I normally do not purchase any of the numerous how-to paperback meat books offered for sale because for the most part they repeat information contained in long-running meat textbooks such as The Meat We Eat (14 edition came out in 2001; 15th is overdue), they often espouse niche meat or anti-meat agendas and/or contain a lot of recipes that serve primarily as page fillers. The Butcher’s Guide is 175 pages long with 75 of those pages being either recipes or pictures of prepared recipes. Fortunately, the remaining 100 pages are full of up- to-date insider butcher information that anyone can easily use to eat better for less money. The Butcher’s Guide is a book after my own heart in that I have long known and practiced what it preaches. Knowing what high quality meat products are most economically available when and what can easily be made to provide enjoyable eating experiences, are both big benefits of learning this material. Additionally, I routinely carryout further processing R&D projects where the starting raw product is either underutilized (relatively inexpensive) domesticated meat cuts or game meat (mostly deer). Someday I would like to be involved in a book, along this same vein, that more indepthly covers worthwhile home meat further processing and meat containing soups. The Butcher’s Guide is plainly written/easy to understand and the author has a series of YouTube videos posted to help clarify many of the best practices described in the book. If you have the will, this is a good way to learn. This moderately priced book does get a little repetitive in places, but that’s understandable because different sections may be referenced individually.
The remainder of this post is discussion points triggered by my reading of The Butcher’s Guide.
I have always heard the term “producer” used to denote a livestock farmer or rancher. Harvest plant/cut fabricators are known as fresh meat wholesalers.
Centralized meat cutting and packaging also facilitates the large scale collection of trimmings and the processing of MSM (Mechanically separated Meat) or AMR (Advanced Meat Recovery) from necks, backs, ribs, wings etc.
It seems that a metal thermometer probe left in a cooking roast could transfer more heat into the abutting area; thereby giving a reading slightly higher then the internal temperature of the rest of the piece of meat.
Trichinosis (muscle worms) comes from hogs or bears that ingest the worms; when the animals are free to root in the ground.
Darker pigmented muscles have a higher pH level which can help increase cooked product moisture retention.
Unless needle pumped or tenderized, thick whole meat cuts normally remain relatively sterile inside.
This recent Frozen Meat (click on Frozen Meat) blog post contains some good ideas about this Smart Meat shopping subject.
Freezing meat will at least temporarily stop the multiplication of bacteria. Some bacteria types have the ability to go into a spore (seed-like) state when they encounter either too hot or too cold environments. Spores become reproductive again when favorable growth conditions return.
Meat further processing is a more accurate and more appetizing termed than meat re-processing.
Click here for a different opinion on letting meat warm at room temperature prior to cooking it, searing raw meat and the perception that bone-in cuts are more flavorful. I agree that a seasoning amount of salt should be added to meat before cooking because it causes salt-soluble meat proteins to swell; thereby aiding in finished product moisture retention. That is a good reason why to refrigerator brine or inject thick cuts awhile before cooking.
When cooking a roast fat-side-up the muscle bundle sheath under subcutaneous fat largely prevents rendering exterior fat from gravity feeding into/basting cooking meat. Fat cover will aid in slowing moisture evaporation out the top of the roast. Cooking fat-side-down slows moisture loss closer to the heat source and the muscle sheath/fat layer acts as a cup to help hold gravity-fed cooking purge. Turning a roast over at some point during the cooking process sends some of the cooking purge back through the roast in the opposite direction; thereby increasing the length of time before they exit.
When braising chuck roasts in a covered oven roasting pan I like to place the roast on a rack to keep it from becoming submerged in liquid. Such practice reduces the extraction of water-soluble meat protein, minerals and vitamins. Removing the fat from drippings (either chilled or with a skimmer) and using the remaining cooking purge as soup stock increases usable meat nutrient retention.
Now days, the words herb and spice are often used interchangeably.
Meat inspection for wholesomeness (safety to eat), is mandatory for any meat that is sold, is tax funded and is provided free to meat plants unless they opt to work during premium hours (overtime from regularly scheduled shifts, weekends, Federal holidays).
Most large beef harvesting plants no longer opt to roll USDA graded carcasses. Each carcass side gets a few designating hits with a pop-stamp, then is sorted for a like grade fabrication run.
The average length of feedlot time for grain-finishing beef is 90 to 120 days. Click here to see what passes for “grass-fed” beef. Grader judgment of grass-finished beef would be a more honest option. The way it is now, grain-finished beef is more palatable and grass-fed labeled beef costs more money per pound. To say the least, keeping repeat grass-fed customers can lead to some dishonesty.
Most of the lean beef component in store-bought fresh ground beef is from culled beef breeding cows or diary cows. Blending it with market cattle fat trimmings imparts better flavor and fat color.
