Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume III Part 7

TIME REQUIRED FOR COOKING MEAT

31. The length of time required for cooking various kinds of meat is usually puzzling to those inexperienced in cookery. The difference between a dry, hard beef roast and a tender, moist, juicy one is due to the length of time allowed for cooking. Overdone meats of any kind are not likely to be tasty. Therefore, it should be remembered that when dry heat is used, as in baking, roasting, broiling, etc., the longer the heat is applied the greater will be the evaporation of moisture and the consequent shrinkage in the meat.

A general rule for cooking meat in the oven is to allow 15 minutes for each pound and 15 minutes extra. If it is to be cooked by broiling, allow 10 minutes for each pound and 10 minutes extra; by boiling, 20 minutes for each pound and 20 minutes extra; and by simmering, 30 minutes for each pound. In Table I is given the number of minutes generally allowed for cooking 1 pound of each of the various cuts of beef, veal, mutton, lamb, and pork by the different cookery methods.

This table should be referred to in studying the two Sections pertaining to meat.

TABLE I

TIME TABLE FOR COOKING MEATS

NAME OF CUT COOKERY METHOD TIME PER POUND MINUTES BEEF Round Roasting 12 to 15 Ribs Roasting, well done 12 to 15 Ribs Roasting, rare 8 to 10 Rump Roasting 12 to 15 Sirloin Roasting, rare 8 to 10 Rolled roast Roasting 12 to 15 Steaks Broiling, well done 12 to 15 Steaks Broiling, rare 8 to 10 Fresh beef Boiling 20 to 25 Corned beef Boiling 25 to 30 Any cut Simmering 30 Chuck Braizing 25 to 30

VEAL Leg Roasting 20 Chops or steak Broiling 8 to 30 Shoulder Braizing 30 to 40

MUTTON Leg Roasting 15 to 20 Shoulder Roasting 15 to 20 Leg Braizing 40 to 50 Leg Boiling 15 to 25 Chops Broiling 10 to 12

LAMB Loin or saddle Roasting 15 to 20 Leg Roasting 15 to 20 Chops Broiling 8 to 10

PORK Shoulder or ribs Roasting 20 to 25 Ham Boiled 20 to 30 Chops Broiled 8 to 10

BEEF

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BEEF

32. As is generally known, BEEF is the flesh of a slaughtered steer, cow, or other adult bovine animal. These animals may be sold to be slaughtered as young as 1-1/2 to 2 years old, but beef of the best quality is obtained from them when they are from 3 to 4 years of age.

Ranging from the highest quality down to the lowest, beef is designated by the butcher as prime, extra fancy, fancy, extra choice, choice, good, and poor. In a market where trade is large and varied, it is possible to make such use of meat as to get a higher price for the better qualities than can be obtained in other markets.

33. When the quality of beef is to be determined, the amount, quality, and color of the flesh, bone, and fat must be considered. The surface of a freshly cut piece of beef should be bright red in color. When it is exposed to the air for some time, the action of the air on the blood causes it to become darker, but even this color should be a good clear red. Any unusual color is looked on with suspicion by a person who understands the requirements of good meat. To obtain beef of the best quality, it should be cut crosswise of the fiber. In fact, the way in which meat is cut determines to a great extent the difference between tender and tough meat and, consequently, the price that is charged. This difference can be readily seen by examining the surface of a cut. It will be noted that the tender parts are made up of short fibers that are cut directly across at right angles with the surface of the meat, while the tougher parts contain long fibers that run either slanting or almost parallel to the surface.

34. The amount of bone and cartilage in proportion to meat in a cut of beef usually makes a difference in price and determines the usefulness of the piece to the housewife. Therefore, these are matters that should be carefully considered. For instance, a certain cut of beef that is suitable for a roast may cost a few cents less than another cut, but if its proportion of bone to meat is greater than in the more expensive piece, nothing is gained by purchasing it. Bones, however, possess some value and can be utilized in various ways. Those containing _marrow_, which is the soft tissue found in the cavities of bones and composed largely of fat, are more valuable for soup making and for stews and gravies than are solid bones.

In young beef in good condition, the fat is creamy white in color.

However, as the animal grows older, the color grows darker until it becomes a deep yellow.

Besides the flesh, bone, and fat, the general shape and thickness of a piece of beef should be noted when its quality is to be determined. In addition, its adaptability to the purpose for which it is selected and the method of cookery to be used in its preparation are also points that should not be overlooked.

CUTS OF BEEF

METHOD OF OBTAINING CUTS

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 3]

35. With the general characteristics of beef well in mind, the housewife is prepared to learn of the way in which the animal is cut to produce the different pieces that she sees in the butcher shop and the names that are given to the various cuts. The cutting of the animal, as well as the naming of the pieces, varies in different localities, but the difference is not sufficient to be confusing. Therefore, if the information here given is thoroughly mastered, the housewife will be able to select meat intelligently in whatever section of the country she may reside. An important point for her to remember concerning meat of any kind is that the cheaper cuts are found near the neck, legs, and s.h.i.+ns, and that the pieces increase in price as they go toward the back.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 4 *divisions of a cow into cuts*]

36. The general method of cutting up a whole beef into large cuts is shown in Fig. 3. After the head, feet, and intestines are removed, the carca.s.s is cut down along the spine and divided into halves. Each half includes an entire side and is known as a _side of beef_. Then each side is divided into _fore_ and _hind quarters_ along the diagonal line that occurs about midway between the front and the back. It is in this form that the butcher usually receives the beef. He first separates it into the large pieces here indicated and then cuts these pieces into numerous smaller ones having names that indicate their location. For instance, the piece marked _a_ includes the _chuck_; _b_, the _ribs_; _c_, the _loin_; _d_, the _round_; _e_, the _flank_; _f_, the _plate_; and _g_, the _s.h.i.+n_.

