and other proteins as the meat ages. These enzymes are inactive at freezing temperatures, slow acting under refrigeration, active at room temperature, and destroyed by heat above 140degreesF.
• Elastin, yellow in color, is found mostly in older animals. Elastin can only be tenderized by removing the elastin from the meat; it cannot break down by cooking it.

Beef and lamb are graded according to how much usable meat to the amount of fat they have. The meatiest grade is yield grade 1, while the poorest yield grade is yield grade 5. Pork’s yield grade is from 1 to 4 and veal has little fat so it is not yield graded.

USDA MEAT GRADES

Prime Beef: highest quality

Choice Beef: high in quality but not as good as Prime Beef

Select: lean meat not that high in quality

Standard/Utility/Cutter/Canner/Commercial: the lowest quality of beef

AGING

When an animal gets slaughtered its muscles stiffen, because of the chemical changes in the flesh. The stiffness eventually goes away and the animals’ carcass begins to soften, because of the enzymes in the flesh, the softening takes three to four days for beef and less time for smaller carcasses like veal, lamb, and pork. Meat that has not had enough time to soften is called green meat. So hunters, when you kill any game for consumption at your home make sure you give the enzymes in the carcass time to soften the meat, do not cut the carcass and then put it in the freezer. Enzymes continue to tenderize the flesh even after the meat is no longer green; this gives the flesh even more flavor and tenderizes it more. Beef and lamb have enough fat cover to protect them from developing and growing bacteria and also drying while they age, but veal and pork have no fat cover so they do not age. Their are two methods used to age meats and those are wet aging and dry aging. Wet aged meats are broken down into smaller cuts and enclosed in plastic vacuum packs. Dry aging is the process of storing meats under careful controlled conditions. The meat is not packaged or wrapped and is exposed too air on all sides. The temperature, humidity, and air circulation are precisely controlled to prevent spoilage, along with ultraviolet lights to kill bacteria. Up to 20% of dry aged meat’s weight can be lossed because of moisture loss; this also depends on the size of the cut of meat and how long the meat is aged.

The meat cuts are based on two factors, the muscle and bone structure of the meat and the uses and appropriate cooking methods of various parts of the animal. The available forms of meat on the market are:

Carcasses: the whole animal, except the entrails, head, feet, and hide.

Sides, Quarters, Foresaddles, Hindsaddles: beef is split through the backbone into sides, then the sides are divided between the 12th and the 13th rib into forequarter and hindquarter. Veal and lamb are divided in half into foresaddle and hindsaddle. For a veal the cut is made between the 11th and 12th ribs. Lamb is split either between the 12th and 13th rib or after the 13th rib.

Primal/Wholesale Cuts: primal cuts are always the starting point for smaller cuts. Primal cuts are the primary divisions of quarters, foresaddles, hindsaddles, and carcasses. Each primal cut can be fabricated, cut up and trimmed, in different ways. Primal cuts are fabricated into smaller cuts for roasts, chops, steaks, cutlets, stewing meat, ground meat, and so on.

When purchasing meat you should be aware of certain specs or specifications:

1. Item Name, IMPS/NAMPS number
2. Grade
3. Weight range for roasts and large cuts
4. State of refrigeration, chilled or frozen
5. Average thickness of surface fat, 3/4-inch average, 1 inch maximum.

COOKING MEATS

The heat of cooking tenderizes connective tissue in meat, if moisture is present and cooking is slow and the heat of cooking also toughens protein in meat. Meats with low connective tissue can be tough and dry if cooked at high heats too long, so low heat cooking will do the opposite and help soften connective tissues. Broiled meats stay tender because it is done quickly, but it takes time for the heat to reach the interior of the meat so the inside never gets very hot. It is also better to roast meats at low temperatures than to roast them at high temperatures. To avoid overcooking meat should always be simmered, meat should never be boiled. A tough steak on the grill or in teh oven does not have enough time to become tender before it is dried out, so if you grill a steak and decide to place it in a oven to finish it I recommend using a liquid like an au jus to cook with it to keep the steak from drying out.

• Rib and Lion Cuts: these are the tender cuts you can use for roasts, steaks and chops. Pork, I recommend you eat well done and also veal, you can broil these two meats keep it very juicy.
• Leg or Round: The cuts of a beef round are less tender and are at their best when braised. The roasts are large and when roasted at low temperatures for a long time, the beef’s own moisture helps dissolve collagen. Beef round is very lean and is roasted best to rare, also lack of fat makes well done round taste dry. Veal, lamb, and pork, these meats are from young animals and are tender enough to roast. I also recommend trying leg roasts, because they are easy to slice.
• Chuck/Shoulder: beef chuck is a tougher cut that is usually braised. Shoulder roasts for veal, lamb, and pork consist of small muscles running in several directions, so they are not good for slices.
• Shanks, Breast, Brisket, and Flank: Even on young animals these are the least tender cuts in meat. I recommend braising and simmering for all of these cuts. Beef flanks can be broiled if you like your meat rare.
• Ground meat, cubed steaks, and stew meat: these come from any primal cut, and they are usually made from trimmings. Ground meat and cubed steaks can be cooked by dry or moist heat.

