MEATS
OBJECTIVES
Identify the differences between beef, pork, and lamb cuts;
 Diagram and identify the wholesale cuts of beef, pork, and lamb;
 List retail meat cuts and identify the wholesale cut that it came
from;
 Explain the yield and quality grades of meat;
 Describe the influence grade has on preparation procedures and
retail price;
 List signs and causes of meat spoilage; and
 Judge a class of meat cuts.

A. IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BEEF,
PORK, AND LAMB CUTS
•Beef: Cherry Red
color, white fat, larger
size
•Pork: Pale pink color
and white fat
•Lamb: Darker red
color, white fat, small
size
B. DIAGRAM AND IDENTIFY THE WHOLESALE CUTS OF
BEEF, PORK, AND LAMB
BEEF
Chuck
Rib
Loin
Round
Brisket
Shank
Plate
Pork
Loin
Side
Jowl
Ham
Lamb
Rib Loin
Breast
Leg
C. LIST RETAIL MEAT CUTS AND IDENTIFY THE
WHOLESALE CUT THAT IT CAME FROM
Eye Steak
T Bone Steak
7 Bone Steak/Roast
Brisket
Round
Steak/Roast
Cross Cuts
Short Ribs
Flank Steak
Loin Chop
Boston Blade
Loin
Side
Jowel
Jowel
Bacon
Ham
Ham
Rib Chop
Loin Chop
Arm Chop
Rib Loin
Breast
Breast
Leg
American
Style Roast
MEAT CUTS
 Draw
THREE diagrams to represent
the major meat cuts from
Beef
 Swine
 Lamb

D. EXPLAIN THE YIELD AND QUALITY
GRADES OF MEAT
 Quality
Grade: based on two factors:
1- Maturity of the carcass
- determined by observing bone and cartilage.
2- Amount of Marbling
“Marbling”- intramuscular fat or flecks of fat in
the lean muscle that gives it taste
HOW AGE IS DETERMINED
Young carcasses have cartilage “buttons”
 Old carcasses have bones that are completely
ossified

MARBLING GRADES
PRIME
CHOICE
SELECT
MARBLING GRADES:
PRIME
Moderately Abundant
Slightly Abundant
MARBLING GRADES:
CHOICE
Modest
Small
MARBLING GRADES:
SELECT
Slight
SEVEN QUALITY GRADES:
Prime
Commercial
Choice
Select
Utility
Standard
1-Prime
2-Choice
3-Select
4-Standard
5-Commercial
6-Utility
WHAT DOES A QUALITY GRADE
? a
OddsMEAN
of having
poor steak
Quality Grade
Prime
Upper 2/3 of Choice
Lower 1/3 of Choice
Select
Standard
1 in 26
1 in 19
1 in 7
1 in 5
1 in 2
YIELD GRADE
 measure
of the boneless, closely trimmed retail cut
 also known as “cutability”
 a scale of 1 to 5 is used to judge Yield
- 1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest
E. DESCRIBE THE INFLUENCE GRADE HAS
ON PREPARATION PROCEDURES AND
RETAIL PRICE
VS
Retail Price: Consumers are willing to
pay a higher price for higher quality meat.
Cooking Procedures

Meat with little marbling
is tougher and therefore
needs to be cooked at a
lower temp over a long
period of time.

Meat with more marbling
is more tender and can be
cooked at a higher
temperature
F. LIST SIGNS AND CAUSES OF MEAT
SPOILAGE
Meat is considered “spoiled” when it is
unfit for human consumption.
The major causes of spoiling are:
Microorganisms
Bacteria
Yeast
Mold
SIGNS OF MEAT SPOILAGE
Odor
Slime
Mold
Growth
Discoloration
WHAT IS BEING DONE TO PREVENT MEAT
SPOILAGE?
Have there been large scale spoilage outbreaks?
 In the fast food or restaurant industry?

Find and document an article that discusses
Meat Spoilage
 Type a ONE PAGE summary of the article
 Include the TITLE, DATE PUBLISHED, &
AUTHOR!

HOW TO JUDGE MEAT CUTS
Observe and Rank According to:
 Highest amount of lean meat
 Least amount of exterior fat
vs

Highest content of intramuscular fat or
“Marbling”
vs
G. JUDGE A CLASS OF MEAT CUTS
I PLACE THIS CLASS:
4______ - ______
3 \
1
2
______ - _____
Reasons:
1st Place
I place #4 at the top of the class because: It has the most
meat and marbling, with the least amount of fat

2nd Place
#3 places 2nd because: It has a good amount of meat, but
slightly less marbling and more fat than #4.

3rd Place
#1 places 3rd because: It has less meat and much less
marbling than #3 and #4.

4th Place
#2 places last because: It has the least amount of meat
and the most fat.

Official Cuts: 3 - 6 - 3
PLACE A CLASS OF PORK CHOPS
Official Placing 4 – 1 – 3 – 2
Official Cuts 4 – 6 – 3
FFA APPLICATION:
MEAT EVALUATION AND TECHNOLOGY
•Meat Cut ID
•Written Test
•Quality and Yield Grading
•Carcass placing
•Team Activity