AWC Training LTD
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Learning Resource
Basic Meat - Preparation
Introduction
Meat is the flesh of animals and birds used as food since ancient times. Beef, lamb and mutton are generally
classed as red meats and veal and pork are white meats. The flesh from birds such as chicken, turkey and duck
is classed as poultry.
Meat is the major protein food found in the savoury course of a high percentage of meals. It is also possibly
one of the most expensive items depending on the type and cut of meat. Meat contains 20% protein, 5% fat,
1% minerals and 74% water.
What is meat?
Meat is muscles of animals - bundles of long fibres held together by connective tissue and joined to the bone by
gristle. The thickness of the fibre and the amount of connective tissue depends on the age of the animal and
the type of work the muscle has had to cover.
When carrying out any preparation methods always ensure you use a sharp knife, which is the correct one for
the job and secure your chopping board. Always keep preparation methods clean and separate from high risk
foods, such as cooked meat, to prevent cross contamination. If the meat or poultry needs defrosting, place it on
a plate or tray on the bottom shelf of a fridge. Never re-freeze.
If meat or poultry has come into contact with any blood during preparation, or has been badly boned which may
have caused splinters of bone to remain on the meat, it should be rinsed under cold water. When giblets have
been removed from inside poultry, the inside should be rinsed out.
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fibre
connective tissue
Connective tissue (affects tenderness and quality)
Elastin.
Yellow.
Will not cook, must be
broken down by pounding
or minicing.
Found in the muscles of
older or well exercised
animals.
Marbling is fat deposited between
muscles or bundles of fibres.
Collagen.
White.
Can be cooked.
Decomposes in moist
heat to form gelatine.
Seasoning is very much at the discretion of the individual or workplace. When adding salt to roasts and grills, it
should be added after the meat has browned. Salt extracts the juices within the meat to the surface and slows
down browning. Only use white pepper not black if you want the foods to stay white. Herbs are also used for
seasoning, a few examples are mint or rosemary on lamb, tarragon on chicken, bay leaves on many meat and
poultry dishes and sage on pork.
When skinning poultry breasts and legs, loosen the skin with the fingers and then gently pull the skin away from
the flesh. The skin on the legs may have to be removed by a knife at the knuckle.
Any fat or gristle should be removed. Trimming is extensively used in the preparation of meats for casseroles,
stews and curries etc. It is also used for preparation methods.
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Marinading is used to tenderise as well as give flavour. It needs to be acid based to break down the muscle
fibres, e.g, yoghurt, wine, beer, fruit and spices.
Mincing is the process of cutting or chopping food into very small pieces. This may be done manually with a
knife, a manual or electric meat mincer, a blender or food processor.
Tying is used for joints to keep a good shape during cooking, if the joint has been stuffed and rolled or boned.
Trussing is to thread one or two pieces of trussing
twine through the body of a poultry or game bird with
a trussing needle to hold the legs and wings in place
during cooking and prevents a sprawling leg or wing
overcooking. A well trussed bird sits better in it’s
cooking dish and is easier to baste and turn.
Dicing is used for various cuts of meat and poultry.
Firstly you should trim off any visible fat or gristle, cut
into slices about 25mm thick if a large cut of meat.
Next you need to cut the slices into strips and then the
strips into cubes of about 25mm in size.
Slicing is used when preparing meat for certain dishes
and for portion control e.g. snitzel, steaks, chops and
escalopes.
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Make a loop around one
end of the joint.
2
Thread the string under
the piece you are
holding.
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Continue to the end of
the joint and tie off.
Stuffing and filling poultry adds flavour. Small birds are often boned to make stuffing easier. The stuffing base
is usually a fine textured veal, ham or pork mixture with breadcrumbs. Fill the tail cavity loosely as it must have
room to swell a little during cooking. Large birds may have a second stuffing added at the neck. Cuts of meat
can also be stuffed to produce dishes such as chicken kiev, beef olives, ballontines, and paupiettes.
Coating is used to protect the delicate flesh of meat and poultry and give flavour. Coating meat can also hold
the shape of the food, e.g, chicken goujons.
When buying poultry that has been plucked and drawn (eviscerated), the cavity will need checking. When
checking and preparing the cavity always remove the giblets, which comprise of the heart, liver, gizzard and
neck. Take care not to break the gall bladder (green sack attached to the liver) as the bitter juice will taint the
meat. Rinse out the cavity with clean cold water.