Wet-packed, cure pumped, uncooked corned beef brisket portions sell a good bit of water and therefore have a lot of cooking shrinkage. Hand-pump curing an eye of round at home then steam cooking it on a rack, in an oven roaster produces lean economical corned beef
Beef imports from Argentina to the U.S. were banned from 1931 to 1997 due to an Argentine hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak. Starting in the 1960’s frozen blocks of Australian, and later New Zealand, grass-finished boneless beef were imported to grind with U.S. market cattle fat trimmings in the production of fresh ground beef and pre-cooked IQF institutional & retail freezer case further processed beef items. Today’s COOL (Country Of Origin Labeling) laws and the negative PR from using previously frozen lean imported beef tends to keep such beef blocks out of U.S. “fresh” ground beef production. Giving consumers the exclusively domestic ground beef they want opened the door for Low Temperature Rendered beef (AKA Pink Slime). USDA donated meat (for commodity price stabilization) school-lunch programs and U.S. fast-food restaurant chains are also under pressure to offer 100% domestic origin beef.
Click here to see a blog post about beef cut names attached to fresh ground beef products. It says the specialty named ground beef products must be at least 50% from the designated cut source (likely Commercial grade or lower cull cow meat). I don’t know how correct this information is because there was a different point made in the same article that was not totally accurate information.
I remove heavy connective tissue from Choice chuck rolls then grind them once through a 3/16 inch hole size plate. Using that procedure, in an approximate 80-20 blend, I never have to worry about slapping my premium ground beef patties too hard.
There are official pork grading carcass standards in place, but pork packers do not opt to use them due to the overall uniformity of modern mainstream market hog carcasses.
I honestly believe that “Natural” labeled pork is allowed to be pumped with a little salt, water and microbial inhibitors; as long as it also states Minimally Processed on the label. Minimal processing is defined as things that don’t substantially change the characteristics of a fresh meat product; that’s open to case by case interpretation. Water and salt are considered to be natural ingredients, but sodium phosphate is not. This quasi deceptive practice makes it hard for persons with salt intake restrictions to monitor their actual salt consumption. Further, artisan meat further processors have to guess as to how much salt and water has been added to the starting raw “Natural” pork roasts they purchased. Salt added to Natural pork products can also lessen the useful freezer storage-life of such cuts because salt increases the rate of fat oxidation. When further processing Natural pork I cut recipe salt amounts in half.
Intercostal muscles, located between pork or beef ribs, need low-slow-moist heat cookery to most successfully gel the collagen protein they contain (make them tender). Since baby back pork ribs normally sell for about $1 per pound more than the abutting boneless pork loin, about 1/4 inch of the pork loin is often left on enhanced baby back ribs to create a heavier meatier retail offering. The loin meat tends to become overly dry by the time intercostal muscles cook long enough to become pleasingly tender.
There are currently some newer URMIS (Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards) meat cut names.
Smoke-cooked pork picnics can be sliced to produce economical, lean “bacon” for frying.
About 75% of the average market hog carcass is further processed into lean ham, lean bacon, ground pork shoulder products, fat pork trim and MSM (Mechanically Separated Meat). MSM is primarily used in formulating emulsion type sausage products (wieners and bologna).
Concentrated liquid smoke, sometimes used in atomized liquid smokehouses, is a by-product of hardwood charcoal production. The smoke is drawn through water.
The highest quality brine-cured hams are those that are smoke-cooked back to their green weights.
Jowl meat, pork shoulder butts and leg of lamb have lymph nodes/glands in them.
I don’t think traditional pre-refrigeration charcuterie is a healthy long-term or economically worthwhile endeavor. On the other hand, the further processing of some underutilized (less expensive) meat cuts into home freezer stored convenience items can be a vey prudent practice.
Click here if you want to learn more about “Naturally Cured” meat products.
The presence of at least one perfect break-joint is a major maturity consideration in the Quality grading of lamb carcasses. Marbling levels are guessed by evaluating the flank streaking of fat. Carcass conformation is also a factor used in assigning lamb Quality grades.
Lamb/mutton has the hardest (most saturated) fat of all livestock species.
Light colored lean is a major factor in veal Quality grading, carcass conformation is also taken into consideration. There is no Yield grading option for veal carcasses because they all carry very little fat.
Young chickens that are chilled below 26F internal temperature will usually display bone-darkening upon thawing.
Capons are neutered rosters that are allowed to grow large. Neutering greatly enhances the eating quality of these relatively old birds.
For over 20 years I have been stuffing our Thanksgiving turkey with chopped vegetables (celery carrots and onion) and roasting it upside-down and covered. Dark meat naturally retains more moisture during cooking and veggie juices gravity-feed to white meat during cooking. Roast the bird on a rack in order to keep it up out of cooking purge (I don’t like washed-out water-cooked characteristics in the breast meat). Temp the thickest part of the thigh to determine doneness. Due to the steam inside the covered roasting pan when this method is used, a turkey will cook 45 minutes to an hour quicker than what is indicated on pound – time – oven temperature cooking charts. The visual presentation of turkeys cooked in this manner is not great, but the eating quality is always outstanding. I normally pull the breast halves off whole then easily slice them.
All humans are omnivorous animals.