After the pig is slaughtered and drained of blood, and the internal organs are removed from the carcass, the pig is butchered. Simply chopping the meat into pieces in random order, separating the heart and other organs is a wrong decision, a certain scheme for cutting the carcass must be followed. How to do this correctly and where are the main parts of the pig carcass located?

Before butchering a pig, you need to determine what the meat will be used for: for yourself or for sale, how the pork will be cooked, etc. In accordance with the purpose, one or another scheme for cutting a pig carcass is selected.

When this issue is resolved, the workplace should be prepared. It is most convenient to butcher a pig right at the place of slaughter, without removing it from the hooks. If the animal is slaughtered on the ground, it is not necessary to hang the carcass on the crossbar specifically for butchering.

It is also necessary to choose the right tool for butchering a pig. To maximize the yield of pure meat as a percentage of the live weight of the animal, you need not only to work carefully, but also to use high-quality, sharply sharpened knives. For cutting you will need:

• Knives - each knife must be sharpened, have a blade length of 15 cm and a width of 2 cm;
• Hand saw with a wide blade;
• Hooks if the carcass is cut while hanging;
• Hot water container;
• The work table is not metal, wood or concrete should be used.

The pig can only be butchered after draining the blood from the carcass. Do not rinse the meat first, so that it does not start to deteriorate quickly.

Carcass cutting schemes

There are 4 main schemes for cutting pork carcasses: German, Russian, English and American. They involve cutting the carcass into 4–8 pieces in a different order. First of all, the parts that the pig strained during life the least of all are cut out - they are softer and tastier. These are the dorsal muscles running along the spine, scapula and cervical meat.

German scheme the most popular, since it is possible to properly cut a pig into a larger number of parts. Previously, the carcass is divided into two half carcasses, each of which consists of 8 parts - in total, 16 pieces of meat are obtained, belonging to different quality classes.

German cutting scheme

• Grade 1 - hind leg (ham), loin and cutlet part;
• Grade 2 - the anterior section of the vertebral muscles, the ham of the front leg and the brisket;
• Grade 3 - abdominal meat;
• Grade 4 - head and legs, except for hams.

English scheme butchering pork is the simplest: the half carcass is divided into 4 large pieces (head, front, middle and back parts). This method of cutting should be chosen if the animal is slaughtered for sale.

Russian scheme It is similar to the German one and also involves cutting into 8 parts. The following parts of the pork carcass are obtained: ham, back, the area between the neck and shoulder blades, the head with the neck, shoulder blade, breast, middle sections of the legs and legs.

Simplified American Scheme includes 6 parts of mascara. The sirloin is not separated from the back, the neck is not separated from the head, the legs are not divided and cut together with the legs. The advantage of the method is that when using it, the pork shoulder is cut out separately.

There is no significant difference between the schemes - you can decide how to cut the boar on an individual basis, as it will be more convenient.

Procedure for cutting

Pig decapitation

The head is separated first from the pork carcass. Before butchering the pork head, you need to cut it off correctly - it holds firmly, therefore, without knowledge of the technology of work, it is easy to damage the knife. The head is cut off as follows:

1. Two incisions are made behind the ears;
2. The knife is inserted transversely into one of the incisions, after which an incision is made in the throat from ear to ear;
3. The cervical vertebrae are sawn using a fine-toothed hacksaw.
4. Hooves are also cut with a saw.

Butchering a pork head

After decapitation, the pork head is cut. The procedure is quite simple: you just need to cut this part of the body into two pieces and remove the eyes and teeth. The brain is removed and used in cooking and should not be thrown away. The heart is also used from the internal organs. If the head is being prepared for sale, it is not necessary to chop it off.

Removal of the abdominal apron and internal organs

Cutting the carcass begins with the abdominal apron being cut from the decapitated residue. The muscles of the peritoneum are cut out along with the fat; this must be done carefully, trying not to damage the internal organs - their contents can penetrate the meat and spoil its taste. When the abdominal apron is removed, the entrails are removed from the carcass in the following order: large organs (lungs, liver, stomach), bladder and kidney portion. Most of them can be thrown away, only the heart and liver are used for food. The heart must be cut into two pieces and cleaned of clotted blood.