Lean meats are low in fat and are often cooked with added fat to prevent them from drying. Fat can be added to lean meats by tying slices of fat like pork fatbacks over meats with no natural fat cover to protect them while roasting, this  is called barding, or another way to add fat to lean meats is by inserting strips of fat with a larding needle into meats low in marbling, which is called larding.

The purpose of searing meat at high temperature is to create desirable flavor and color by browning the surfaces; it also helps to keep in the juices of the meat. Frozen meats lose no moisture from defrosting. Frozen roasts can be cooked but only the outside of the meat will be cooked the inside will remain frozen. Frozen steaks will not cook more evenly than thawed steaks. A hard frozen roast will take 3 times as long to cook as a thawed roast.

With the dry heat cooking method the meat is done when the proteins have reached the desired degree of coagulation. With the moist heat method the meat is done when connective tissues have broken down enough in the meat. Meat cooked with the moist heat method are most of the time well done. The pigments change color in meat as meat cooks. Red meat changes from red to pink to gray or gray brown. Rare meat has a browned surface, thin layer of cooked gray meat, and a red interior. Medium meat has a browned surface, thicker layer of gray meat than that of the rare meat, and a pink interior. Well done meat is gray all the way through and there are stages in between. White meat like veal and pork changes from pink or gray pink to white or off white. They are usually cooked well done, but some cuts of veal can be considered done when still slightly pink in the center. Trichinosis is a disease caused by parasites that live in the muscle tissue of hogs and other wild animals, you can kill this disease at a temperature of 137degreesF but it is safer to cook it at about 155degreesF, medium to medium well, small trace of pink in the middle. Cook pork any higher than 170degreesF and the pork will become dry.

Interior Temperature Of Cooked Meats

Beef: Rare is 130degreesF      Medium is 140 to 145degreesF      Well Done is 160degreesF

Lamb: Rare is 130degreesF     Medium is 145degreesF     Well Done is 160degreesF

Veal: Medium is 145 to 150degreesF   Well Done is 160degreesF

Pork: Well done is 165 to 170 degreesF

Meat cooked rare feels soft, Meat cooked medium feels firm and springs back when you press it, Meat cooked well done fells firm and does not give in or spring back when you touch it.

Internal temperature continues to rise even after the meat is removed from the oven, because the outside of roasting meat is hotter than the inside and continues to be conducted into the meat, this is called carry over cooking. Carry over cooking can raise internal temperatures from 5degreesF to 25degreesF; the exact temperature change depends on the size of the cut of meat and the oven temperature.

When roasting meat there are a number of different factors that affect how long the cooking time will be:

1. Amount of fat cover
2. Bones, bones conduct heat faster than flesh, so boneless roasts cook more slowly than bone in roasts of the same weight.
3. Size, type, and contents of oven.
4. Number of times the oven door is opened.
5. Shape of the cut, thin cuts cook more quickly than a round.
6. Temperature of meat before roasting.

When using moist heat to cook meat the doneness is identified by tenderness not by temperature. Oven temperatures of 250degreesF to 300degreesF are usually good enough to maintain a simmer. The juiciness in meat is determined by three main factors:

1. Internal fat, meat taste juicy because of the fat. Well marbled meat taste a lot juicier than a lean meat.
2. Gelatin, converted from connective tissue, helps bind water molecules and hold them in the meat. Gelatin also improves the texture of the meat in the mouth.
3. Protein coagulation, when protein coagulates or cooks it breaks down and begins to lose water, so the more it is cooked the more it forces moisture out of the meat. Avoid overcooking.

VARIETY MEATS

Various organs, glands and other meats that do not form a part of the whole carcass are known as offal, or Variety Meats. There are two groups of variety meats and they include:

Glandular Meats: Liver, Kidneys, Sweetbreads, and Brains

Muscle Meats: Heart, Tongue, Tripe, and Oxtails

Glandular meats do not consist of muscle tissue like regular meats, so they do not have bundles of muscle fibers and the texture of glandular meats are different from regular meats. Glandular meats are naturally tender; so they do not need to be cooked for a long time like muscular variety meats do, but organ meats can still be overcooked and become dry and tough. Unlike some meat that benefit from aging, organ meats should be used very fresh to be at its best quality. Liver, sweetbreads, and brains should be used within a day or two after purchase, if you want to keep them any longer you can blanch them to keep them an extra two days. Heart, tongue, oxtails, and tripe all have muscle tissue, so they are tough and must be cooked for a long time by simmering or braising to make them tender.

