Meat, Fish,

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Meat, Fish, Poultry
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Meat...
Beef from cattle
Pork from hogs
Veal from calves
Mutton from mature sheep
Lamb from young sheep
Venison from deer
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Cuts of meat...
Each animal is slaughtered, inspected, and the
carcass hung to age. Later on, the butcher will
cut each carcass into large wholesale cuts of
meat (upper left) , followed by smaller retail
cuts such as roast, steaks,
chops, stew meat, and
ground meat.
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Factors influencing meat tenderness...
muscle fibers
The primal or wholesale meat cuts on the buffalo
are similar or the same as other animals.
Muscle fibers are long, thin muscle cells. They
are thinnest (and most tender) in parts of the
animal that get little exercise. They thicken
(and are less tender) in older animals and parts
that get a lot of exercise. This buffalo meat
chart illustrates the different areas of tender
and less tender meat.
Can you rationalize which cuts of this beef
carcass are tender, and which are less tender?
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Factors influencing meat tenderness...
connective tissue
1. COLLAGEN is a thin, white connective issue
that will soften in moist-heat cooking methods.
Moist-heat cooking methods include those where
some type of liquid is present as the meat cooks
(water, broth, tomato juice, etc.) OR when a lid
is used. Stewing is a common moist-heat method,
as is braising. A pot roast is braised cooked in
a roasting pan with liquid and a lid.
2. ELASTIN is a yellow connective tissue that
will not soften. It must be pounded, cut, or
ground to make it chewable. This might be done by
pounding with a utensil called a meat tenderizer.
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Factors influencing meat tenderness...
fat
VISIBLE FAT is found under the skin of the
animal, in the belly parts, and surrounding large
muscle portions. Cook meat fat side up to
allow the flavor to melt down through the meat
while cooking.
MARBLING is the white flecks or streaks that
appear within the lean meat. Abundant marbling is
associated with tenderness.
TALLOW is a type of hard fat that thickens and
coats the mouth when cooled. It is found
primarily in venison, mutton, and lamb.
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Factors influencing meat tenderness...
grain
Suppose these arrows represent long fibers in the
meat running in a horizontal directionthe grain.
If the butcher or carver cuts the meat WITH the
grain, the fibers remain long in each piece and
difficult to chew.
If you cut ACROSS the grain, however, the long
fibers are cut into short pieces. This makes
them easier to chew. Always carve across the
grain for tenderness!
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Factors influencing meat tenderness...
cooking methods
Moist-heat methods
Dry-heat methods