Cutting carcasses into pieces

The emptied carcass is cleaned of blood residues with napkins and cut or sawn into two half carcasses. Refrigerate every pork half before continuing.

1. Fat and fat are separated from the skin;
2. The neck is cut out;
3. The front leg is cut off from the half-carcass, the shank is separated from the scapula;
4. The hind leg is separated;
5. Pork loin and brisket are cut off.

Each part can be cut into several more pieces - for example, to separate the rump from the back or cut the ham into small pieces - depending on how it will be more convenient to handle the meat in the future.

Butchering a piglet is somewhat different - you just need to bleed and gut the carcass, you do not need to divide it into pieces, since due to its small size it is baked entirely.

Counting meat yield

Some of the mass of a live pig is lost during the cutting process: the blood and internal organs of the animal have a significant weight. Also, subtract the mass of bones, tendons, joints, etc. from the live weight. The product that remains after cleaning the carcass, cutting the pork half, separating the meat from the bones and removing the film covering the muscles is called the pork yield.

The yield is calculated as a percentage of the live weight of the animal. It can be different depending on the breed of the pig, its sex, age, cutting skill and other factors. On average, the yield is 60–70%, in some cases reaching 78–80%.

Main parts of pork carcass

Before cutting a pig carcass into separate pieces, using a knife, for sale or for your own use, you should figure out which part of the pig is tastier and where which one is located. When meat is harvested for sale, the most valuable parts, such as pig carb or pork loin, need to be handled with extreme caution.

Ham

The largest part of the carcass is the back leg. Since it is better to cut the carcass of a pig into such pieces that it is convenient to handle them, the ham is often divided into two pieces along the thigh line. There are more muscles in the upper half, so it is used for various meat dishes; the lower half of the ham is used for making jellied meat.

Scapula and neck

The shoulder blade and neck are divided into three pieces: clean shoulder meat, bone shoulder and neck meat. Since a pig's neck is practically motionless during its life, its meat is very tender. The spatula, on the contrary, is tough, and requires careful cooking.

Shank

The shank of a pig is the least valuable, as it consists of the toughest meat and cartilage. It can be smoked or put on jellied meat.

Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin - the most tender part, it is located along the spine of the animal. Pork tenderloin is used to make chops and is part of the carb, the piece of pork that runs along the entire spinal column and engages the psoas. Almost any dish can be prepared from it. Another part of the back is the loin, which grabs the ribs. The back ends with a rump, from which kebabs are prepared.

Abdominal apron, head and internal organs

The abdominal apron of the animal is divided into brisket, peritoneum and hypogastrium. The head is divided into cheeks going for bacon and a tongue well suited for aspic. The rest is finely chopped and used for jellied meat. Internal organs (heart and liver) can also be eaten, although they are less tasty than cow offal. Thus, butchering a wild boar involves the use of almost all parts of the carcass.

Video: "Butchering a pig for sale"

Knowing which part of pork is used for what purposes, you can quickly and correctly get the right pieces of meat from pork carcasses. The main thing when cutting is to use a good knife and follow the chosen pattern exactly.

This post is my personal opinion on the correct cutting of meat. Such subtleties are not spelled out in any of the guests, I learned them from my personal experience of working in the market and communicating with the butchers of the "old school". If a dear reader has his own opinion on any of the positions presented, I will be glad to read it in the comments. So:

1. Pork loin on the bone. The vertebral body and spinous process must be removed and the rib must not be too long. The dorsum of both beef and pork is a valuable meat traditionally sold on the rib bone. Leaving extra bones in this part leads to a scam - selling bones for the price of an expensive part. It is also unacceptable for me personally to leave too thick a layer of fat (fat is much cheaper than loin)

2. Entrecote and tibon steak (lumbar entrecote)- the carcass should be divided exactly in half. if the cut is not even, the butcher must remove the bone where there is more of it (otherwise one buyer will get more bone, and the other less, with the same amount of meat. ugly bone)