When it comes to liver a calf’s liver is the best kind because it is tender and has a delicate flavor, it has a pale, pinkish color. You can pan fry, sauté, or broil calf’s liver. Beef liver is darker in color, stronger in flavor, and tougher than calf’s liver. You can also pan fry or broil beef liver, you can also broil it. Pork liver is used mostly in pates and sausages.

To prepare liver:

• Remove outer skin.
• Slice on the bias about 1/4 inch thick. Freezing the liver will make it easier to slice.
• Remove tough membranes.

To cook liver:

• Do not cook ahead of time.
• When broiling brush with oil or melted butter and broil like you would any other meat.
• When pan-frying, griddling, or sautéing, dredge in seasoned flour and cook in a fat over medium high heat.
• Do not overcook; liver cooked well done is very dry.

When it comes to kidneys, veal and lamb kidneys are the most popular. They are usually prepared by sautéing or broiling. Beef kidneys have a stronger flavor but they are tougher and are cooked by braising. Veal kidneys weigh about 8 to 12oz each, while lamb kidneys are very small, about 1 1/2 to 3oz each. I recommend butterflying lamb kidneys by splitting them almost in half, starting at the curved side, and then skewer them to hold them open during cooking. With veal kidneys I recommend you cut them up, sauté them and serve them with a sauce. To prepare them for sautéing, split them in half, remove the white ducts from the center, then cut into large dice or thick slices.  Kidneys become tough and rubbery if overcooked. When they are properly cooked, they are pink in the middle and still tender and juicy, the cooking time is very short. Make sure your pan is very hot before adding the kidneys and do not overcrowd the pan, if not it will cause kidneys to boil in their juices instead of being sautéed. To avoid overcooking when sautéing over high heat, do not try to brown the kidneys too heavily.

Sweetbreads are the thymus glands of calves and young beef animals, the gland gradually disappears over time as the animal matures.  This delicate meat is expensive. Sweetbreads are mild in flavor and delicate in texture. They can be braised or breaded and sautéed in butter. Sweetbreads should be prepared a certain way before cooking:

1. Soak in cold water for several hours or overnight. This removes blood, which would darken the meat when cooked.
2. Blanch in simmering salted water for 10minutes; you can also add a little lemon juice or vinegar to the water to keep the meat white and to make the meat a little firmer.
3. Refresh under cold water and peel off membranes and connective tissue.
4. Press between two pots and with lightweight on top. Refrigerate for several hours, or you can wrap the sweetbread before pressing.
5. Prepare for cooking. To braise the sweetbread leave whole or cut into large dice. For breading and sautéing, split in half horizontally. Use a standard breading procedure or dredge in flour.

Brains

Delicate in flavor and texture, brains should be cooked as soon as possible. The most popular would be a calf’s brain, to cook them dip the brain in a batter then deep fry them and serve them with a sauce.

1. Soak in fresh water
2. Peel off outer membrane
3. Poach the brain for about 20 minutes in 1oz lemon juice or vinegar and 1pint of salted water, plus extra seasonings
4. Drain and serve immediately or you can cool the brain in cold water

Heart from a veal or beef is very tough and lean. You braise it or simmer it; you can also ground it and add it to casserole dishes and meatloaf. Before cooking though be sure to remove the fibers and veins from inside and at the top of the heart. The tongue of a beef can be eaten cold, sliced up in a sandwich. Simmer the tongue, then remove the skin and trim the gristle at the base of the tongue before slicing. The muscular stomach lining of meat animals is called the tripe. Cattle have four stomachs so there are four different kind of beef tripe. The most popular tripe from beef has to be the honeycomb tripe from the second stomach. You can buy tripe partially cooked but you still have to simmer it for a while to make it tender enough to be edible. To prepare tripe:

1. Remove any lumps or fat by pulling them off.
2. Blanch the tripe, blanching freshens it.
3. Place it in a pot with cold, salted water.
4. Bring to a boil then simmer 5 to 10 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.

Other variety meats would be intestines, chitterlings or pork intestines, chitterlings shrink a lot when cooked. Most other intestines are used for sausage casings. Caul is a fatty membrane covering the animal’s stomach. Feet are mostly added to soups, stews, and stocks for richness and body, because feet have a lot of gelatin. The most popular feet would have to be pig’s feet.