37. The cuts that are obtained from these larger pieces are shown in Fig. 4. For instance, from the chuck, as ill.u.s.trated in (_a_), are secured numerous cuts, including the neck, shoulder clod, shoulder, and chuck ribs. The same is true of the other pieces, as a careful study of these ill.u.s.trations will reveal. Besides indicating the various cuts, each one of these ill.u.s.trations serves an additional purpose. From (_a_), which shows the skeleton of the beef, the amount and the shape of the bone that the various cuts contain can be readily observed. From (_b_), which shows the directions in which the surface muscle fibers run, can be told whether the cutting of the pieces is done across the fibers or in the same direction as the fibers. Both of these matters are of such importance to the housewife that constant reference to these ill.u.s.trations should be made until the points that they serve to indicate are thoroughly understood.

NAMES AND USES OF CUTS

38. So that a still better idea may be formed of the pieces into which a side of beef may be cut, reference should be made to Fig. 5. The heavy line through the center shows where the side is divided in order to cut it into the fore and hind quarters. As will be observed, the fore quarter includes the chuck, prime ribs, and whole plate, and the hind quarter, the loin and the round, each of these large pieces being indicated by a different color.

To make these large pieces of a size suitable for sale to the consumer, the butcher cuts each one of them into still smaller pieces, all of which are indicated in the ill.u.s.tration. The names of these cuts, together with their respective uses, and the names of the beef organs and their uses, are given in Table II.

TABLE II

CUTS OBTAINED FROM A SIDE OF BEEF AND THEIR USES

NAME OF NAME OF CUT USES OF CUTS LARGE PIECE

Chuck........Neck Soups, broths, stews Shoulder clod Soups, broths, stews, boiling, corning Ribs (11th, 12th, Brown stews, braizing, and 13th) poor roasts Ribs (9th and 10th) Braizing, roasts Shoulder Soups, stews, corning, roast Cross-ribs Roast Brisket Soups, stews, corning s.h.i.+n Soups

Prime Ribs...Ribs (1st to 8th, Roasts inclusive)

Whole Plate..Plate Soups, stews, corning Navel Soups, stews, corning

Loin.........Short steak Steaks, roasts Porterhouse cuts Steaks, roasts Hip-bone steak Steaks, roasts Flat-bone steak Steaks, roasts Round-bone steak Steaks, roasts Sirloin Steaks Top sirloin Roasts Flank Rolled steak, braizing, boiling Tenderloin Roast

Round........Rump Roasts, corning Upper round Steaks, roasts Lower round Steaks, pot roasts, stews Vein Stews, soups Shank Soups

Beef Organs..Liver Broiling, frying Heart Baking, braizing Tongue Boiling, baking, braizing Tail Soup

39. As will be observed from Fig. 5, the ribs are numbered in the opposite direction from the way in which they are ordinarily counted; that is, the first rib in a cut of beef is the one farthest from the head and the thirteenth is the one just back of the neck. The first and second ribs are called the _back ribs_; the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, the _middle ribs_. To prepare the ribs for sale, they are usually cut into pieces that contain two ribs, the first and second ribs being known as the first cut, the third and fourth as _the second_ cut, etc.

After being sawed across, the rib bones are either left in to make a _standing rib roast_ or taken out and the meat then rolled and fastened together with skewers to make a _rolled roast_. _Skewers,_ which are long wooden or metal pins that may be pushed through meat to fasten it together, will be found useful to the housewife in preparing many cuts of meat for cooking. They may usually be obtained at a meat market or a hardware store.

40. Certain of the organs of beef are utilized to a considerable extent, so that while they cannot be shown in Fig. 5, they are included in Table II. The heart and the tongue are valuable both because they are economical and because they add variety to the meat diet of the family.

The tongue, either smoked or fresh, may be boiled and then served hot, or it may be pickled in vinegar and served cold. The heart may be prepared in the same way, or it may be stuffed and then baked. The tail of beef makes excellent soup and is much used for this purpose.

COOKING OF BEEF

STEAKS AND THEIR PREPARATION

41. Steaks Obtained From the Loin.--The way in which a loin of beef is cut into steaks is shown in Fig. 6. From _a_ to _b_ are cut _Delmonico steaks;_ from _b_ to _c_, _porterhouse steaks;_ from _c_ to _d_, _hip-bone steaks;_ from _d_ to _e_, _flat-bone steaks;_ and from _e_ to _f_, _sirloin steaks_. The _loin_ is cut from the rump at _f_ and from the flank and plate at _h_ to _j_. When steaks are cut from the flesh of animals in good condition, they are all very tender and may be used for the quick methods of cookery, such as broiling. A very good idea of what each of these steaks looks like can be obtained from Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive. Each of these ill.u.s.trations shows the entire section of steak, as well as one steak cut from the piece.

DELMONICO STEAK, which is shown in Fig. 7, is the smallest steak that can be cut from the loin and is therefore an excellent cut for a small family. It contains little or no tenderloin. Sometimes this steak is wrongly called a club steak, but no confusion will result if it is remembered that a _club steak_ is a porterhouse steak that has most of the bone and the flank end, or "tail," removed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 7]

Porterhouse steak, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig 8, contains more tenderloin than any other steak. This steak also being small in size is a very good cut for a small number of persons.