1. Meats: Beef, Veal, Pork and Lamb
Food Service Occupations II
2015

2. Beef Preparation 5 classes of beef
Steers: castrated male calf; high quality beef and high yield.
Heifer: young female that has not birthed a calf; high quality beef but lower yield than steers
Cow: female that has birthed at least one calf; poor quality and yield
Stag: Male that is castrated after it is sexually mature; poor quality and not normally used in a commercial kitchen.
Bull: sexually mature and uncastrated; meat is never used in the commercial kitchen

3. Classes of beef continued
Steers, Heifers and sometimes Stags are used mainly for their beef.
Cows are used to birth new calves.
Bulls are used to impregnate the cows, so that they may birth a calf.
Beef is the most popular of all edible meats, as more beef is consumed in the US than any other meat.

4. Grading Grading provides standards that meat can be rated by.
This is done by the Federal Government
Meat is then stamped to indicate it has been inspected and graded
Grades:
Prime
Choice
Select (good)
Standard
Commercial
Utility
Cutter and canner
“BEST”
“WORST”

5. Market Forms Side or quarter: Half or quarter of whole carcass
Wholesale: Round, rump, sirloin, flank, short loin, short plate, rib, brisket, shank, square cut chuck
Primal: Rib, chuck or shoulder clod, brisket, shank and short plate or navel
Fabricated: Ready to cook, cut for food service use
Retail Cuts: What you find in the super market

7. Variety Meats (Beef)
Other edible parts of the beef besides the wholesale/primal cuts.
Liver
Tongue
Tripe: muscular inner lining of stomach
Sweetbreads: thymus glands
Brains
Heart
Oxtail: tail of animal
Kidney

8. Beef Terms
Aging: meat held for a period of time under controlled conditions for the purpose of tenderizing and developing a more pronounced flavor.
Dry aging: produces the best results for aging, elements monitored very closely
Grass fed vs. Grain feed: exactly what it sounds like! The animal was either feed with mostly grass or mostly grain.
“Green” meat: meat from a just slaughtered animal, before it is hung to relax or soften

9. Veal Preparation Veal is the meat of young, milk-fed beef calves.
Little fat and high moisture
Graded by yield and quality
Prime
Choice
Good
Commercial
Utility
Cull
“BEST”
“WORST”

10. Veal Market Forms
Whole: Entire carcass, with the head, hide and entrails removed
Side or quarter: Half or quarter of whole carcass
Wholesale: Leg (round), Loin, breast, rack, shoulder, shank
Primal: Same as wholesale
Fabricated: Ready to cook, cut for food service use
Retail Cuts: What you find in the super market

11. Pork Preparation
Pork is normally from a hog that is less than a year old
The best pork comes from hogs that are 6-8 months old
Pork is the second most consumed meat
Pork is often cured (bacon, sausages, etc…)

12. Pork Grading Based on quality and yield
U.S. 1: male hogs castrated when young and immature female hogs
U.S. 2: young sows (females)
U.S. 3: old sows (females)

13. Pork Market Forms
Pork is commonly marketed as cuts rather than by quarter, side or carcass, since these cuts have many extra cuts that are not desirable for the commercial kitchen
1/3 of pork is marketed as fresh
2/3 of pork is marketed as cured or smoked
Wholesale cuts: Loin, Ham, Bacon, Back ribs, Spareribs, Boston butt, picnic, jowls, feet, hock, back fat, variety

14. Pork Terminology Canadian bacon: smoked loin of pork (not cured)
Head cheese: jellied, spiced, pressed meat from the hogs head, in a sausage casing
Suckling pig: baby pig, sold whole
Curing: salting of an item to preserve the meat
Smoking: low temperature cooking in a smoker with wood

15. Lamb Preparation
Lamb comes from immature sheep (about 1 year old), both male and female.
Mutton comes from sheet at least 20 months (almost 2 years) old
3 types:
Genuine spring lamb: April to July, considered best
Spring lamb: Fall to Winter,
Yearling lamb: months old (too young for mutton, too old for lamb)

16. Lamb Grading Same as beef
Grading provides standards that meat can be rated by.
This is done by the Federal Government
Meat is then stamped to indicate it has been inspected and graded
Grades:
Prime
Choice
Select (good)
Standard
Commercial
Utility
Cutter and canner
“BEST”
“WORST”

17. Lamb Commercial Cuts
Carcass: Entire carcass, with the head, hide and entrails removed
Saddle: cut between the ribs, instead of down the spine
Wholesale/primal: Leg, loin, rack, breast, shank, shoulder
Fabricated: Ready to cook, cut for food service use

18. Lamb Terminology
Frenched: meat and fat removed from the end of the rib bones
Crown roast: made from a rib rack, where the ends are Frenched. Then the rack is formed into a circle that looks like a crown

19. Marinating Marinating meats serves two purposes:
Flavoring meat
Tenderizing meat
We often marinate to add flavor to a meat that lacks flavor (such as pork, which has a very mild flavor)
We also use marinades to slightly break down meat in order to tenderize it. This makes the meat easier to chew and digest

20. Cooking Meats
In general, most meats are cooked, although there are a few preparations where the meat is kept raw
How a piece of meat is cooked is normally based on how tender or tough it is, and what kind of flavor you wish to achieve.
Tough meats need to be cooked low and slow, with a low temperature and a long period of time. This helps to break down the tissues and tenderize the meat. Also cooking in a liquid helps to tenderize meat.
Tender meats can be cooked high and fast, with a higher temperature and a shorter period of time. Since the meat is already tender, you can get a better flavor with a higher heat.

21. Examples of Cooking Meats
A piece of filet mignon is very tender, so you would use a high temperature, such as broiling or grilling.
A piece of brisket is very tough, so you should use a low temperature, liquid and a long cooking time, such as braising (sauté for color, then put in pan with liquid, cover and put in oven for a longer period of time).
A beef roast is very tough, so we often cook this piece in a slow cooker, along with some kind of liquid.