3. Shoulder and ham on the bone (both pork and beef) —
The joints must separate and sell like bones. This applies to all "heads" of tubular bones. They have a significant weight and selling them for the price of a ham / scapula on the bone is an outright scam. Very often there is a cunning cut - on one side of the piece a small round bone, and if turned over - on the other half of the "mosla"

4. Portions sliced ​​loin / entrecote on the bone- Portions of cut / chopped / sawed pieces of bone meat must be of the same thickness. At the same price per unit of weight, the bone / meat ratio in each piece will be significantly different. According to the law of meanness in a supermarket, pieces with a wide meat side for some reason are always sold out, and in trays there are pieces with a narrowed part. The principle is true for loin, brisket, entrecotes, lumbar entrecotes (tibon steak) and other positions on the bone.

5. Cutting of large boneless pieces (ham in the first place)- The cut piece of meat must be whole. If a piece consists of fragments of several muscles connected by a tendon, it will not normally work to cook such a piece whole. And when cooking in slicing, various problems can arise.

Among the butchers, the following position was adopted: “I would rather properly and beautifully process the meat and set the price higher than I will cut it fraudulently and sell it cheaper.

The buyer will come home and make sure that for his money he will receive approximately the same amount of meat in both cases. But either it will be well cut and it will be convenient to cook it. Or it will be chopped through the ass, and the buyer will have to suffer for a long time to cut out the internal tendons and cut off the extra bones with a small kitchen hatchet.

Next time the buyer will come to the one who does well right away. "

For me personally, the thoroughness of cutting is an indicator of professionalism. As a rule, a professional is interested in the stability of his work and will not deal with expired meat or meat of dubious origin. There are, of course, exceptions, but personally I have rarely met them.

The quality of the meat obtained from different parts of the carcass is not the same. Cuts differ in nutritional value, culinary value and purpose, muscle, fat and bone ratio. In this regard, the carcasses are cut into separate high-quality cuts.
In our country, a unified scheme for cutting carcasses for retail sale has been adopted:

1) Neck; 2) brisket; 3) brisket; 4) thick edge; 5) thin edge; 6) sirloin; 7) tenderloin;

8) the peritoneum; 9) the peritoneum; 10) scapula; 11) thigh; 12) flank; 13) rump; 14) shank.

Neck meat contains a large percentage of connective tissue and therefore requires prolonged heat treatment in a humid environment to acquire the required softness. The neck tastes good and is inexpensive. Neck meat is usually sold cut into cubes or minced.

Scapula

The shoulder bone contained in the varietal cut is removed by the butcher, and the meat is cut into portions for making steaks or for stewing. The taste of the meat is high, the fat content is relatively low. Some pieces have thick veins of connective tissue that attach the muscles to the scapula. This connective tissue is left on the meat, as it softens when cooked in moist heat, releasing sticky substances into the broth. The scapula contains many layers of fat, so it remains juicy even after prolonged heat treatment. You can make a meatloaf from a shoulder blade, cook minced meat.

Brisket has a layered structure of muscle tissue with fat layers. It is cooked in a humid environment - added to soup, stewed or boiled, used for pickling. The best part of the brisket is located exactly in the middle of the cut, with cartilage and fat.

After the brisket and ribs are removed, a long, flat piece of meat is left, which is usually rolled up and tied. Pieces of the required length are usually cut from it and sold. The layered structure of the muscle tissue of the brisket is emphasized by fat layers, the taste is good. The brisket must be cooked in a humid environment.

Back leg of mascara- the shank is well suited for cooking jellies or jellied meat.
The legs of the animal have very developed muscles, so they should be subjected to prolonged heat treatment at a low temperature and in a humid environment in order to soften the connective tissue and prevent the meat from drying out to softening the fibers.

Pasha

Excellent meat for cooking, because it tastes good, and the layers of fat in it help to retain moisture. Meat can also be stewed with or without bones, sliced ​​or diced. Well suited for boiling and stewing. Can be used for making rolls or minced meat.

