Unit 222 Prepare meat for basic dishes
Meat quality Points
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Bright red in colour
Have a fresh smell
There should be sufficient fat covering the meat and should be in proportion to
the meat and pale in colour
The meat should be the correct cut for the dish being prepared
Cuts of Beef
Hind leg (1) and Shin (foreleg) (14) or hough -sliced (for stews, casseroles, etc.) or
minced.
Topside (2) and, underneath, silverside, or round and rump. Prepared as joints or
steaks. Silverside is sometimes salted.
Thick flank (3) or top rump or fleshy end -prepared 1as joints or cut into steaks.
Rump (4) cut into steaks.
Sirloin (5) -prepared as joints, with or without bone, with or without fillet. Also sliced
into steaks.
Wing rib- rib end of the sirloin, prepared as joint with or without bones.
Fillet (attached to the internal surface of the carcass along the bones of the sirloin and
rump) -trimmed whole, or cut into steaks.
Flank or thin flank (6) -boned and rolled as pot roast, lean meat used for mince,
burgers, sausages, etc.
Forerib (7) or rib roast -the traditional cut of 'Roast beef of old England'. Sold on the
bone, part-boned or boned and rolled. Also cut into steaks.
Thin ribs (8) and thick ribs (10) or thick and thin runner- usually boned and rolled, or
sliced. Lean meat from the thin rib may be used for stewing beef, mince, etc.
Chuck and blade (9) or shoulder -divided into a number of different cuts and joints,
including chuck steak.
Brisket (11) or flank -supplied on or off the bone, rolled, for braising, boiling or potroasting.
Neck (12) or sticking and clod (13) or gullet -usually sliced or diced for stewing.
Cuts of Lamb
Leg (1) or gigot -prepared as whole leg, bone-in or partly boned, or part-leg {e.g. shank
end or fillet end) when it may be boned, or sliced as steaks or leg chops.
Chump (2) -prepared as boneless rolled joint, or as chump chops {bone-in or
boneless).
Leg and chump provide a good-sized roasting joint, when boned and rolled.
Loin (3) -prepared as a joint {bone-in) or as chops. Traditional loin chops have a small
T -shaped bone. Double loin chops are cut from an unsplit carcass. Also available are
boneless loin steaks, heart shaped valentine steaks and noisettes.
Saddle is the unsplit carcass after removing the forequarters by a cut between the 12th
and 13th rib, and also the legs. Usually supplied oven prepared, either bone in or
boned and rolled.
Best end (4) or singleloin-prepared as a bone-in joint or as cutlets. Lamb carcasses
may have 13 or 14 pairs of ribs, and this will affect the number of ribs in the joint.
What butchers sell as loin chops or lamb chops may come from either the loin or best
end neck.
Rack is prepared from the best end, chilled and trimmed, suitable as a joint or cutlets.
Crown of lamb -two best ends tied together to form a circle, with the eye of the meat
on the outside.
Breast (5) or flank -bone- in or boneless joint, or sliced. More fat than most lamb cuts,
so should be cooked on a rack. Riblets are short ribs for grilling or roasting.
Shoulder/middle neck (6)
Shoulder- economic joint for roasting or braising, cubed for stewing, cut into shoulder
steaks, or minced.
Middle neck -cut from between the best end and scrag: used on the bone for
casseroles.
Neck fillet -boneless, lean and tender, grill, barbecue or stir-fry.
Scrag (7) or neck -for stewing.
Cuts of Pork
Leg (1) -bone-in, partly boned or boneless joint. Also prepared as escalopes or steaks,
or cubed for kebabs and stir fry.
Chump (2) -bone-in or boneless joint, chump chops or steaks.
Loin (3) -prepared as joint, usually on the bone, as chops, with or without ribs, or with
kidney, depending on what part they come from.
Fillet (tenderloin) -prepared from the loin, a prime piece of meat with little or no fat.
Loin and belly -roasting joint prepared from the whole loin and belly.
Belly (4) -bone-in or boneless joint, or sliced. Ribs removed from the belly and other
joints are often used as barbecue spare ribs.
Shoulder (5) or hand -bone-in, partly boned, or boned and rolled whole, or sliced into
steaks.
To check that meat meets the dish requirements the weight, cut and quality must be
checked.
It is important to select the correct weight to ensure the correct amount of portions
are achieved.
The cut of meat must be suitable for the dish and recipe requirements to guarantee
the desired result, e.g. Sirloin and braising steak cannot be interchanged as they
require different treatments.
Before selecting meat it is crucial that you know the quality points to look for;
Beef
 Flesh bright cherry red
 Gristle should be minimal, pearly and smooth to touch
 Cut surfaces- moist velvety, firm texture
 Fat creamy white in colour brittle and odourless
 Bones-pink and porous- they will become white and brittle with age
 Marbling- should be evident.
lamb
 Compact carcass, evenly fleshed heavy in relation to size.
 Legs and shoulders plump and full
 The back broad and well developed
 Flesh dull red firm to touch, close grain
 Even white fat not in abundance flaky, saddle and best end covered with thin
layer of unbroken fat
 Small pinkish bones, porous showing hints of blood when cut. Bones of older
animals are whiter and will become brittle and splinter when cut
 Lamb is under a year old after that its mutton
bacon
 Clean fresh smell
 Light red meat can have a greeny tinge
 Small amount of creamy at
 Rind not too thick , not sticky or clammy
 Bones small and fine
Pork
 Lean flesh should be a nice pale pink colour
 Pork fat should be firm white and smooth
 Pork has fine bones which are small
 Surface skin should be smooth without hair
Preparation methods
When preparing/butchering meat it is vital to have the correct equipment to make
sure the job is done efficiently and safely. Not using the correct equipment and
rushing can result in waste, accidents and the spread of bacteria (cross
contamination)
When portioning, trimming, slicing and dicing meat the correct tools are a sharp knife
paring knife, boning knife, cooks knife (knives intended for use with raw meat often
have red handles), red board, bowl for debris, trays to put prepared meat on these
should be plastic.
A scale may be needed to check the weight of portions and a mincer if the meat is to
be minced.
Meat is prepared in various ways to suit the cut and recipe requirement. Sinew and
excess fat is often removed to make the dish more palatable. When mincing meat fat
is often left on for flavour and bulk the meat is boned trimmed (sinew is removed)
and diced then put through the mincer.
Meat should be stored on trays in a meat fridge or lower shelf between 0˚c and
5˚covered and dated. Meat can be stored in a freezer -18˚c and below it must be
properly wrapped and labelled and it should be used within 2-3 months.
Healthy eating options
Choose the leaner cuts
Remove visible fats
Do not over season (minimum salt)
Avoid dairy products as they are high in fat
Choose a healthy cooking medium, grill steam bake stir fry.