• Braising
• Cooking in liquid
• Steaming
• Using a lid/cover

• Roasting
• Frying
• Grilling/broiling
• Deep fat frying

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Tenderizers...
In addition to the utensil called a meat
tenderizer (a mechanical tool that is used to
pound meat and break up elastin tissue), several
forms of chemical meat tenderizers are also
used. MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG) is an artificial
enzyme that comes in a powdered form and can be
sprinkled or rubbed on meat as a
tenderizer. PAPAIN is a natural enzyme found in
fresh pineapple, papayas, and tomatoes. Cooking
meats with these foods cause the meat to become
more tender.
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Variety Meats...
Brains
Heart
Tripe
Liver
Sweetbreads
Kidneys
Tongue
Chitterlings
Variety meats are edible animal organs. They are
extremely high in nutrients, but unfortunately
are high in calories and cholesterol also. In
areas where demand for these food items is low,
the price may be low as well. For some people,
eating these foods is like an episode of FEAR
FACTOR!
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Inspection grading...
Meats sold in the United States are always
inspected by federal agents of the Food Drug
Administration (FDA) from live animal to the
grocery store case. Inspection stamps appear on
the meat itself, often in the form of a edible,
purple vegetable dye. Both safety and quality are
determined.
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Processed meats...
Processed meats have undergone some sort of
additional treatment to either extend shelf life
or create a distinctive flavor.
Luncheon meats
Sausages, often smoked
Curing meat (with a mixture of salt, nitrite,
ascorbic acid, etc) ham is an example
Drying and salting meat jerky
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Cooking safety...
This pork chop looks yummy, but if cooked
improperly could be responsible for illness and
even death.
e.Coli is a bacteria that lives in the meat of a
healthy animal. The bacteria is transferred to
the human when the infected meat is eaten,
sometimes causing death. Beef is the most
suspect, especially hamburger.
Trichinae worms are parasitic, living in the
muscle of hogs. When the infected meat is eaten
by humans, the worm then infects the human
muscles. Trichinosis is accompanied by
arthritis-type symptoms.
Cooking meat until no pink remains destroys both
trichinae and e.coli. Even slight overcooking,
however, may cause meat to be less-juicy and
less-tender.
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Ground meat...
HAMBURGER is the common name for ground beef. It
is commonly made by grinding meat trimmings,
including fat. If you buy hamburger with a label
that says 80/20 ground beef, it means that 80
of the mixture is lean meat and 20 of the
mixture is fat. The leaner mixtures are
healthier (less saturated fat), but less juicy
and flavorful.
Sausage is ground meat with added spices/
seasonings. This is a common treatment for pork
and venison, and the mixture is often used to
fill casings in order to maintain shape.
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Wholesale/retail cuts of meat...
Round Rump/Butt Ham
Chuck Blade Shoulder
Steaks and Roasts
Rib
Loin
Sirloin
Plate Belly Bacon Spare or short ribs
Most tender bottom or eye of round
Flank Hamburger
Arm Brisket Shank
Top round
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Poultry (white and dark meat)...
Chicken and turkey have both white and dark meat.
White meat is leaner with a mild flavor. Ducks
and geese have only dark meat, which is more
flavorful but higher in fat. The part of the bird
getting more exercise is darker, such as the legs
and thighs of a chicken.
Game birds, which do more actual flying, have
more dark meat. Wild game might include quail,
pheasant, wild turkey, ducks, geese or
turtledove. Domesticated birds have far more
white meat.
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Cooking poultry...
The method used for cooking poultry depends on
the age of the bird. Young birds can be cooked
in dry heat, such as grilling, frying, and
roasting.
Chicken is often dredged in flour before frying
to form a coating and seal in juices.
Older birds and game birds are less tender, and
need to be cooked in moist heat. Use a lid and
add liquid or gravy during cooking. Stewing, or
boiling older birds is common. Meat is often
removed from the bones and used in other recipes.
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More poultry tips...
The skin on the poultry is high in fat content.
For that reason, many people remove the skin
before eating the poultry. In this picture, the
chicken breast has been halved, boned, and
skinned.
GIBLETS is the correct name for the edible
poultry organs, including the liver, heart, and
gizzard (a digestive organ). These parts and the
neck are often packaged separately in the cavity
of the raw bird, cooked, and used in the stuffing.
You can buy or order giblets separately, as you
can other parts.
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Fish...
Fish can be divided into two categories by the
color of their flesh
Light or white fish have a mild flavor, tender
texture, and low fat. They include catfish, cod,
flounder, haddock, halibut, perch, pike, pollack,
pompano, turbot, red snapper, sole, trout, and
whitefish.
Darker fish flesh has a more pronounced flavor,
firm texture, and higher fat content. These
include bluefish, mackerel, salmon, swordfish,
and tuna.
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Shellfish...Seafood...
CRUSTACEANS have long bodies with jointed limbs
covered with shells, including crab, crayfish,
lobster, and shrimp.
Mollusks have soft bodies covered by at least one
shell, including clams, mussels, oysters,
scallops, and squid.
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Buying and cooking fish...
Purchase fish as well as poultry by appearance
and a mild, fresh aroma.
FILLET is a term that means without bones.
Fish can be canned in water or oil. It can be
preserved by pickling, smoking, curing or drying.
Lox is a fish that is smoked and cured, and
commonly served with bagels.
Fish shellfish are very tender. All cooking
methods can be used grilling, frying, and deep
fat frying, boiling, steaming, etc.
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The End
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• Preparing individuals for life and work
• Strengthening families
• Empowering communities
• Created by Barbara L. Swarthout, Family
  Consumer Sciences teacher at Elkhorn High School