The one that just came off the outdoor grill? A finger-licking steak starts with a worthwhile piece of meat. Try this tip before you start preparing your next meat dish, because it doesn't just apply to steak!
When purchasing beef, first of all pay attention to its color: high-quality meat is distinguished by a fairly bright red color, with a pinkish tint. The older the animal, the darker it is. Veal is much lighter and brighter. Also, the older the animal, the yellower its fat is, it’s hard not to notice. They even have a dark yellow tint to the fat. If the color of the meat seems too brown, then most likely this piece has been sitting on the counter for a long time. There is also another indicator of the age of the cattle - the toughness of the meat, but unfortunately, the toughness can be judged by already tasting the meat.
How to choose the most delicious piece for each dish specifically, so that this particular dish turns out no worse than in a restaurant? What will make tasty and juicy steak and kebab? And from which part of the carcass can you cook a delicious rich broth? Now we will look at all these issues at gunpoint.
What to cook from the most delicious parts of beef?
- Sirloin
First, let's define what a sirloin is? This includes the tenderloin, on the bone and without the bone, and the lumbar part. This part is always low-fat, very tender and juicy. The sirloin is excellent for preparing steak, medallions, azu, meat rolls and chops, goulash and cutlets. And yet, it is this meat that will make the most delicious kebabs.
- Back
This is the thickest edge in beef, which includes rib loin, entrecotes and ribs. The pulp of the back part makes delicious cutlets and chops. The loin also turns out great baked in large pieces. And beef ribs are great for making rich broths.
- Hip
The thigh is also called rump, rump and small nut. This piece has virtually no fiber, it is very juicy and tender when cooked. Ideal for roasts and rump steaks.
- Tenderloin
This part is located in the posterior lumbar part of the animal’s carcass, specifically above the kidneys, and is considered a very valuable part. This piece of meat is the softest and most tender. It is obtained from a large cut, cutting exactly from the inside. This part of the carcass is always more expensive than other parts. You can cook anything with it, both first and second courses. This is actually why consumers consider it the most delicious part of beef.
- Sternum
It is in this part of the carcass that the film and layers of fat are mixed. The brisket can be deboned and the clean meat used to make meatloaf. Or cut into pieces and simmer. Also, excellent borscht comes out of the brisket.
The neck part is ideal for baking, stewing and boiling main courses. The neck meat is very juicy and fatty, and the dishes accordingly also turn out juicy, but the downside of this part is that it takes more time to cook. The minced meat from the neck is quite fatty.
- Overcut
The part of the neck located closer to the head. A good option for soups and roasts.
- Knuckle, shank
And these parts ideal option in a joint “performance” for preparing jellied meats.
- Blade part
Beef shoulder is considered universal and, one might say, the most useful, as it contains a large amount of collagen, which has a great effect on human hair, joints, bones and nails. The meat of the shoulder part has a small amount of fat and practically no veins. Cutlets, soups and goulash are an excellent option for the shoulder blade. A wonderful dish is beef shoulder baked in the oven.
And so dear consumers, everyone Bon appetit and happy beef shopping!
Beef- large meat cattle. It is one of the main types of meat. Used as table meat and also for industrial processing for sausages, smoked meats, canned food, etc.
Scheme of cutting beef carcass for retail
1 - dorsal part; 2 - back; 3 - chest part; 4 - blade part; 5 - shoulder part; 6 - flank; 7 - cut; 8 - anterior shank; 9 - hind shank
In the USSR, the following breeds of cattle were most common: for meat - Astrakhan, Kazakh white-headed, gray Ukrainian; dairy direction - Kholmogory, Yaroslavl, Tagil, red steppe, brown Latvian, Istobenskaya, red Estonian, red Lithuanian, black-and-white Estonian, black-and-white Lithuanian; combined (milk-meat and meat-dairy) direction - Kostroma, Simmental, Schwyz, Bestuzhevskaya, Alatau, Sychevskaya, Krasnaya Gorbatovskaya, Krasnaya Tambovskaya, Lebedinskaya.
Now in Russia there are two main breeds of livestock - beef and buyers. The first - no one really has any idea what it is, but they usually call it “beef”, and the second - they usually eat whatever is handed to them. There are no guarantees of purchasing a quality product.
