Processed Meats

About one-third of all meat is processed, meaning it has been changed from its original fresh cut. Ham and sausage are the most popular processed meat products. Other examples of processed meats include salami, bologna, bratwurst, and pastrami. Read more »

Different Cuts of Meat

There are two major types of meat cuts, wholesale and retail. Prior to reaching the supermarket, a carcass is divided into about seven wholesale or primal cuts. Although the carcasses of each species are sectioned slightly differently, the basic wholesale cuts are similar to each other and are identified by the major muscles and by bone “landmarks”. Read more »

External treatments can be applied to meats to increase their tenderness. These include the use of enzymes, salts, acids, and mechanical methods such as grinding or pounding.

Enzymes. One of the reasons that contracted muscles begin to “relax” toward the end of rigor mortis is that proteolytic enzymes work internally to break down the proteins within the muscle fibrils. A more even distribution of enzymes may be achieved by injecting a tendering solution of papain, or some other proteolytic enzyme, into the bloodstream of animals ten minutes before slaughter. Read more »

Aging meats improves their juiciness, tenderness, flavor, color, and their ability to brown during heating. This treatment pertains primarily to beef. Hanging aids in the aging process by stretching the muscles. The animal’s species, size, age, and activity before slaughter influence how long rigor mortis lasts. Beef takes about ten days to age, which is about the same amount of time it takes for meat to be transported, packaged, and sold to the consumer. Top quality beef is often aged longer, up to six weeks. Mutton is sometimes aged, but pork and veal come from such young animals that aging is not required to increase tenderness. The fat in pork tends to go rancid quickly, and veal’s lack of protective fat covering causes it to dry out too quickly - further reasons these meats are not routinely aged. Read more »

Both the conditions preceding slaughter and the handling of the carcass immediately afterward affect the tenderness of the meat. If the animal is under stress from fear, fasting, temperature extremes, or exercising, its muscle cells may be deprived of oxygen. Read more »

Tender meat generally is preferred by consumers, but just because meat is given a top quality grade does not guarantee its tenderness. The only real test is how easily the meat gives way to the teeth. Extreme variations of tenderness exist in beef, even within different areas of a single meat cut, but overall, natural meat tenderness is due to factors such as the cut, age, and fat content. Read more »

The grading of meat is not under government mandate or control, but is a strictly voluntary procedure that the meat packer or distributor may have done under contract with the USDA. For purposes of grading, a cut is made between the twelfth and thirteenth rib in order to expose the rib muscle. Read more »

To ensure that consumers are purchasing meat that is safe, federal laws require the inspection of animal carcasses. In addition to this mandatory inspection for safety, meat may also be assigned yield grades and the later quality grades to assist consumers in selection. Meat processors submit to the grading system voluntarily. Read more »

Meat consists of water, protein, and fat, with a few minerals and some B vitamins. It contains trace amounts, if any, of carbohydrate (liver is the highest source), no fiber, and no vitamin C. Meat is about 75 percent water, and most of this water is found in the muscle cells. Read more »

Bone. Bones are used as landmarks for identifying the various meat cuts from carcass. When buying meat, keep in mind that bone weighs more than meat and that the higher the proportion of bone to meat, the less the meat yield and the more the cost of the edible portion. Read more »