Holy Name Convent, P.O.

S
Form 3
Meat Types and Cuts
Most people buy their meat in the form of cuts, joints or mince. Meat
is also bought ready prepared, e.g. sausages, ham, burgers, kebabs.
•Knowing where meat comes helps you know how to prepare, cook
and serve it.
•This lesson is about the different cuts of beef, pork and lamb.
What is meat?
Meat is the flesh of slaughtered animals. It may be fresh, frozen or
salted in brine.
Popular meat eaten in the Caribbean:
•Cattle (beef, veal)
•Sheep (mutton, lamb)
•Goat
•Pig (pork, bacon, ham)
•Rabbit
•Game (deer, manicou, armadillo)
 Where we buy meat

Butcher Shop

Meat Markets
Supermarket

Open air Markets

 Nutrients found in meat:

► Protein: high biological value proteins

► Fat: found under the skin, connective tissue and around the
internal organs
► Minerals: Such as iron, potassium, phosphorus and zinc
► Vitamins: Rich source of all B-complex vitamins. Liver
and kidneys are rich sources of iron.
► Water: Fresh meat contain between 60 – 75 % water.
Structure of Meat

► Meat consists of many muscle fibres. Made up

of water, proteins, minerals and
extractives(give meat its flavour)
► These fibres are bound together in bundles of
connective tissue, which contains protein
(collagen) and fat.
► A complete muscle is surrounded by
connective tissue, which merges at the end into
tendons, which join the muscle to the bone.
Structure of Meat
 Choosing Meat
• Buy cuts suitable for the chosen cooking method.
• Choose meat with a small proportion of bone, gristle
and fat
• Buy from clean surroundings and vendors
• Flesh should be firm to the touch
• Fat should be firm and not discoloured and oily
• It should have a pleasant fresh smell
• The colour of the flesh and fat should be right for
the type of meat
Identifying cuts of meat

In general terms:
• the front half (forequarter) of a
carcase has more muscles (per cut of
meat) which have worked harder, contain
more connective tissue and therefore give
less tender meat;
Identifying cuts of meat

In general terms:
• the back half (hindquarters) of a carcase
contains fewer muscles (per cut of meat),
which have done less work, have less
connective tissue, and therefore produce the
most tender cuts of meat.
.
Beef cuts
Lamb cuts
Pork cuts
Offal
Offal are the internal organs and extremities of
animals that we eat.

Offal types:
• inside the carcase – these include:
liver, kidney, heart, tongue,
sweetbreads(pancreas/thymus of lamb or calf)
and tripe (stomach and intestines of cattle) .
Blood is also a type of offal, and is used in the
making of black pudding.
• external part of the carcase – these include:
trotters, cheeks, ears, head and tail.
Meat cuts and cooking
The method of cooking selected for a cut of
meat will depend on:
• the type of muscle fibre it is made up from;
• the amount of connective tissue it contains.

•Toughness is reduced in meat by hanging/conditioning after

slaughter, in special chilling rooms.
•When an animal is first slaughtered, the muscles become stiff and
hard, this is known as rigor mortis. After a few days the meat
softens, becomes tender and is improved in flavour.
•Papain can also be injected into the meat to tenderize the flesh.
Meat can be tenderize by:

►Pounding with a meat mallet/hammer

►Scouring and cutting across the muscle fibres to make
them shorter
►Rubbing with slices of green papaya/pawpaw which
contains the enzyme papain; this will break down the
protein
►Marinating in vinegar or alcohol
ENJOY