Recall retail and wholesale cuts of meat. Objective 3.02

General Meat Carcass Information Beef, pork, lamb and goat animals that are processed before 2 years of age typically yield higher quality meat. Older animals are also processed, but quality of meat is usually lower. After following humane guidelines for stunning an animal, the carcass is bled out and hung upside down on a rail for further processing. Animals are initially processed into wholesale or “primal” cuts. These wholesale cuts are then broken into either subprimal cuts and/or a variety of retail cuts. – Beef Example Wholesale/Primal: chuck. Subprimal: blade. Retail: blade steak. – Pork Example Wholesale/Primal: loin. Subprimal: tenderloin. Retail: loin chops.

Cuts of Beef Wholesale/Primal – High Value- loin, rib, round, rump. – Low Value- chuck, brisket, flank, plate or navel, shank. Retail – High Value Ribeye from rib. Tenderloin from loin. Sirloin from loin. Rump from rump. T-bone from loin. – Low Value- stew beef, ground beef, cubed steak, brisket.

Cuts of Pork Wholesale/Primal Cuts – High Value- loin, leg or ham, picnic shoulder, Boston shoulder or shoulder. butt. The ham, loin, picnic shoulder and Boston shoulder make up about 75% of the retail value of a carcass. – Low Value- spareribs or belly, feet, jowl, backfat, spareribs or side, bacon. Retail – High Value Ham from leg. Loin. Pork chops from loin. Boston butt from shoulder. Picnic from shoulder. – Low Value- hocks, spareribs, belly, bacon, jowl, fatback.

Cuts of Poultry Poultry are not classified into wholesale and retail cuts like pork and beef because of the size of the carcass. The USDA sets standards for “ready to cook” chicken and turkeys whether they are sold whole or as parts/cuts of poultry. Parts include: poultry halves, breast, leg thigh, drumstick, wing and tenderloin