Classification
Beef varied according to sex, age, thermal condition and commercial grade.
Beef is distinguished by the sex of the animal: from uncastrated bulls (bugay), from castrated bulls (oxen), from cows.
Bugai meat should be used only for industrial processing. According to the age of the animals, beef is distinguished: from sucklings under 6 weeks of age - veal; from adult animals aged 1 year and older - beef. According to the fatness of the animals, beef is divided into categories - I and II, and according to its thermal state - into cooled, chilled and frozen. Depending on the location of the part (cut) in the carcass, beef was divided into commercial grades - 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The ratio of tissues in a beef carcass depends on the breed, age, sex and fatness of the animal. The ratio of tissues is not the same in various parts carcasses.
The ratio of tissues (in%) in beef carcass of different fatness categories
Chemical composition and nutritional value of beef pulp (in%) in beef carcass of different fatness categories
(on average per carcass according to Tables chemical composition and nutritional value of food products, Medgiz, 1954)
Distinctive features of beef by gender
External signs of differences in beef depending on the sex and age of the animal are the color and consistency of muscle tissue, the development of subcutaneous fat and its color, and the smell of meat. Bug meat dark red in color with a bluish tint, dense and rough, with a specific odor; There is almost no fat in the subcutaneous layer, the internal fat is white. Ox meat red, dense, with a slightly aromatic odor; the subcutaneous fat layer is well developed, the fat is yellowish and dense. Cow meat bright red, dense; subcutaneous fat is developed (often absent in old cows), internal fat is yellowish or yellow in color. Young meat light red, delicate; subcutaneous fat is very poorly developed or absent, internal fat is dense and white.
Indicators of fatness of beef carcasses determined by the degree of muscle development, protrusion of skeletal bones and deposition of subcutaneous fat.
Beef category I (lower limits) - muscles are developed satisfactorily; the spinous processes of the vertebrae, the ischial tuberosities and vertebrae do not protrude sharply; subcutaneous fat covers the carcass from the 8th rib to the ischial tuberosities; significant gaps are allowed; the neck, shoulder blades, front ribs, hips, pelvic cavity and groin area have fat deposits in small areas; on the carcasses of young animals there are deposits of subcutaneous fat at the base of the tail and on the upper part of the inner thighs.
Beef category II (lower limits) - muscles are less well developed, thighs have depressions; the spinous processes of the vertebrae, the ischial tuberosities and vertebrae protrude clearly; subcutaneous fat covers small areas of the carcass in the area of the ischial tuberosities, lower back and last ribs; On the carcasses of young animals, subcutaneous fat deposits may be absent.
Meat that does not meet the requirements of fatness category II is classified as lean.
Classification by thermal state
Cooled meat- after cutting the carcasses, it was subjected to cooling in natural conditions or cooling chambers for at least 6 hours and covered with a drying crust on the surface; the muscles are elastic. Chilled meat— after cutting the carcasses, subjected to cooling to a temperature in the thickness of the muscles near the bones from 0 to 4°; the surface of the meat is not moistened; elastic muscles. Frozen meat- subjected to freezing to a temperature not higher than -6° in the thickness of the muscles near the bones. Frozen meat after defrosting to a temperature in the thickness of the muscles of about 0° is called defrosted, or defrosted, and its performance should correspond to chilled meat.
Cutting beef carcasses and sorting meat. Beef carcasses, sides and quarters retail trade were divided into parts (cuts). Each half carcass was butchered into nine parts, which, depending on the morphological and chemical composition, nutritional value and culinary purpose, are divided into three commercial grades: 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Culinary purposes of carcass parts
Dorsal part(in the vertebral part) is used for frying in large pieces: the pulp in the vertebral area is for entrecote and frying in thin pieces; the rib part is like soup meat.
Rear end: a) fillet - for frying in thin pieces; dorsal muscle - for rump steak, roast beef, beef stroganoff; tenderloin - for steak, azu, langet, shish kebab; the lower part of the fillet - for goulash and soup; b) sirloin (in the upper part) - for frying in large pieces; the pulp of the upper part - for frying in thin pieces; sirloin with bone - for making soup, cabbage soup, borscht; tenderloin head - for steak; the pulp of the lower part of the sirloin - for stewing in pieces and minced meat; c) rump - for cooking roast pieces, stews, stews, goulash, soup; rump pulp - for beef stroganoff, rump steak, zraz; d) rump - for preparing stews, minced cutlets, soup; the thigh part of the rump is for cooking clear soups and broths, and the boiled pulp is for fillings.
