Meats and Offal Chapter 13 Objectives Define the

Meats and Offal Chapter 13

Objectives • Define the term meat, and identify the four basic animals from which meat is derived • Explain the importance of The Meat Buyer’s Guide and IMPS system • Summarize the USDA’s system for grading meat

Objectives (cont’d. ) • Identify the most commonly used grades of meat for beef, veal, lamb, and pork • List the products classified as offal or variety meats • Identify the four categories of sausages

Meats • Meat is animal flesh prepared for eating – Includes muscles and fat as well as organ meat and sausage – Sold and categorized by animal of origin • Texture of muscle fibers determines the tenderness of the meat – Fat content, age, and size are also factors

Buying and Storing • North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) has created The Meat Buyer’s Guide – Divided into sections by animal – Includes pictures of the major cuts – Each cut has a unique identifying number • Known as institutional meat purchase specifications (IMPS) codes

Buying and Storing (cont’d. ) • Considerations when buying meat – Available cuts and grades – Menu needs – Available storage • Meat shipped across state lines must be inspected by the USDA

Buying and Storing (cont’d. ) • USDA meat grading program – Quality grades for beef, veal, and lamb • Meats are available in many different forms – Primal cuts (approx. 1/8 of the animal) – Subprimal (smaller roasts, rounds, ribs) – Portion cuts (steaks) are most expensive

Beef • Beef is meat from domesticated cows • Two types of grades – Quality grade • Level of flavor, fat, juiciness, and tenderness in the carcass – Yield grade • The amount of usable meat in the carcass

Beef (cont’d. ) • Marbling – The amount of fat in the muscle • USDA quality grades for beef – Prime • Sold to upscale restaurants – Choice • Available to most restaurants and grocery stores

Beef (cont’d. ) • USDA quality grades for beef (cont’d. ) – Select • Leaner than choice or prime; less marbling – Standard and Commercial • Lowest quality for restaurants and groceries – Utility, Cutter and Canner • Used by food manufacturers to make ground beef, hot dogs, and other processed meat food

Beef (cont’d. ) • Yield grades – Range from 1 to 5 – Indicates percentage of usable meat – Only important if purchasing carcasses or primal cuts

Veal and Calf • Veal is meat from a young cow – 16 to 18 weeks of age – By-product of the dairy industry • Forms of veal include calf, bob-veal, and special-diet veal • One of five grades is assigned based on quality and proportion of the lean meat

Lamb • Most lamb is from animals less than one year old • Five grades available – Prime and Choice available for retail sale – Good, Utility and Cull are used for food processing • Mutton is meat from older lambs

Pork • Pork is meat from young pigs • In past 30 years, pork producers have modified pig feed – Producing meat that is leaner and sweeter • Two grades: acceptable and unacceptable – No quality grades

Offal (Variety Meats) • Edible, nonmuscular parts of slaughter animals – Red offal (heart, tongue, lungs, liver) – White offal (brains, marrow, testicles, feet) • Includes meat mixtures such as sausage

Buying and Storing • Variety meats are more perishable than other meats • Sausages should be smooth and evenly colored, not sticky • Dried sausage should have a pleasant odor and be covered with a bloom

Heart • Very little importance in contemporary cuisine • Stringy meat – Heart of calves, lambs, and chickens are small and tender – Pigs heart is moderately tender – Beef heart is strongest tasting

13. 10 a Diagram showing where offal, or variety meats, come from on beef 13. 10 b Diagram showing where offal, or variety meats, come from on pork

Liver • Red offal that comes from domesticated animals, poultry, game and certain fish – Liver from young animals is more tender – Calf’s liver is most sought after – Color should be pinkish to reddish brown – Should be shiny with a pleasant smell – Foie gras is fattened duck or goose liver

Tongue • Tongue has a thick membrane – Should be removed after cooking • Beef tongue has very strong taste • Calf’s tongue is very tender • Can be refrigerated for one or two days – Deteriorates rapidly

Sweetbreads • Thymus gland from lambs and calves • Gland has two parts – Central lobe called heart sweetbread – Two outer lobes known as throat sweetbread • Has a delicate taste • Extremely perishable

Brains • Brains of sheep and lambs are most delicate and sought-after • Cow brains are firmer • Pork brains are seldom eaten • Purchase only from reputable dealers who had access to animals when they were alive, to verify origin

Calf Kidneys • Kidney is a type of red offal • Pork and sheep kidneys have one lobe – Those of calf and beef have several • Kidney of young animals is tender and flavorful • Choose plump, firm, shiny kidneys that do not smell of ammonia

Tripe • Tripe is made from the stomachs of cows and lambs – Usually blanched before it is sold • Choose white or cream colored tripe that has a pleasant odor • Can be poached for one to two hours and then sautéed or fried

Sausages • Hundreds of types of sausages are available on the market • Germans make the most sausage • Most made from lean and fatty cuts of pork, but some sausages are made from beef, lamb, veal, and other meats

Sausages (cont’d. ) • Natural and synthetic casings are used • Types of sausages – Small fresh sausages – Small cooked sausages – Large cooked sausages – Dried sausages • Raw, but salted, fermented, and then dried

Ham • Originally referred to pork from the hind leg of a hog • Turkey ham is turkey thigh meat • Sold in fresh, cook-before-eating, fully cooked, picnic, and country varieties • May be stored differently according to its method of curing and preservation

Summary • Beef, veal, lamb, and pork are the most commonly available meats • The Meat Buyer’s Guide includes specification codes for many cuts of meat • There are eight USDA quality grades for beef; five for veal and lamb

Summary (cont’d. ) • Offal is the term for variety meats that include animal organs; many types exist • Sausage is a meat mixture encased in natural or artificial casing • Ham comes in a variety of forms