How To Choose The Right Cut Of Meat

Whether it’s a simple casserole or an elaborate three-course menu, your meal will only be as good as the ingredients you use to cook it. The quality of ingredients makes the difference between a tasteless meal and an appetizing, flavorful and healthy one. Every cook, no matter how talented, must know how to select best quality ingredients. This article explains how you can choose the best cut of meat for the dish you plan to prepare.

Almost all developed countries today have a government department in charge of inspecting the quality of meat sold on the market. The United States Department of Agriculture, for instance, is responsible for ensuring that the meat you buy is free of germs and chemical contaminants. However, it is still important that the meat be handled properly to avoid bacterial contamination. Safe handling directions are can be found on meat labels.

In addition to following the health safety instructions on meat labels, a good cook must know how to choose the most appropriate cut for a given dish. He or she should know about meat grades, understand which part of the animal each cut of meat comes from and know the ideal method(s) for cooking that particular cut. While the information in this article focuses on beef products, some of the tips below can also be applied to pork, goat and game meat products. There are separate standards for selecting fish, seafood and poultry.

First, check the quality grades; meat inspectors often assign the grade of “prime” to the best quality meat. Prime grade meat has the biggest mixture of lean and fat, or marbling. This ensures that the meat will tenderize as it cooks, making prime cuts best for dry-heat methods such as roasting, grilling or broiling. Some lesser grades of steaks and roasts can also cook well in dry-heat methods. However, meat that is less juicy should be marinated or braised (cooked in a covered pan with a small amount of liquid) to give it flavor and tenderness.

Beef from the chuck part of the cow are better for pot roast as well as braising or marinating. These cuts include chuck steak, boneless short ribs and blade roast. Cuts from the rump, round and blade chuck are good for braising.

For dry-heat cooking (roasting, grilling or broiling), buy meat cuts from the ribs of the cow (rib roast, rib-eye steak or back ribs) or from the loin (porterhouse, T-bone and tenderloin steaks). Top sirloin steak, tri-tip steak and tri-tip roast are also excellent choices for grilling.

Top round steak, eye round roast and bottom round roast are better when marinated before cooking. These cuts make a good pot roast, or can be broiled or grilled if marinated first. Shank meat and brisket also are better as pot roast or marinated before grilling or broiling. These cuts include brisket, skirt steak and flank steak. Brisket is a particular barbecue favorite in Texas, where it’s often braised in a covered pan on slow heat for several hours. The result is remarkably tender beef that is then topped with barbecue sauce and used as an entree or in sandwiches.

Useful tips:

* Look for meat that is red to deep red with white veins of fat. Avoid packaged meats with excessive blood or liquid.

* Never keep raw meat in the refrigerator for longer than four days. If you have bought extra, store uncooked meat in your freezer until you are ready to use it. You can wrap the meat in aluminum foil, put it in special airtight plastic freezer bags or freeze it in any moisture-free container.

* To guard against bacterial contamination, remember to wash your hands with soap before you handle raw meat, and use a sanitizer to clean all kitchen surfaces that have been in contact with raw meat (counter tops, cutting boards, knifes and other utensils etc).

Michelle is an expert article writer whose discipline is writing about basic, yet delectable, house cooking. Her articles often stress the benefits of crock pot meals including crockpot recipes, which is certainly one of her favorites.

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