Blade part used for soup, cabbage soup; stewed meat in pieces, goulash, and cutlets are prepared from the shoulder pulp; from the pulp of the neck part - minced meat.
Brisket- For fatty soup, borscht, stew.
Pashina- for minced cutlets and fillings, as well as for soup and borscht.
Shoulder part- for making broth, and the boiled pulp - for fillings.
Overcut, front shank and back shank- for preparing broth and jelly.
Average beef yield by variety
Quality requirements
Beef upon arrival trading enterprises in the form of longitudinal half-carcases or quarters should be without internal lumbar muscles (tenderloin). With permission from the Ministry of Industry of Meat and Dairy Products of the USSR, it was allowed to leave the tenderloin in half-carcasses and quarters. The carcasses were to be cut into quarters between the 11th and 12th ribs. Not allowed on meat: presence of residues internal organs, blood clots, fringes, contamination, on frozen meat, in addition, the presence of ice and snow, the area of cleaning surface damage, bruising and bruising of more than 15% of the surface. It was not allowed to be released for sale, but was used for industrial processing for food purposes, lean meat, bull meat, with more than 15% of the surface of the half and quarter carcass stripped, as well as with incorrect division along the spine (leaving whole vertebrae).
Marking
Each half and quarter carcass had to have a stamp (stamp) indicating the name of the enterprise (meat processing plant or slaughterhouse) and the category of fatness, as well as a veterinary control mark. Two fatness category marks were placed on the half-carcass: one on the middle of the femur, the other on the upper part of the shoulder blade (at a distance of 3 cm from the upper edge of the shoulder blade). When released in quarters, fatness category marks are placed in the same places. Fatness categories were designated: category I - number I, category II - number II, skinny - number III.
Beef is a treasure trove useful substances. It is often used in the menu for those who switch to dietary food. However, it is worth understanding that parts of a beef carcass may differ from each other according to many criteria, ranging from softness to taste.
Why do they love beef so much? How to choose a useful product
Beef - useful product, it contains a large amount of B vitamins. Before sale, the carcass can be kept in a suspended state, this only improves taste qualities product in the future. This state of the carcass can last about ten days.
When choosing a part of the carcass, you should pay attention to the freshness of the meat. Proper beef does not have brown or yellow fat, and it also has shades brown tone- spoiled.
It is noteworthy that moderate consumption beef, that is, about two or three times a week, helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels and generally has a beneficial effect on the condition of the cardiac system. This meat is also recommended for those who are actively involved in sports. This is due to the fact that the product restores the body and muscle mass.
Beef varieties: classification
Carcass parts can be divided into several large groups. It is noteworthy that each section of the animal carcass belongs to its own variety. There are three of them in total:
- What parts of the carcass are included in this category? Here you can find breast and back parts, sirloin, rump, as well as sirloin.
- First grade. This list includes: neck, shoulder, and scapular region.
- Second grade. In this group you can find the knuckle, the hind shank and the butt.
You can read more about some parts of the carcass below.
Top grade. Description
The back part, which is included in the list of first-grade meat, is used for chops. It is also used for baking. This, in turn, includes entrecote, rib loin, thick end, and ribs.
The rump is also called the thigh. Goulash is prepared from this meat. In terms of its properties, this part of the carcass is characterized by the absence of fat. The meat is fibrous, but lean. A variety of meatloaves are also prepared from the rump.
Which part of the carcass is the most expensive? Sirloin. This is meat directly from the back, closer to the ribs. From different areas of the fillet you can get filet mignon or tournedo.
Butt is the name of another part of the carcass. It is also quite meaty, but less lean. This piece itself is loose; it is covered with a layer of fat. However, it makes good cutlets, and these pieces are also perfectly fried and stewed quickly.
The brisket is also divided into parts, depending on the location of the piece. Thus, the front part contains a large amount of fat, which is recommended to be removed before cooking. Good for soups. The core of the brisket is considered a great cut. This includes a bone and a small layer of fat. The meat itself is dense in structure and has good taste.