Thick edge located along the ridge, from the neck, contains 4-5 ribs. Used for stewing, roasting, soups, meatballs, roast beefs, minced meat.

(from the English Roast beef - literally "fried beef") - a dish of English cuisine, which is a large piece of beef baked in the oven weighing 1.5-2kg. Sometimes roast beef is grilled or stewed.

For excellent roast beef, the ribs are usually sawn off shorter and the meat is tied; bones can be removed completely, in this case the meat is rolled into a roll before tying. The meat can also be used for stewing or roasting in large pieces.

Traditionally, beef is selected for roast beef. You can choose from different parts of the carcass: thick edge (first 4 - 5 ribs), thin (next 4 - 5 ribs), sirloin, as well as tenderloin. However, it should be remembered that all parts differ in meat structure, fat content and taste.

Thin edge can be distinguished from a thick one, at the thick edge a front scapula cut off from it is noticeable. Contains 4-5 ribs. The meat is tender. To preserve juiciness and aroma, the thin edge is baked at a high temperature together with the bones, after sawing the upper parts of the dorsal vertebrae. Suitable for steaks and roast beefs. Both thin rim steaks and ribs cooked on a wire rack are excellent.

Tenderloin- a valuable part of the carcass, this is the outer part of the animal's back, the fibers are loose and tender. Goes to cooking, steaks, roast beefs, roasts.

Chopped neck meat

Long humerus cut that is removed during deboning and sold with other marrow bones. The excess fat is usually cut from the cut by a butcher. Neck meat is similar in quality to neck meat (1) and is usually marketed diced or minced.

Spinal edge of the neck

A large and relatively lean cut of high quality stew made of tufts of brachial muscle fibers. After removing the bones, the cut is cut into portions for cooking steaks. The backbone meat can also be diced for braising. It needs long-term heat treatment in a humid environment to soften the connective tissue.

This cut contains a large amount of the most tender meat on the last three ribs. The sirloin can be fried whole, with or without bones, or it can be cut into portions for roasting steaks over an open fire or in a skillet. Sirloin fillet steak is cooked without bones; to prepare a steak with a bone from the front part of the sirloin, the meat is cut off along with the rib: the beefsteak from the posterior lumbar part of the sirloin contains a piece of tender tenderloin that lies under the spine. If the tenderloin is cooked on its own, it can be fried whole, but most often it is sliced ​​across the grain to make steaks.

Rump

Sectional cut containing the lower vertebrae of the spine and the pelvic bone. All bones are usually removed and the meat is sliced ​​across the grain in portions to prepare tender, delicious steaks. Rump steaks can be fried over an open fire or in a pan. Pieces weighing more than 1.5 kg make an excellent roast beef, which is usually cooked over high heat.

Probe, sec, rump, thigh

These four cuts together make up the top of the hind leg. The dipstick — a cut of lean, fine-fiber meat from the inner thigh — is good for slow roasting and braising. Chip meat is slightly rougher, but also tastes good and is usually used for slow roasting or braising, as well as for salting and simmering. The rump is a superior cut of meat between the sacrum and the pelvic bone. Most often, this meat is used to prepare high-quality roast beef by slow roasting. The thigh is good for slow roasting and braising in large chunks, but quite often it is cut into portions that are stewed or fried in a pan.

Shank

The fleshy part of the hind leg rich in tendons: like the shank, it contains the marrow and a large percentage of connective tissue. Usually the bone is removed and the meat is cut into thick slices or cubes. The delicate aroma and high gelatin content give this meat excellent stewed taste.

Diaphragm

It consists of a variety of relatively small internal muscles, the best culinary qualities, among them are the muscles of the inner part of the flank, the muscles adjacent to the inner part of the rump.

Despite the fact that the steaks from the flesh part of the diaphragm have a coarse-grained structure on the cut, they contain very little fat and have excellent taste when cooked over an open fire or in a skillet without being completely browned. In order for the meat to cook completely, it must be stewed for a long time. The third type of steak is sometimes called butcher's steak.

It is very rare to buy such meat, since it is cut from the central internal muscle, the only one in the whole carcass. Try every time you get it. to buy it, because thanks to its delicate taste and excellent aroma, it is the best suited for grilling on a sieve.

