Unit 229 Cook and finish basic meat dishes
Meat quality Points




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
Beef Cuts and uses
Key English
French
Weight Uses
1
Shin
Gite/Jambe
7kg 14lb
2
Topside
Tend de
Tranche
10kg - Braising,
20lb Stewing, 2nd
Class Roast
3
Silverside Tranch
Grasse
(Ronde)
14kg - Pickled in
28lb Brine,
Boiled,
Braising
4
Thick
Flank
Gite a la
Noix
12kg - Braising,
24lb Stewing
5
Rump
Culotte
10kg - Grilling,
20lb Frying,
Braised in
piece
6
Sirloin of Flanchet
the bone (Bavette)
9kg 18lb
Roasting,
Grilling,
Fried
(Steaks)
7
Wing
Ribs
Aloyau
5kg 10lb
Roasting,
Grilling,
Fried
(Steaks)
8
Thin
Flank
Cotes
d'aloyau
10kg - Stewing,
20lb Boiling,
Sausages
9
Fillet
Filet
3kg 6lb
9a Fat &
Kidney
10kg 20lb
Consommé,
Stewing
Roasting,
Frying,
Grilling,
Sauté
Pork cuts and uses
Key English French
Weight Uses
1
Leg
Le
Cuissot
5kg 10lb
Consommé,
Stewing
2
Loin
La
Longe
6kg 12lb
Braising,
Stewing, 2nd
Class Roast
3
Spare
Rib
La
Basse
Côte
4
Belly
La
Poitrine
5
1.5kg - Pickled in
3lb
Brine,
Boiled,
Braising
2kg 4lb
Braising,
Stewing
Shoulder L'Epaule
3kg 6lb
Grilling,
Frying,
Braised in
piece
6
Head
La Tête
4kg 8lb
Roasting,
Grilling,
Fried
(Steaks)
7
Trotter
Le Pied
1.8kg - Roasting,
4lb
Grilling,
Fried
(Steaks)
Lamb cuts and use
Key English French
Weight
Uses
Lamb Mutton
1
Shoulder Epaule 3kg 6lb
3kg - Roasting,
6lb Stewing
2
Leg
Gigot
3
Breast
Poitrine 14kg 3kg - Roasting,
- 28lb 6lb Stewing
4
Middle
Neck
Cou
12kg 3kg - Stewing
- 24lb 6lb
5
Scrag
End
Cou
10kg 3kg - Stewing,
- 20lb 6lb Broth
6
Best
End
Carré
9kg 18lb
3kg - Roasting,
6lb Frying,
Grilling
7
Saddle
Selle
5kg 10lb
3kg - Roasting,
6lb Frying,
Grilling
10kg 3kg - Roasting
- 20lb 6lb (Mutton:
Boiled)
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Meat is mostly the muscle tissue of an animal.
Most animal muscle is roughly 75% water, 20% protein, and 5% fat, carbohydrates, and
assorted proteins.
Connective tissue
Muscle fibers are bound together in a network of proteins called connective tissues. Also,
each muscle fiber is covered in a sheath of connective tissue.
It is very important for the chef to understand connective tissue for one basic reason:
connective tissue is tough.
Meats are highest in connective tissue if:
a. They come from muscles that are more exercised. Muscles in the legs, for example, have
more connective tissue than muscles in the back.
b. They come from older animals. Veal is tenderer than meat from a young steer, which in
turn is tenderer than meat from an old bull or COW. (Young animals have connective tissue,
too, but it becomes harder to break down as the animal ages.)
Meats high in connective tissue can be made tenderer by using proper cooking techniques.
There are two kinds of connective tissue: collagen, which is white in color, and elastin, which
is yellow.
Collagen
Moist heat turns collagen into gelatin and water. Moist heat at low temperatures for a longer
time is most effective in creating a tender, juicy finished product.
Elastin
Older animals have a higher proportion of elastin than younger animals.
Elastin is not broken down in cooking.
Tenderizing can only be accomplished by removing the elastin (cutting away any tendons)
and by mechanically breaking up the fibers.
The two main methods of cooking meat
Moist heat, and Dry heat.
It is important to select the proper cooking method for the cut of meat. Less tender cuts of
meat require moist heat cooking methods to help break down the tough connective tissues.
Moist heat cooking means moisture is added to the meat and the meat is cooked slowly over
a long time; it includes: Braising, and cooking in liquid, such as stews or other slow cooker
recipes.
Tender cuts of meat do not require moisture and long, slow cooking. They are usually
cooked with a dry heat method, including:
Roasting, Pan-frying, and Grilling.
The method chosen to cook a certain cut of meat should relate directly to the inherent
tenderness of that cut.
Tenderness is determined by:
Where on the animal the meat comes from,
The degree of marbling,
The age of the animal,
How the meat was stored, and
How the meat was prepared for market.
In general, cuts from the loin section are the more tender the farther away from this section
the less tender the meat will be.
To ensure consistently good results it is wise to follow recipes, always taste dishes before
serving.
If dishes are bland
 Season
 Add herbs and spices
 Reduce the sauce
Healthy eating options include
 Choose leaner cuts
 Remove fat
 Minimum seasoning
 Healthy cooking methods e.g. grilling, baking and dry roasting
 Healthy garnishes