Chapter 4: Understanding Meat and Game

On 2 November 2017,we were teach by Chef Naim about understanding meat and game.

What i have learn from this chapter is:
1. Understanding meat
2. Composition,structure and basic quality factors
3. Inspection and grading
4. Aging
5. Characteristics of game meats
6.Primal cuts of beef,lamb,veal and pork

What is meat?
> Muscle tissue,flesh of domestic animals and wild game animals and the largest expense item of a food service operation.

Composition,Structure and basic quality factors:

• Water - 75% upwards
• Protein - 20% (important nutrient)
• Fat - 5% (muscle tissue) and 30% (carcass)
• Carbohydrate

Meat cuts are based on:
- Muscle and bones structure of the meat.
- Uses and appropriate cooking methods for various parts of the animal.

Structure:

• Muscle fiber - long and thin bound in bundles.
• Connective tissue - come from muscles that are more exercised.
• Collagen - the most important protein in connective tissue,skin and bones .
• Elastin - yellow connective tissue.

Muscle composition:
→ Gives the meat characteristic appearance
→ Muscle tissue is approximately:
     - 72% water
     - 20% protein
     - 7% fat
     - 1% minerals
→ Marbling(fat) adds tenderness and flavor to meat - principal factor in meat quality
    -refers to white flecks and streaks of fat within the lean sections of meat.
    -so named because the streaks of fat resemble a marble pattern.

Marbling

Inspection of Meats

- All meat produced for public consumption must be inspected by the USDA.

- Inspections ensure products are processed under strict sanitary guidelines and are wholesome and fit for human consumption.

Grading meat

- Beef: USDA Prime,USDA Choice,USDA Select,USDA Standard,USDA Commercial

- Veal: USDA Utility,USDA Cull,USDA Choice,USDA Standard,USDA Good

- Lamb: USDA Prime,USDA Cull,USDA Utility,USDA Choice,USDA Good

- Pork (Yield Grade): USDA No. 1,USDA No. 2,USDA No. 3,USDA No. 4

Yield and Grading

- Yield is the amount of edible meat to bone and fat ratio.

- Grading is voluntary,some purveyors and retailers develop their own labeling systems to ensure quality.

Green meat
- freshly slaughtered meat (their muscles are soft and flabby)
- within 6 to 24 hours,rigor mortis sets in to contract and siften
- rigor mortis dissipates in 48 - 72 hours while under refrigeration

Aging Methods
- to bring out the texture and flavor of the meat
- Wet Aging ; smaller cuts enclosed in cryovac (plastic vacuum packs)

- Dry Aging ; larger cuts of meat exposed to air

Understanding Basic Cut
→Carcasses - the whole animal except head,feet,entrails,and hide(except pork)
→Partial Carcasses;sides,quarters,foresaddles,hindsaddles
→Primal or wholesale cuts
→Fabricated cuts - Primal cuts of meat
→Portion-controlled cuts - Cuts ready-to-cook,processed to customer specifications


Basic Cuts- Beef
Forequater - chuck,brisket,shank,rib,short plate
Hindquater - full loin,short loin,sirloin,flank,round

Offal
Organ Meats - known as the offal (heart,kidney,tongue,tripe,oxtail)

Bone structure
-Identifying meat cuts
-Boning and cutting meats
-Carving cooked meats

Beef cuts
- chuck
- rib
- brisket
- tenderloin

Lamb cuts
- leg
- breast
- chump 
- saddle

Pork cuts
- loin
- spare rib
- leg
- side

Specifications
- important to a food service operation:
  1. Item name
  2. Grade
  3. Weight range
  4. State of refrigeration
  5. Fat limitations

Principles of Low-Heat Cooking
- High heat toughens and shrinks proteins and results in high moisture loss.

- Roasts cooked at lower temperatures have better yields.
- Liquid and steam the best conductors than air,moist heat penetrates quickly.

Breaking down connective tissue

-connective tissue is the highest in muscles
-long,slow cooking tenderizes collagen

How cuts are used
Rib and loin cuts : - very tender (roasts,steaks and chop)
Leg or round : - less tender (braising)
Chuck or shoulder : - tougher (braised)
Shanks,Breast,Brisket and Flank : - less tender (moist-heat)
Ground meat,Cubed,Steaks and Stew meat : - from any primal cut (dry or moist heat)

Preparing Meats
Barding→Larding→Marinating→Degree of doneness→Carryover cooking and resting

Searing and "sealing" meat
-Searing at high heat is used to create desirable flavor and color by browning all sides.

Cooking frozen meats
-cook from frozen to avoid "drip loss".
-most meats are thawed then prepared.

Carry-over cooking

Doneness
- Using dry or moist heat
- Dry heat - the meat is done when the proteins have reached the desired degree of coagulation.
     -Red meat (beef and lamb)
        -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

- Moist heat - meat is done when tissues are broken down enough for the meat to be palatable.

Juiciness- internal flat,gelatin,protein coagulation

Cooking variety of meats

-Glandular meats (liver)

-Muscle meat (brain,oxtail)

-Other variety organ meats (caul,feet,intestines)

Game and specialty meats

-Game refer to poultry and meat (venison,boar,rabbit,hare) 

harevenison 

Storage of meat

Temperature control is essential→fresh meats (32 degree to 36 degree F)→frozen meats (0 degree to 20 degree F)(well wrapped)→quickly used it