Meat Cuts & Description

Basic Cuts of Meat

Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb or Mutton are rich in protein and other minerals, but the amount of it is different for different cuts. While making any dish with meat, the best of it can be obtained by using the proper meat cut. Below i have listed the most common cuts for Beef, Veal, Lamb and Pork used by Chefs around the globe.

 

A) Carcasses

The carcass is the whole animal, minus the entrails, head, feet, and hide (except pork, from which only the entrails and head are removed). Whole carcasses are rarely purchased by food-service operators because of the skill and labor required in cutting and because of the problem of total utilization.

 

B) Sides, Quarters, Fore saddles, Hind saddles

These represent the first step in breaking down a carcass. Again, these larger cuts are no longer frequently used in food service. Fewer establishments cut their own meats.

Beef is split first through the backbone into sides. Sides are divided between the 12th and 13th ribs into forequarter and hindquarter.

 

Veal and lamb are not split into sides but are divided in half into fore saddle and hind saddle. For veal, the cut is made between the 11th and 12th ribs.

Lamb, on the other hand, is split either between the 12th and 13th rib or after the 13th rib, depending on the cutting style.

Pork carcasses are not divided in this way. They are cut directly into primal cuts.

 

C) Primal Cuts of Meat

These are the primary divisions of quarters, fore saddles, hind saddles, and carcasses. These cuts, called primal cuts, are still used, to some extent, in food service, because they

Are small enough to be manageable in many food-service kitchens.

Are still large enough to allow a variety of cuts for different uses or needs.

Are easier to utilize completely than quarters or halves.

Each primal may be fabricated, or cut up and trimmed, in several ways. Primal cuts are always the starting point for smaller cuts.

 

D) Fabricated or Trimmed Cuts

Primal cuts are fabricated into smaller cuts for roasts, steaks, chops, cutlets, stewing meat, ground meat, and so forth, according to individual customer requirements. The amount of trim and exact specifications can have many variations. Portion-controlled cuts are ready-to-cook meats cut according to customer’s specifications.

The Fantastic Four

1) Beef

Beef comes from a steer or a bullock, reared to 18 months old or from heifer not required for breeding any more. The meat should be open-grained and moist with a good red color. If it is a darker, reddish-brown, it will have been hung or aged for at least 2 to 3weeks and will have a fuller, beefier flavor.

Sheer, Heifer, Bullock, Ox and Cow

These are all terminology used to describe the sex and age of cattle, the male is first a bull calf and if left intact becomes a bull; if castrated he becomes a steer and in about two or three years grows to an ox. The female is first a heifer calf, growing into a heifer and becoming a cow.

 

Basic Cuts of Beef

Sirloin, fore ribs, topside and thick flank (top rump) are the traditional beef joint. Lean and tender fillet can also be roasted, either whole or cut into smaller joints.

Brisket and silverside are joints that become tender and succulent with long and slow cooking, so they are ideal for a pot roast and gravy cooking.

 

Sirloin, rump and fillet steaks are tender enough for quick cooking methods such as grilling, griddling, barbecuing and frying. Steak can also be cut into cubes for kebabs, rump steak is particularly good because it is firm and will stay on skewers while cooking or into strip for stir frying.

 

Shin, leg, neck and clod (from the neck) are tougher cuts, being muscular or weight bearing in the animal, so they need long and gentle stewing to make them tender.

Back or thick ribs, chuck and blade, are not as tough as stewing cuts such as shin, but too tough for grilling and griddling, they are ideal for stews and casserole. This is also sold as braising steak.

 

2) Veal

Veal is the meat from young calf of 18 to 20 week old. It should be very pale cream or delicate pink in color with virtually no fat. This leanness is good from the nutritional point of view, but it does mean that some recipes for veal need to incorporate a liquid or sauce to make them moister and juicy. Veal has a very nutritional profile to beef, although it provides only half the amount of iron.

 

Cuts of Veal

Leg is a prime lean cut for roasting, a boned and stuffed leg is even better because the stuffing helps to make the meat moist and tasty.

Fillet and topside, both cuts from the leg can be roasted successfully as joints but are often cut into slices across the grain and beaten thin to make escalope’s and schnitzels.

Rump is usually cut into medallions or escalopes. Being thin cuts, these are perfect for very quick pan frying.

Loin makes an excellent roasting joint on the bone, or boned, stuffed and rolled. Chops and cutlets are lean and tender, and can be roasted, grilled, pan fried or braised.

Shoulder, when boned and stuffed makes a good roasting cut, but the meat is more usually removed from the bone, trimmed of fat and cut into cubes for use in pies and stew. With long, gentle cooking it becomes very tender.

Shin, from the legs is good in stew, the best known being the Italian Osso Buco.

 

3) Lamb

Lamb is the only meat among all the four which has benefited the most from the new cutting and preparation method. The excess fat is now removed from the meat before being sold and prepared new cuts are ideal for quick meals.

Early in the season, the meat from young lamb is a paler pink than that of older animals and it has a finer grain.

 

Cuts of Lamb

Leg, loin, best end of neck and shoulder are all excellent joints for traditional roast on the bone. The leg can also be boned and buttered, or opened out flat, and then grilled or barbecued.

Loin is often boned stuffed and rolled for roasting. Best end of neck cab be roasted as a whole rack of 6-7 cutlets or, for a special occasion, two racks can be joined either as a guard of honor or a crown roast.

Neck Fillet, best end of neck cutlets, steaks cut from the top of the leg, and chump, loin and double loin chops are all excellent for grilling. The same cuts can also be cooked on a ridged cast-iron grill pan or in a non-stick frying pan using a little oil.

Loin and chum chops are also good for roasting, as are lamb steaks, either on or off the bone. Lean and tender neck fillet and boneless leg steaks are perfect cut into cubes for kebabs or thin strips for stir fries.

4) Pork

 The Meat of the pig is sold fresh as pork, used in fresh meat products such as sausages, preserved as bacon, ham and in salami-type sausages, also used cooked in pies.

Due to modern selective breeding techniques, pork is now leaner than it used to be, there is less fat within tissues of the meat and the layers of the back is very thin, which makes it a very healthy choice. Fresh pork should be smooth and pink, not at all grey or damp looking.

 

 

 

Cuts of Pork

Leg, shoulder (hand and spring) and loin are the most popular lean cuts for roasting. Any fat on the joint can be removed before cooking or left on so it bastes the meat in the process of roasting. Leg and loin can also be boned and stuffed before roasting.

Fillet, also called tenderloin, is very lean and tender. It can be roasted whole, but it is most often cut into thin slices or strips for pan fries and stir fries and into cubes for casseroles and kebabs.

Loin and chump chops can be roasted, or they be grilled or pan fried. The meat is lean and can dry out easily, so it is a good idea to coat it with glaze or baste it during cooking, or use a moist cooking method such as braising.

Leg and shoulder (hand and spring) make good pot roasts ending up deliciously moist and tender.

 

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