This document discusses meat composition, inspection, grading, aging, purchasing, storage, preparation and cooking methods. It provides details on: - The main components of muscle tissue that give meat its characteristics. - How meat is inspected in Canada to ensure it is wholesome and fit for consumption. - The voluntary grading system for meat quality and yield in Canada for beef, veal, pork, and sheep. - The aging process that meat undergoes after slaughter to become tender before cooking. - Factors to consider when purchasing and storing meat in a food service operation. - Various preparation techniques like marinating and barding and common cooking methods for meat like dry heat and moist heat.

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CHAPTER 12
PRINCIPLES OF
MEAT COOKERY
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Muscle Composition
• Muscle tissue gives meat its characteristic
appearance
• Beef muscle tissue is approximately:
72% water, 20% protein, 7% fat, 1% minerals
• Marbling is the whitish streaks of inter- and
intra-muscular fat
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3. Muscle Composition
Connective Tissue
• Forms walls of long muscle cells, primarily
in frequently used muscles
– Tendons, ligaments
• Consists of either collagen or elastin
• When cooked with moist heat, contracts
then breaks down into water and gelatin
– Meat of older animals more resistant to
breaking down using moist heat
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Muscle Tissue
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Crosscut of Muscle Fibers
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Inspection of Meats
• All meat produced for public consumption
in Canada is subject to health inspection
under CFIA supervision
• Inspections ensure products are processed
under strict sanitary guidelines and are
wholesome and fit for human consumption
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Meat Inspection Stamp
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Grading of Meats
• Grading is a voluntary system
• Two parts to the grading system:
– Quality grades
– Yield assessments (amount of usable meat as
opposed to bone and fat)
• Some purveyors and retailers develop their
own labelling systems to provide quality
assurance information
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Grading of Meats (cont’d)
• Grading takes into account 5 factors:
1) Animal’s age (bone ossification)
2) Colour of the meat
3) Conformation of the muscling
4) Fat colour
5) Sex of the animal
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Grading of Meats
Beef
– Canada Prime
– AAA, AA and A
– B1, B2, B3, B4
– D and E
Note: Approximately 82% of beef production in Canada
is grade A or higher
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Grade and Yield Stamps
for Canada
Grade stamp for
Canada AAA beef
Yield stamp
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Grading of Meats
Veal
• Veal:
– Based on muscle conformation, flesh colour and fat
deposits
– Currently 10 grades
– A1, A2, A3 and A4 are the highest
• Milk-fed or grain-fed is not taken in consideration
in the grading
• Minimum weight is 80 kg (176 lbs)
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Grading of Meats
Pork
• Pork is graded only for trading and export
purposes
• Producers are paid according to the fat-to-
lean ratio
• Lean to fat ratio must be between 54.7%
and 63.4% or higher on the loin meat
• Of the 12 grades, Canada Yield Class is the
most desirable
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Grading of Meats
Sheep
• Grading is done for the producer, most lamb
is sold ungraded
• Most sheep marketed as spring lamb or
genuine spring lamb
• Spring lamb is 5 to 12 months old and
weights 13.5 to 29.5 kg (30 to 65 lbs)
• The fat will be white and the flesh dark pink
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Aging Meats
• When animals are slaughtered, their muscles
are soft and flabby.
• Within 6-24 hours, rigor mortis sets in, causing
the muscles to contract and stiffen.
• Rigor mortis dissipates in 48-72 hours while
under refrigeration.
• All meats are allowed to age or rest long
enough for rigor mortis to dissipate.
– Green meats – not allowed this aging
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Aging Methods
Wet AgingDry Aging
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Purchasing and Storing Meats
• Several factors determine the cuts of meat
your food service operation should be using
– Menu
– Menu price
– Quality
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Purchasing and Storing Meats
• Once you have determined your needs, you
should
– Consider employee skills
• Do you have a person who can break down meats
into needed cuts?
– Consider your menu
• Can you use the bones, meat and trimmings in
something else?
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Purchasing and Storing Meats
• Storage
– Do you have ample refrigeration and freezer
space?
• Cost
– Consider labour costs and trim usage. Is it less
expensive to buy larger cuts for in-house
fabrication, or to buy ready-to-use cuts?
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Purchasing and Storing Meats
• Meat Storage
– Meat products are highly perishable
– Temperature control is essential
– Fresh meats: store at -1°C to +2°C (30-35° F)
– Frozen meats: store at minimum -18°C (0°F) or
colder. Optimum freezer storage is -45°C (-50°F)
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Preparing Meats
– Marinating: wet and dry
– Barding
– Larding
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Barding a Pheasant
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Applying Various Cooking Methods
• Dry-heat cooking methods
– Most appropriate for tender meats
– Broiling, grilling, roasting, sautéing, pan-frying
• Moist-heat and combination cooking
methods
– Recommended for less tender meats
– Simmering, braising, stewing
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Determining Doneness of Beef
Steak and Roasts
Degree of
Doneness
Colour Degree of Resistance
Very rare (bleu) Very red and raw-looking
centre
Almost no resistance
Rare Large deep red centre Spongy; very slight
resistance
Medium rare Bright red centre Some resistance; slightly
springy
Medium Rosy pink to red centre Slightly firm; springy
Medium well Very little pink at the
centre; almost brown
throughout
Firm; springy
Well done No red Quite firm; springs back
quickly when pressed
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25. Nutrition and Cooking Methods
• Many consumers prefer meats with little or no fat
• Roasting, grilling and broiling methods permit fat
to drip away
• Moist-heat cooking methods allow you to skim
surface fat from liquid during cooking
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