First grade: what is included
The neck is generally considered an inexpensive meat. This is due to the fact that most of it is occupied by the muscle structure. The main methods of preparing this part involve long heat treatment. It makes good meat broths. The neck is often used for cooking or stewing. However, the tendons should be removed.
The meat of the part of the carcass, which is called the shoulder, is quite soft and fibrous. Depending on the location, its structure may change. They are used both for making cutlets and minced meat, as well as for goulash and stewing.
The humeral part is slightly inferior to the scapular part. Despite the fact that this type of meat can also be used to prepare a second course, it is used mainly for preparing clear broths. The meat is quite dietary.
Second grade: description
The drumsticks are often cut into circles, that is, into pieces. In addition to the pulp, such pieces contain part of the bone with brain fluid. Due to this, this part of the carcass is used for jellied meat. Because when cooked and further hardened, the meat forms a jelly base.
The knuckle is quite high in calories. It is known to many thanks to the famous German dish, in which this piece is served fried, seasoned sauerkraut. Because the shank glistens with fat, it is called the “ice leg.” A smoked version of this dish is also often consumed. Essentially, this is the same shank, but from a different part of the leg.
The cut is located near the animal's neck. It is also used in the preparation of jellies or jellied meats, since there is little meat in them.
In the store you can see a huge selection of beef. But it’s not worth buying just anything specifically for soup or, especially, for feeding a child. Choose your meat wisely.
The general principle is simple - take a piece so that there is enough meat and fat. The presence of bone is only important for liquid dishes with beef. For diets, including medicinal ones, cook meat without bones and with the least amount of fat.
If you need to cook beef for soup or just for broth, choose meat with bones or with layers of fat. The bone makes the broth flavorful, and the fat makes the meat softer and juicier. Brisket, bone-in shoulder, and ribs are perfect.
Beef fillet is great for frying and baking, but boiled dishes from it are not rich enough. However, if you want to prepare a dietary dish with meat, fillet is quite suitable, it is only important to choose pieces without fat.
Beef brisket - the name speaks for itself - is divided into three parts. Front (no bones, but a lot of fat), core (there are layers of fat and bone), middle part (lean meat). For soup, the core or front end is best due to its fat content. This brisket makes a delicious, rich, rich broth.
Shoulder (shoulder) - part of the ham, next to the shoulder of the carcass. This part contains a small amount of fat and few tendons. The spatula is ideal for cooking clear broths. They are rich in collagen. Note: collagen has a positive effect on hair, nails and joints.
Beef ribs are distinguished by a high content of fatty tissue, bones and coarse fibers in the meat. Using them for soup or broth is one of the best options, since this part of the beef carcass requires a long cooking time.
The flank, or belly, is also good for broths.
If you want to cook jellied meat, feel free to take a shank (the upper part of the front leg) or even hooves, although they do not contain meat, due to the content of connective tissue, they will make any jellied meat harden without adding gelatin. But in this case, the meat for jellied meat can be taken from the upper parts of the hind legs - moderately fatty, but the rump and rump are very juicy.
Beef shin (shank) is characterized by a high content of tendons, connective tissue and marrow. Thanks to this feature, such meat is best used in preparing jellied meat and jellies.
There is a lot of cartilage tissue in the shank and knuckle, and natural gelatin is formed; The jellied meat freezes very well.
If you need meat for a salad, choose fresh brisket. You can marinate the beef first to make the meat juicier and tastier. Choose the marinade to suit your taste - from the universal onion with vinegar to exotic pomegranate juice.
If you have Small child and we need to boil beef for him, beef tenderloin is recommended. The meat is taken from the lumbar part of the carcass, therefore it is quite soft and juicy (lack of connective tissue). It has significant nutritional value, and cooking does not take much time.
Stores often sell semi-finished products - they, as a rule, are already cut and are suitable only for certain dishes. They should be used based on the name - azu and goulash require a long stew, beef stroganoff is only suitable for frying, the soup set contains only bones, fat and a minimum of meat. Semi-finished meat products are often made in violation of the standards of the dishes for which they are named, using dyes, so people who are keen on quality cooking prefer whole pieces of beef to semi-finished products so they can cut and cut them themselves.
