1. Understanding Meats and Game
Chapter 10
Understanding Meats and Game

2. Chapter Objectives
1. Describe the composition and structure of meat and explain how they relate to meat selection and cooking methods.
2. Explain the use of the federal meat inspection and grading system in selecting and purchasing meats.
3. Explain the effect that aging has on meat and identify the two primary aging methods.
4. Identify the primal cuts of beef, lamb, veal, and pork, and list the major fabricated cuts obtained from each of them.
5. Select appropriate cooking methods for the most important meat cuts, based on the meat’s tenderness and other characteristics.
6. Prepare variety meats.
7. Identify the characteristics of game meats and select the appropriate cooking methods for them.
8. Determine doneness in cooked meat.
9. Store fresh meat and frozen meat to gain the maximum shelf life.

3. Meat is muscle tissue.
It is the flesh of domestic animals and of wild game animals.
Meat is the largest expense item of a food service operation.

4. Composition, Structure, and Basic Quality Factors
Water upwards of 75%
Protein – an important nutrient – 20%
Fat – 5% of muscle tissue and as much as 30% of carcass
Juiciness
Tenderness
Flavor
Carbohydrate

5. Structure Muscle fiber – long, thin muscle fibers bound in bundles.
Connective tissue
Meats are high in connective if they come from muscles that are more exercised
Collagen
Elastin

6. Beef, pork, veal, and lamb often consume the largest portion of your purchasing dollar
The carcasses of cattle, sheep, hogs, and furred animals consist mainly of edible lean muscular tissue, fat, connective tissue, and bones

7. Muscle Composition
Muscle composition gives meat its characteristic appearance
Muscle tissue is approximately:
72% water
20% protein
7% fat
1% minerals
Marbling (fat) adds tenderness and flavor to meat and is a principal factor in meat quality

8. 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

9. Grading of Meats Beef USDA Prime USDA Choice USDA Select USDA Standard
USDA Commercial
USDA Utility
USDA Cutter
USDA Canner
Veal
USDA Prime
USDA Choice
USDA Good
USDA Standard
USDA Utility
USDA Cull

10. Grading of Meats (cont’d)
Lamb
USDA Prime
USDA Choice
USDA Good
USDA Utility
USDA Cull
Pork (yield grade)
USDA No. 1
USDA No. 2
USDA No. 3
USDA No. 4

11. Yield: is the amount of edible meat to bone and fat ratio
Grading: is voluntary and some purveyors and retailers develop their own labeling systems to ensure quality

12. Green Meat
When animals are slaughtered, their muscles are soft and flabby.
Within 6-24 hours, rigor mortis sets in, causing the muscles to contract and stiffen.
Rigor mortis dissipates in 48 – 72 hours while under refrigeration. All meats are allowed to age or rest long enough for rigor mortis to dissipate.

13. Aging Methods
Aging is done to bring out the texture and flavor characteristic of the meat.
Wet Aging
Smaller cuts enclosed in Cryovac® (plastic vacuum packs)
Dry Aging
Larger cuts of meat exposed to air in controlled conditions. Can lose up to 20% of weight during dry aging.

14. Understanding Basic Cuts
Carcasses - the whole animal except head, feet, entrails, and hide (except pork, from which only entrails and head removed)
Partial Carcasses
Sides
Quarters
Foresaddles
Hindsaddles
Primal or Wholesale Cuts
Fabricated Cuts - Primal cuts of meat are fabricated into smaller cuts for roasts, steaks, chops, cutlets, stewing meat, and ground meat, or to customer specifications.
Portion-controlled Cuts - Cuts ready-to-cook, processed to customer specifications.

15. Basic Cuts - Beef Forequarter Hindquarter Chuck Brisket Shank Rib
Short Plate
Hindquarter
Full Loin
Short loin
Sirloin
Flank
Round

16. Organ Meats
These products are known as the offal. Items such as heart, kidney, tongue, tripe, and oxtail are in this category

17. Bone Structure Identifying meat cuts Boning and cutting meats
Carving cooked meats

18. Once you have determined your needs you should:
1. Consider employee skills: Do you have a person that can break down meats into needed cuts?
2. Menu: Can you use the bones, meat, and trimmings in something else?
3. Storage: Do you have ample refrigeration and freezer space?
4. Cost: Considering labor costs and trim usage, is it overall less expensive to buy larger or more ready-to-use cuts of meat?

19. Specifications
Specifications are important to a food service operation - they fully describe the item in exact detail:
Item name
Grade
Weight range
State of refrigeration
Fat limitations

20. Principle of Low-Heat Cooking
High heat toughens and shrinks proteins and results in high moisture loss.
Broiling is very fast which is why #1 is not contrary.
Roasts cooked at lower temperatures have better yields.
Because liquid and steam are better conductors than air, moist heat penetrates quickly.

21. Breaking Down Connective Tissue
Remember that connective tissue is highest in muscles that are frequently used.
Long, slow cooking tenderizes collagen.

22. How Cuts are Used Rib and Loin Cuts Leg or Round Chuck or Shoulder
Very tender, used for roasts, steaks, and chops
Leg or Round
Less tender and cooked by braising
Chuck or Shoulder
Tougher; generally braised
Shanks, Breast, Brisket, and Flank
Less tender; cooked by moist heat
Ground Meat, Cubed Steaks, and Stew Meat
From any primal cut; cooked by dry or moist heat

23. Preparing Meats Barding Larding Marinating Degree of doneness
Carryover Cooking and Resting

24. Searing and “Sealing” Meat
The purpose of searing at high heat is to create desirable flavor and color by browning all sides.

25. Cooking Frozen Meats
Some sources say to cook from frozen to avoid “drip loss.”
Most meats are thawed first and then prepared.

26. Carry-over Cooking
The internal temperature will continue to rise after meat is removed from oven, because the exterior is hotter than inside, and it will conduct heat to the inside.

27. Doneness Depends on whether cooking 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. Most of the time the meat is well done.
Low heat, no higher than simmering, is essential to avoid toughening protein in moist-cooked meat

28. Juiciness
Internal fat
Gelatin
Protein coagulation

29. Cooking Variety Meats Liver Heart Kidneys Tongue
Glandular Meats Muscle Meats
Liver Heart
Kidneys Tongue
Sweetbreads (thymus) Tripe
Brains Oxtail
Other Variety Meats
Intestines
Caul
Feet

30. Variety Meats Glandular Meats Muscle Meats Other Variety Meats Liver
Kidneys
Sweetbreads (thymus)
Brains
Muscle Meats
Heart
Tongue
Tripe
Oxtail
Other Variety Meats
Intestines
Caul
Feet

31. Game and Specialty Meats
Game is used to refer to poultry and meat animals normally found in the wild
Venison
Marinating, flavor, and tenderness
Fat content
Boar
Buffalo or American Bison
Rabbit
Hare

32. Storage of Meat
Remember meat products are highly perishable and potentially hazardous to your health, so temperature control is essential.
Fresh meats should be stored at 32° to 36° F.
Frozen meats should be stored at 0° to 20° F and well wrapped to prevent freezer burn.
Use as quickly as possible.

33. Copyright ©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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