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 3 rd 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 – 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