Which Cut Of Meat Is Best For Your Dinner?
Whether it’s a simple casserole or an elaborate three-course
menu, your meal will only be as good as the ingredients you use to cook it. The
quality of ingredients makes the difference between a tasteless meal and an
appetizing, flavorful and healthy one. Every cook, no matter how talented, must
know how to select best quality ingredients. This article explains how you can
choose the best cut of meat for the dish you plan to prepare.
Almost all developed countries today have a government department in charge of inspecting the quality of meat sold on the market. The United States Department of Agriculture, for instance, is responsible for ensuring that the meat you buy is free of germs and chemical contaminants. However, it is still important that the meat be handled properly to avoid bacterial contamination. Safe handling directions are can be found on meat labels.
In addition to following the health safety instructions on meat labels, a good cook must know how to choose the most appropriate cut for a given dish. He or she should know about meat grades, understand which part of the animal each cut of meat comes from and know the ideal method(s) for cooking that particular cut. While the information in this article focuses on beef products, some of the tips below can also be applied to pork, goat and game meat products. There are separate standards for selecting fish, seafood and poultry.
The first thing you must learn is to understand the significance of the grade assigned to the meat by federal inspectors. ‘Prime’ grade meat is the highest quality of meat, which has a high rate of ‘marbling’ (combination of lean and fat meat). High marbling rates allow the meat to become tender when you cook it, meaning that prime grade cuts are most suitable for dry-heat (roasting, grilling or broiling) cooking methods. You can cook delicious grilled steaks and roasts using lower grade meats as well, but these less ‘marbled’ (or less juicy) meat cuts loose their toughness if you marinate or braise them. Marinating meat before you cook it gives it flavor and makes it tender. Braising refers to cooking meat in a covered pan with small amount of liquid (water, stock, tomato juice …).
If you are going to serve crock pot pot roast, choose beef cut from the rump of the cow, such as blade roast, round chuck, blade chuck; chuck steak or boneless short ribs. These meat cuts are appropriate for all braised or marinated meat dishes.
For roasting, grilling or broiling, select meat cuts from the ribs (rib roast, rib-eye steak and back ribs, for instance). Other meat cuts that are excellent grilled include all cow-loin cuts (porterhouse, T-bone, tenderloin steaks) as well as top sirloin steak, tri-tip steak and tri-tip roast.
For a pot roast recipe and slow cooker recipes, the best option is to buy top round steak, eye round roast or bottom round roast. These cuts can be cooked using dry heat methods as well, but you will need to marinate the beef before you grill or broil it. Other meat cuts that are best used for pot roast are shank, brisket, skirt steak and flank steak. Barbecued brisket, delicious and very tender, is a very popular dish in Texas. Simply braise the meat very slowly over low heat. Dress the cooked beef with barbecue sauce and serve, or use to make sandwiches.
Points to keep in mind:
* When shopping for meat, do not buy packaged products that are sitting in too much liquid or blood. Choose meat that is bright to dark red, with white streaks of fat.
* Never keep raw meat in the refrigerator for longer than four days. If you have bought extra, store uncooked meat in your freezer until you are ready to use it. You can wrap the meat in aluminum foil, put it in special airtight plastic freezer bags or freeze it in any moisture-free container.
* Always clean your hands using soap before you handle raw meat. To prevent bacteria from the meat from contaminating other foods, remember to sanitize (not just wipe down) kitchen counters, cutting boards, and knives that have been in contact with the meat.
Almost all developed countries today have a government department in charge of inspecting the quality of meat sold on the market. The United States Department of Agriculture, for instance, is responsible for ensuring that the meat you buy is free of germs and chemical contaminants. However, it is still important that the meat be handled properly to avoid bacterial contamination. Safe handling directions are can be found on meat labels.
In addition to following the health safety instructions on meat labels, a good cook must know how to choose the most appropriate cut for a given dish. He or she should know about meat grades, understand which part of the animal each cut of meat comes from and know the ideal method(s) for cooking that particular cut. While the information in this article focuses on beef products, some of the tips below can also be applied to pork, goat and game meat products. There are separate standards for selecting fish, seafood and poultry.
The first thing you must learn is to understand the significance of the grade assigned to the meat by federal inspectors. ‘Prime’ grade meat is the highest quality of meat, which has a high rate of ‘marbling’ (combination of lean and fat meat). High marbling rates allow the meat to become tender when you cook it, meaning that prime grade cuts are most suitable for dry-heat (roasting, grilling or broiling) cooking methods. You can cook delicious grilled steaks and roasts using lower grade meats as well, but these less ‘marbled’ (or less juicy) meat cuts loose their toughness if you marinate or braise them. Marinating meat before you cook it gives it flavor and makes it tender. Braising refers to cooking meat in a covered pan with small amount of liquid (water, stock, tomato juice …).
If you are going to serve crock pot pot roast, choose beef cut from the rump of the cow, such as blade roast, round chuck, blade chuck; chuck steak or boneless short ribs. These meat cuts are appropriate for all braised or marinated meat dishes.
For roasting, grilling or broiling, select meat cuts from the ribs (rib roast, rib-eye steak and back ribs, for instance). Other meat cuts that are excellent grilled include all cow-loin cuts (porterhouse, T-bone, tenderloin steaks) as well as top sirloin steak, tri-tip steak and tri-tip roast.
For a pot roast recipe and slow cooker recipes, the best option is to buy top round steak, eye round roast or bottom round roast. These cuts can be cooked using dry heat methods as well, but you will need to marinate the beef before you grill or broil it. Other meat cuts that are best used for pot roast are shank, brisket, skirt steak and flank steak. Barbecued brisket, delicious and very tender, is a very popular dish in Texas. Simply braise the meat very slowly over low heat. Dress the cooked beef with barbecue sauce and serve, or use to make sandwiches.
Points to keep in mind:
* When shopping for meat, do not buy packaged products that are sitting in too much liquid or blood. Choose meat that is bright to dark red, with white streaks of fat.
* Never keep raw meat in the refrigerator for longer than four days. If you have bought extra, store uncooked meat in your freezer until you are ready to use it. You can wrap the meat in aluminum foil, put it in special airtight plastic freezer bags or freeze it in any moisture-free container.
* Always clean your hands using soap before you handle raw meat. To prevent bacteria from the meat from contaminating other foods, remember to sanitize (not just wipe down) kitchen counters, cutting boards, and knives that have been in contact with the meat.