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When preparing or cooking meat always follow the following safety guidelines:
1. Always use a sharp knife.
2. Make sure your chopping board is secure on your work service to prevent it slipping.
3. Always use an oven cloth that is not wet or torn.
4. Do not use dishes, pots or pans that are too small for the item being cooked.
5. Light gas ovens at arms length, keep face well clear.
6. Do not attempt to lift heavy items out of the oven or from the top of the oven/stove without assistance.
7. Clear up spills immediately.
8. Always warn others when placing a hot dish in the sink.
9. Never leave a pan, which contains fat on the heat unattended.
10. Do not leave pan handles protruding over the edge of the oven/stove.
11. If oil or fat gives off a blue haze which shows it may burst into flames, remove the heat from the fat i.e.
turn off the stove. If the fat or oil bursts into flames ‘flash point’ turn off the heat and place a fire blanket
over the fire, this will smoother the flames.
Food Hygiene
1. Always keep raw and cooked meat separate to prevent cross contamination.
2. Always use clean equipment i.e. chopping boards, knives, pots and pans when preparing and cooking
meat.
3. Store cold meat in the fridge at 0 – 5oC and hot meat above 63oC to prevent bacteria growing.
4. Meat not for immediate consumption should be cooled rapidly and placed in the fridge or maintained at
above 63oC.
5. Never reheat meat more than once.
LAMB Quality of Meat
1. Lean flesh - firm, dull red and fine texture.
2. Bones porous with a bluish tinge.
3. Fat evenly distributed, hard, brittle, flaky and clear white.
Some suitable cooking methods for the following cuts of meat.
best end
roasting, grilling and frying
breast
roasting and stewing
shoulder
roasting and stewing
middle neck
stewing
scrag end
stewing and broth
middle neck
saddle
best end
scrag end
legs
saddle
roasting, grilling and frying
breast
legs
roasting
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BEEF Quality of Meat
1. Smell fresh
2. Outer layer of fat - even, smooth, firm and creamy white
3. Meat should be red in colour, with small flecks of white fat (marbling)
silverside
(underneath)
wing ribs
rump
sirloin
middle ribs
fore ribs
chuck ribs
sticking
piece
topside
shin
thick flank
leg of mutton
cut (underneath)
fillet
thin flank
plate
brisket
shank
Some suitable cooking methods for the following cuts of meat.
sirloin
roasting, grilling and frying
wing rib
roasting, grilling and frying
thick flank
braising and stewing
brisket
boiling, braising, pickling and roasting
rump
grilling and frying
fillet
roasting, grilling and frying
thin flank
stewing, boiling and sausages
silverside
boiling, braising and pickling
fore/middle rib roasting and braising
topside
braising, stewing and roasting
plate
stewing sausages
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PORK Quality of Meat
1. Rind/skin should be smooth
2. Flesh should be lean, pale pink, firm and with a little gristle
3. White fat, firm, smooth and not excessive
spare rib
blade bone
loin
head
leg
belly
shoulder
back
gammon
streaky
collar
hock
side of bacon
VEAL Quality of Meat
1. Flesh should be pale pink
2. Firm in structure, not flaky
3. Bones should be pinkish white,
porous and with a degree of
blood in their structure.
4. Fat should be firm and pinkish
white.
5. The kidney should be hard and
covered in fat.
scrag
neck end
best end
loin
leg
shoulder
breast
knuckle
Some suitable cooking methods for the following cuts of meat.
knuckle
loin
leg
best end
shoulder
neck end
scrag
breast
osso buco, sauté and stock
roasting, frying and grilling
roasting, braising and sauté
roasting, frying and grilling
braising and stewing
stewing and sauté
stewing and stock
stewing and roasting
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Learning Resource
POULTRY
Quality of chicken
1. The breast of the bird should be plump
2. The vent-end of the breast bone must be pliable
3. The flesh must be firm
4. The skin should be white, unbroken with no stickiness and with a faint bluish tinge
5. The legs should be smooth, with small scales and small spurs
Quality of turkey
1. White skin free from blemishes
2. Flesh should be firm to touch with no stickiness
3. Breast and thighs should be well fleshed
Quality of duck
1. Plump breasts
2. Lower back bends easily
3. Flesh should be firm to touch with no stickiness
Poultry cuts
Large birds can be cut into four, six or eight pieces depending on their size.
Four pieces
• Leg with thigh attached x 2
• Breast with wing attached x 2
Six pieces
• Legs x 2
• Thigh x 2
• Breast with wing attached x 2
Eight pieces
• Legs x 2
• Thigh x 2
• Breast x 2
• Wing x 2
drumstick
breast
(supreme)
thigh
winglet
carcass
Healthy eating
When preparing and cooking meat in a way that promotes healthy eating you may need to make some changes
to your dishes, such as:
• Cut excess fat off the meat.
• Cook in olive oil or low fat alternatives to butter or lard.
• Use a cooking method, which does not need fat such as steaming or grilling.
• Increase the fibre content of the dish to increase the roughage which helps prevent constipation and keep
the large intestines healthy.
• Reduce the amount of salt, as salt contributes to high blood pressure. Replace salt with food such as ginger,
mustard, black pepper, herbs and garlic etc to give extra flavour to the dish.
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