Meats+Group+3

= =  MEAT   =

wholesale cuts:

Chuck- usually provides less tender meats. However, a tender piece of chuck would be the shoulder petite. A tough piece of meat would be the shoulder top blade because it comes from a part of the cow that is over worked, therefore more tough sinews.

Rib- a tender cut of this would be the back ribs; these muscles are not used often because they just hold the rib cage in place. A tough piece of meat would be a rib roast. This will take the longest to cook down because it’s a large piece of meat and has lots of silver skin.

Loin- provides mainly tender meats. One example is the tenderloin roast.

Sirloin- these cuts of meats are usually tender. For example the tri tip roast has lots of great fat marbling, but needs to be cooked for a long time to become very tender and let the fat render out.

Round- The round usually provides very tough pieces of meat that have to be tenderized. An example of this is cube steak.

Flank- these cuts of meat are usually tough because they have a lot of tendons in them. One example is flank steak.

Shank and Brisket- These are usually tough as well because they are part of the cows shoulder/ leg muscles, which get used often. An example of a cut of meat is brisket.

Other - usually comes from the foreshank on the upper leg of the cow. An example is ground beef.

What factors affect the tenderness of meat?   Natural Tenderness: -Cut, where the meat came from on the cow. For example a cut of meat from the loin is going to be much more tender than a cut from the shoulder because it is a muscle used less often by the animal. - Animal’s age- younger animals typically have more tender meat. Size of the muscle fibers increase with age and a lot of connective tissue begins to develop. -Fat content, this could be from heredity or diet of the animals. Marbling increase by fattening animals before slaughter, this increase the flavor and tenderness of the meat. -Rigor Mortis, when the meat sits for 6-24 hrs and the muscles begin to lower the pH. This pH influences how water binds to muscle proteins and a pH of 5.8 is best for water holding capacity. -Slaughtering Conditions, this affects the quality of the meat. Results when pH falls too low because the animal has used up all of its stored glycogen and converted to lactic acid. Or dark cutting beef is when glycogen used up not enough to convert to lactic acid during rigor mortis, which makes a higher pH. This makes the meat have a sticky texture. -Aging, improves meats flavor, tenderness, color and juiciness.

Meats can be treated to make tender: -Enzymes work to break down the proteins within the muscle fibrils. Only works on thin cuts of meat. -Salts help retain moisture and break down the component that surrounds muscle fibers. -Acids and alcohols can help break down the outside surface of meat also add flavor and color. -Mechanical Tenderization breaks down the muscle cells and the tough connective tissue. -Electrical stimulation is when they send an electrical current through the meat, which tenderizes it and speeds up the process of rigor mortis.

3. What methods of artificial tenderizing can be used for tough cuts of meat? One tough piece of cow! Moist heat methods are best for cooking tough cuts of meat. This is because it is done over a long period of time in a very low heat which helps break down the connective tissue and helps fat melt more evenly into the meat. Examples: Braising, Simmering/stewing, steaming, microwaves.

4. What changes occur to meat during the cooking process? What are the best cooking methods to use for tender cuts and for tough cuts? When cooking meat the meat becomes more flavorful due to caramelizing of the sugars in the meats. The meat shrinks as the proteins denature and loose their captured water. Tough meats that are cooked for longer periods at low temperatures will tenderize as the collagen and connective tissue breaks down. However, meats exposed to high temperatures for too long will turn tough and harden. In cooking meat you also have to consider the carry over cooking time. This is because as meat sits after being removed from the heat, residual heat continues to cook the meat and raise it 10-15 degrees. To compensate or this, the meat should be removed from the oven when temp is 10-15 degrees below desired doneness. The best methods to use for tender cuts of meat are dry heat methods including roasting, broiling and grilling, frying, sautéing, pan-frying and deep-frying. This is at a high temperature for a short period of time. The best methods to use for tough cuts of meat are braising, simmering, steaming, stewing and microwaving. This is done for a long period of time on low heat.