Tenderness: How to Cook Meat
OHCE Statewide Leader Training
July, 2014
Developed by Barbara Brown, Ph.D., R.D./L.D.,
Food Specialist, OCES
What’s changing
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Animals
• Cuts
• Fat content
• Grain vs grass fed
• Grades available where you shop
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2014
USDA Quality Grades
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A composite evaluation of factors that affect
palatability of meat (tenderness, juiciness,
flavor)
• Factors include carcass maturity, firmness,
texture, color of lean, amount and
distribution of marbling within the lean
• Beef carcass quality grading is based on (1)
degree of marbling and (2) degree of maturity
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2014
Meat composition
•
Bone—If present can be used to identify part of the
animal the meat cut is from
• Muscle tissue—tightens when heated
• Connective tissue—more in highly exercised parts of
bodies (legs), older animals (mutton vs lamb)—more
connective tissue = tougher meat
• Collagen
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Membranes between muscle fibers and gristle at
ends of bones are made of collagen
•
Readily softens with moist heat, converts to gelatin
• Elastin
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Tendons made of elastin
•
Not softened by cooking
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2014
Meat composition
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Fatty tissue
• Most is deposited under skin, around glandular
organs first
• As fat continues to be deposited it will be found
between & within the muscle tissues (marbling)
• Melts when heated
• Water—squeezed out when cooked
• Pigments
• Myoglobin –responsible for red color, more =
darker meat
• Carries O2 & CO2, bright red when exposed to
O2, bluish when not
• When old—brownish-red
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2014
Effects of heat
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Tenderizes
• Cooking to correct endpoint tenderizes collagen
connective tissues
• Overcooking yields tough, rubbery, stringy, dry,
excessive shrinkage of protein with loss of water
from muscle fibers, collagen converted to gelatin
so fibers no longer adhere to each other (strings)
Toughens muscle fiber
• Moisture lost (drip, evaporation)
• Fat lost (melt out, combines with water loss to
impact juiciness)
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2014
Effects of heat on meat
•
Flavor develops
• Pigments change—When
cooked myoglobin turns
greyish-brown
• Destroys pathogens
• For whole cuts of beef
and pork bacteria are
only on the outside, so it
is safe to cook the rare
stage, not true for
ground meats
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2014
Methods of heat transfer
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Conduction: direct
transfer of heat by
contact from one
substance to another
• Convection: transfer
of energy in a fluid
(such as a gas or
liquid)
• Radiation: transfer of
energy through empty
space (infrared waves)
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2014
Cooking method Method of heat transfer
Roast/Bake
Broiling
Boiling, steaming,
frying, simmering,
poaching, stewing
Braising
Microwave
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Radiation, convection
Radiation
Conduction (from fluid)
Conduction (of fluid)
Conduction (from fluid & from
vessel)
Convection (not usually an issue
because the small amount of
liquid exists is usually very dense
a& therefore doesn’t circulate)
Radiation
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2014
Cooking method chosen depends on
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Natural tenderness of
the meat cut (type of
meat, age of animal,
cut, tenderizing
treatments)
Amount and type of
connective tissue
Leanness of the meat
Size and thickness of
the cut of meat
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2014
Wholesale
meat cuts
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2014
Cooking methods
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Dry heat
• No liquid, but can use fat or oil;
use for tender or medium-tender
cuts
• Moist heat
• From highly exercised, less tender
parts of animals and older animals
• Cuts have high content of meat
extractives that provide flavor,
higher in collagen
• Methods combining moist & dry heat
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2014
Dry heat methods
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Roasting
Grilling (broiling)
Fan-grilling
Pan-grilling
Pan-frying (shallow frying)
Sautéing
Stir-frying
Deep-frying
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2014
Moist heat methods
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Braising
Pot-roasting
Stewing or Casseroling
Simmering
Poaching
Pressure Cooking
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2014
Combination methods: dry & moist
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Microwave Cookery
• Gives different results from conventional cooking
methods and it is not always a time saver.
• Generally, meat cooks better, and more evenly, at
lower power settings.
• Size and shape of the meat cut affect evenness of
cooking and the time required.
• Covered Roasting
• Meat is enclosed, either in an oven-bag or covered
roasting pan, trapping some steam, and cooked in the
oven
• Variation is fry pan "roasting", cuts are first browned
in a hot fry pan, heat is reduced, lid put on, and
cooking is completed
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2014
Chemical tenderization
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Proteolytic enzymes (protein-splitting
enzymes)
• Papain (papaya), bromelain (pineapple),
actinidin (kiwifruit)
• Reason why you can’t use these fruits
fresh in gelatin
• Acids in marinades (vinegar, citrus, wine)
• Acids act mainly on the surface, if left
too long the surface becomes mushy
• With no acid ingredient marinades only
add flavor
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2014
Physical tenderization
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Grinding, mincing, chopping
• Pounding
• Cutting or needling
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2014
The “searing myth”
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Meat is cooked at a
high temperature so
a caramelized crust
forms
• Does: develop a
flavorful crust
• Does not: seal in
flavors or juices
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2014
Doneness…why it matters
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Undercooking
• Safety issues
• Underdeveloped flavor
• Raw texture
• Overcooking yields tough,
rubbery, stringy, dry, excessive
shrinkage of protein with loss
of water from muscle fibers,
collagen converted to gelatin
so fibers no longer adhere to
each other (strings)
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Avoid hockey puck quality
2014
Beef steak doneness by color
Best option to
determine
doneness….
A thermometer
Cooking to less well
• For whole cuts
bacteria is on the
outside, not center
so can cook to rare
stage, not true for
ground
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2014
Determining doneness
•
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Only one sure method
• You can’t tell when
meat is safely cooked
by appearance
• Any cooked, uncured
red meats – including
pork – can be pink,
even when meat has
reached a safe
internal temperature
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
2014
Category
Food
Ground Meat & Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb
Meat Mixtures Turkey, Chicken
Fresh Beef, Veal,
Steaks, roasts, chops
Lamb
Chicken & Turkey, whole
Poultry breasts, roasts
Poultry thighs, legs, wings
Poultry
Duck & Goose
Stuffing (cooked alone or in
bird)
Fresh pork
Pork and Ham Fresh ham (raw)
Precooked ham (to reheat)
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Temp (°F) Rest Time
160
165
None
None
145
3 minutes
165
165
165
165
None
None
None
None
165
None
145
145
140
3 minutes
3 minutes
None
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Endpoint temperatures, food safety
and resting time
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During rest time,
internal temperature
remains constant or
continues to rise,
which destroys harmful
microorganisms
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2014
Resting time
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When meat is removed
from heat, it needs to rest
• Allows juices to equalize
throughout the meat,
less lost when cut
• Tent with foil to keep the
meat warm
• Resting time for
particular cuts vary
• Usually between 3 and
20 minutes
2014
Resting and juiciness
Without rest
Rested
Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/how-to-have-juicy-meats-steaks-the-food-lab-the-importance-of-resting-grilling.html
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2014
Putting it tenderly together
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Choose the animal (type of meat)
Choose the cut
Choose the cooking method
• Dry heat
• Give cross-over cuts some help (physical
tenderization, chemical tenderization)
• Moist heat + time
• Combo method
• Know when it’s done
• Food safety first
• Preference second
• Let it rest
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2014
Resources
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USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/home
http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/
http://www.porkbeinspired.com/index.aspx
http://www.eatchicken.com/
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
2014
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Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
2014