Strap

This cut consists of the muscle tissue overlying the ribs with layers of fat. Excellent meat for cooking because it has good taste, and the layers of fat in it help to retain moisture. Meat can also be stewed with or without bones, sliced ​​or not, sliced ​​or diced or diced. Quite often, edging is used to prepare minced meat.

The muscular foreleg (knuckle) contains the medulla and several narrow, prominent muscles with a thick layer of connective tissue and tendons. After removing the bone, the meat is usually cut into slices across the fibers or into cubes for stewing. When cooked in a humid environment, the gelatin of the connective tissues transforms into a decoction, forming a very tasty and nutritious gravy. The shank is especially suitable for cooking French beef stew.

Shoulder blade

This cut includes a portion of the largest muscles in the shoulder; the ribs and adjacent muscles are located closer to the back of the carcass. Cutting the shoulder of the shoulder blade depends on local traditions, but more often than not, large chunks of excellent-tasting pulp are simply cut from it for later slow frying. The meat can also be cut into portions for stewing.

The taste of the finished dish depends on the quality of the meat used in cooking. So, for example, having received a juicy steak in a restaurant, at home, using the same recipe, a completely dry, not fatty dish may come out. The reason lies in what category the beef belongs to, what grade it is and what part of the carcass is used.

Thus, it is customary to divide beef not only into grades, but also into categories.

Beef varieties

In trade, it is customary to distinguish three varieties of beef:

• Top grade- rump, rump, sirloin and breast part, sirloin and dorsal part;
• 2nd grade- neck, flank, shoulder and scapula;
• 3rd grade- cut, front and back shank.

Beef categories

In addition to the type of meat, it is customary to distinguish product categories. The category is influenced by the age of the animal, the fat content of the product and the age of the livestock.

Beef of the first category should have the following indicators: well-developed muscle tissue, fat layer, at least, should cover the carcass up to 8 ribs from the tail, a large amount of subcutaneous fat. As for young cattle, it is quite acceptable that there is no body fat.

Beef of the second category - small deposits of fat on the lower back, ischial tuberosity and last ribs, a distinct allocation of the ischial tubercles, muscles are slightly developed.

Except meat I and II categories give off skinny beef. However, meat from this category is used exclusively for industrial processing.

Determine the belonging of beef to a particular category, you can use the stigma, which is placed on all meat for sale. So, a round purple spot indicates that the product has a sufficient amount of fat. But the square mark indicates that the cattle was less plump. Among other things, a mark in the form of the letter M is placed on the head of a young animal.

Useful properties of beef

Beef liver contains vitamin A (8.2 mg%), E (1 mg%), C (33 mg%), B6 ​​(0.7 mg%), B12 (60 mg%), PP (9 mg%), B2 ( 2.19 mg%), B1 (0.3 mg%), etc. Beef meat is also a supplier of mineral salts (sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, etc.). The highest iron content found in beef liver is 8.4 mg%.

Beef is one of the main suppliers of complete proteins in the human diet. When boiling, beef loses up to 40% water, 2% protein and 1% fat. In practice, proteins are used completely in the diet. For the most valuable protein meal, it is best to use the tenderloin - the softest part of the carcass.

Vitamin B12 (formed due to the fact that a cow chews gum - green grass), is involved in the absorption of iron in our body. Beef helps to successfully cope with fatigue, is useful for iron deficiency anemia, and British doctors advise men who have high levels of bad cholesterol to eat up to 200 grams. a day of lean beef. They found that with such a diet, cholesterol is reduced by almost 20%.

Old beef is more difficult to digest, it is not recommended for children and old people to eat it - it is better to replace it with veal.

When preparing dishes, we are often faced with the question of which part of the beef which dish can be cooked. How is beef meat classified? And for convenience, we propose to disassemble into which parts the beef carcass is divided. For wholesale and small-scale wholesale buyers of meat and fish, we recommend using the services of the Maksuma company. The best beef tenderloin wholesale.

So, the classification of meat.

