INFORMATION SHEET 4QR-14.5.

1
“Prepare and Cook Meat”

Overview:
This lesson covers the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to prepare and cook meat.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson you are expected to do the following:
1. perform mise’n place;
2. cook meat cuts;
3. present and evaluate meat dishes; and
4. store meat.

Meat is a term for the flesh of cattle (beef and veal), sheep (lamb) and pigs (pork). Meat comprises
water, protein, fat, and various amounts of minerals and
vitamins.

Beef is divided into large sections called primal cuts. These beef primal cuts or “primal” are then broken
down further into individual steak and other retail cuts. A “side” of beef is literally one side of the beef
carcass that is split through the backbone. Each side is then halved between the 12th and 13th ribs into
sections called the forequarter and hindquarter

Beef is very popular and is used across the globe. This meat is obtained
from cow and is one of the much sought-after types of red meat.

Types of Knives and their Uses

1. French knife or chef’s knife – for general purpose chopping, slicing, and dicing.
2. Utility knife – used for carving roast chicken and duck.
3. Boning knife – used for boning raw meats and poultry.
4. Slicer – used for carving and slicing cooked meats.
5. Butcher knife – used for cutting, sectioning, and trimming raw meats in the butcher shop.
6. Scimitar or steak knife - used for accurate cutting of steaks.
7. Cleaver – used for cutting through bones.

Composition of Meat

1. Water – 70% of muscle tissue.

2. Protein – 20% of muscle tissue. Protein coagulates when it is heated. It becomes firmer and loses
moisture. When protein has coagulated to the desired degree, the meat is said to be done.
3. Fat – 5% of the muscle tissue. The fat in meat contributes to:

A. Juiciness
Marbling is fat that is deposited within the muscle tissue. Surface fats protect the meat from drying out
during cooking. Adding surface fat is called barding.

B. Tenderness - Marbling separates muscle fibers, making meat easier to chew.

C. Flavor - Fat is the main source of flavor in meat.

4. Carbohydrates – it plays a necessary part in the complex reaction, called the maillard reaction, which
takes place when meats are browned by roasting, broiling or sautéing. Without carbohydrates, desirable
flavor appearance of browned meats would not be achieved.

Structure of Meat

1. Muscle fibers
- Lean meat is composed of long, thin muscle fibers bound together in bundles. These determine the
texture or grain of a piece of meat.

• Fine – grained meat is composed of small fibers

bound in small fibers.

• Course – textured meat has large fibers.

2. Connective tissue

- These are network of proteins that bind the muscle fibers together. Connective tissue is tough.
Meats are high in connective tissue if the muscles are more exercised like meat from legs and the
meat comes from older animals.

Two Kinds of Connective Tissue

1. Collagen
• white connective tissue that dissolves or breaks down by long, slow cooking with liquid. Moist-heat
cooking methods at low temperature are not effective for turning a meat high in connective tissue into a
tender, juicy finished product. Acid helps dissolve collagen.

2. Elastin
• yellow connective tissue and is not broken down in cooking. Tenderizing can be accomplished only by
removing the elastin, by pounding and by slicing and grinding.

Basic Preparation Methods of Meat

Washing
Generally, the only occasion in which you will have to wash meat is when it comes
into contact with blood during preparation. After washing, dry the food thoroughly
with absorbent kitchen paper.

1. Skinning
- Most of the meat you dealt with has been already skinned by the supplier.

2. Dicing
- Meat are diced when it is cut into cubes for various types of casseroles, stems, curries, and dishes such
as steak, kidney pie and pudding.

3. Trimming

Reasons for trimming:

a. Improve the appearance of the cut or joint
b. Leave as much of the meat intact as possible.
c. Leave an even thickness of fat (where fat is to be left). How much fat you trim off will depend on the
type of meat, preference, and the cooking process to be used.
d. Remove as much gristles and sinews as possible.

4. Slicing
- It is the cutting of meat by determining the direction of the grain (the muscle fibers), and cut across
the grain. This is particularly important with tougher cuts such as steak, in which the grain is also quite
obvious.You slice meat with―instead of against―the grain.

5. Seasoning
- It is the addition of salt and white or black pepper to improve the flavor of food.

a. Use white pepper or cayenne pepper on food which you want to keep attractive with white color.

b. Add salt to roast and grill after the meat has browned. Adding salt before cooking will extract the
juices of the meat to the surface, and slows down the browning reactions (which need high temperature
and dry heat).

6. Coating
The two basic coatings are:
a. Flour – coat the meat before cooking, otherwise the flour becomes sticky and unpleasant.

b. Bread crumbs – coat the meat in flour, then egg wash (egg wash is made of lightly beaten whole egg
with a little water/milk) and finally with the bread crumbs.
Different kinds of meat and its source

1. Pork – meat from domesticated pigs, typically high in fat, commonly slaughtered one year or less of
age to ensure tender cuts.

2. Beef -meat from cattle over one year old.

3. Lamb – meats of domesticated sheep. Its texture is a direct result of what it consumes and the age at
which it is slaughtered.

4. Carabeef – meat from carabao.

5. Chevon – meat from deer/goat.

6. Veal – flesh of a young calf, 4-5 months old. Because of its age, it is considered by some to be
the finest meat.

SELF-CHECK 4QR-14.5.5
“Prepare and Cook Meat”

Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of your answer in separate sheet.

A.
Column A Column B
_____1. used for cutting through bones A. butcher knife
_____2. used for carving and slicing cooked meats B. chef knife
_____3. for general purposes C. cleaver
_____4. carving roast chicken and duck D. utility knife
_____5. used for cutting, trimming raw meats E. slicer

B.
Column A Column B
_____1. young calf A. beef
_____2. goat B. carabeef
_____3. sheep C. veal
_____4. cattle over one year old D. lamb
_____5. carabao E. chevon
 SELF-CHECK KEY ANSWER 4QR-14.5.6
“Prepare and Cook Meat”

A.

1. C
2. E
3. B
4. D
5. A

B.
1. C
2. E
3. D
4. A
5. B
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