In order to cook meat correctly, that is, so that it does not turn out tough and dry, as is most often the case, you must first of all be able to choose it correctly, and know at least in general terms which parts of beef are suitable for what.
So, what should you pay attention to when buying meat...
Beef parts
Any beef should be juicy red in color, have a pleasant smell of fresh meat, as well as a delicately fibrous marbled structure.
When pressing and cutting, the meat should be quite elastic and in the cut areas it should be shiny and easy to press with your finger, and the place of pressure should even out on its own after some time.
It is better to buy meat from young animals - heifers and bulls no older than two years. Meat from older animals will not be as tender.
It is very important to know which part of the beef is used to prepare what, then there will be less disappointment...
The most delicious parts of a beef carcass are the roast beef and fillet. However, you shouldn’t give up other parts, you just need to know how to cook them correctly. Meat with a small part of connective tissue, as a rule, is not used for boiling and stewing.
1. Butt (thigh, small nut)
This meat is tender, juicy and low in fiber, perfect for making rump steaks or roasts.
2. Ball (nut, mouse, back of the head)
Lean, fiber-free meat is perfect for stewing, rolls, and also for scraped minced meat.
Meat with a lot of fiber is not suitable for baking in the oven and quick frying. It is better to boil or stew these pieces of meat.
3. Burgermeister, or pastoral, piece
This part of the carcass is located above the ball, it is suitable for marinated stews, goulash and stews.
4. Tail
This cut of meat consists of the rump, fricando, compact midsection and tail. 4a. Tail
The tail of dairy calves is cut into chops that are great for roasts, marinated or grilled meats.
4b. Rump
This tender meat can be cut into chops. In addition, these pieces are used for cooking or stewing. Traditionally, broths are made from it.
5. Ankle
This is relatively soft meat, riddled with delicate fatty veins; it makes excellent minced meat, baked meat and rolls.
6. Posterior ankle (calf, bull leg)
Rump meat is great for soups, as well as corresponding broths.
7. Bulltail
This meat is juicy and gelling. Thick pieces of oxtail are used for stews, thinner ones for soups.
8. Flat roast beef
This part of the roast beef is perfect for rump steaks, chops - quickly cooked with the bone (4-6 cm thick, weighing 600-1000 g).
8a. Fillet
You can bake in the oven or fry whole or in portions. Chops are cut from the head, and meat for chateaubriand from the middle part.
8b. Upper ribs
Cutlets, rib meat, double entrecotes and grilled roasts are prepared from this part of the roast beef.
9. Upper ribs from under the shoulder blade
Meat from the top of the ribs is perfect for boiling, baking under the grill or in the oven.
10. False rib (thick rib, piece of tongue, rib from under the shoulder blade)
Juicy meat used for quick stir-frying, making goulash or stew.
11. Cervix (back of the head)
This piece of meat is used for stewing - goulash, stew and frying. The neck is perfect for thick soups.
12. Thick spatula
Excellent meat to be marinated and then braised, and also used for rolls and boiling.
12a. Spatula
Perfect for preparing roast, oven-baked or boiled meat soaked in vinegar. Before this, the fat must be trimmed from the piece.
12b. False fillet (shoulder rump)
The shape resembles fillet, but the meat has coarser fibers. Perfect for eintopfs, kebabs and stews. But you can't make goulash from it, the meat will be tough and dry no matter what you do.
13. Anterior ankle
Excellent soup meat. Typically, the front ankle is cut into pieces. Together with marrow bones it is perfect for cooking.
14. Breast rump
Together with the breast bone, the breast rump is offered in one piece. The meat is perfect for boiling.
15. Center brisket
Beef brisket can be sold fresh or stuffed. Both briskets are excellent meat for boiling.
16. Medium brisket
It has fewer bones and is leaner than other cuts of brisket. Medium brisket is used as soup meat.
17. Edge (transverse ribs, ladder)
This is essentially rib cage an animal that makes excellent soup meat. The ribs are easily separated from the boiled meat.
18. Side (thin edge)
With or without bones, in roller form, this meat is perfect for boiling or for goulash.
source http://komy.org/chasti-govyadiny/