Beef meat is classified into 3 grades.

This is the highest, first and second grade.

The extra class includes:

Dorsal
Divided into:
- Thick rim - for chops, cutlets or baked in large chunks
- Loin on the rib - can be baked in chunks, for chops
- Entrecotes - entrecotes and minced meat
- Ribs - for broths and roasts

Loin (loin, thin edge)
This is the most valuable part of the mascara. The meat is tender and lean.

Divided into:
- Thin edge - medallions, chops, burgers, rolls
- Tenderloin - beefgteks, roast beefs, azu, goulash, rolls
- Fillet on the bone - chops
- Boneless sirloin - chops, rolls, etc.

Chest part
The breast is the layers of meat on the bone, mixed with fat and films. In the front of the brisket is the sternum (sternum) and ribs, and in the back are the cartilaginous ends of the ribs.

Divided into:
- Brisket on the bone - suitable for stewing, broths
- Boneless brisket - goulash, rolls

Rump
Divided into:
The csec is the outer part of the mid-thigh. Suitable for roasting and stewing
The thick flank is tender meat. Suitable for escalopes.
The probe is the tender meat of the inner thigh with fine fibers. Suitable for escalopes.

Rump
Located in the upper part of the thigh. Used for frying in large pieces and stewing. For making cutlets.

Sirloin
The sirloin (thick sirloin) is located in the pelvic part of the carcass. The meat is loose in structure with thin layers of fat. Suitable for quick frying.

The first class includes:

Shoulder
Suitable for clear broths, dressing soups. You can cook cutlets and roasts

Scapular part
The meat from the shoulder blade has a different degree of hardness. Suitable for chopped cutlets, goulashes and soups

Pasha

It is the shell of the abdominal cavity. Consists of a thin layer of muscle tissue and one third of bones and cartilage. Suitable for boiling and stewing

Neck (back of the head)
Has layers of fat and tendons. Suitable for preparing a large number of dishes (minced meat, goulash, roast, pickling).

The second grade includes:

Front shank (shank)
The meat is lean, aromatic. Contains gelatin, therefore it is suitable for jellied meat, broths and thick soups
Shank or shank meat can be stewed or boiled with or without bones. Also suitable for jellied meat.

Back shank
The same as the front shank, only from the back leg. Boneless meat is suitable for stewing

Neck (cut)
A significant part of the incision of the tendon. This meat is inexpensive and tastes good. Suitable for stewing and cooking broths. Neck meat can be sold minced.

Beef is a dietary and lean meat in comparison with pork, therefore it is especially popular with adherents of a healthy diet. Cow meat can also be used in baby food, starting at an early age.

But in order for a meat dish to turn out tender and tasty, the chef must understand the parts of the carcass, since each of them is suitable for a certain type of dish.

Cutting scheme

Considering the proposed product in the window, you can easily determine the purpose of this or that piece, if you know the generally accepted scheme for cutting carcasses.

Let's start in order with the head of the beef body. The head is rarely found on the market, as it is not a full-fledged piece of meat. However, in the villages from time immemorial, parts of the head have been used to make rich soups, jellied meat, and they are also twisted into minced meat.

• Neck. The neck cut is also called a cut. It is characterized by a large number of tendons.
• Scapula and upper arm. Meat of varying degrees of firmness with layers of fat, depending on the location.
• Back. This part is subdivided into several cuts at once, which have different purposes in cooking. Thick edge - a solid layer of meat, sometimes with a part of the ribs, has thin delicate fibers. The loin on the ribs is often referred to as the "thin edge" because there is less meat in the meat compared to the thick edge.

• Ribs- rib bones peeled from meat.
• Entrecote- the soft meat left over after cutting from the ribs.
• Lumbar part, sirloin. It can be both on the bone and without. It is schematically divided into a thick edge - sirloin (meat with a small amount of fatty layers, located in the pelvic region of the carcass) and a thin edge - tenderloin (tender meat mass, is considered the most valuable and at the same time low-fat).

Ribs

Entrecote

Sirloin

Tenderloin

• Brisket. In uncut form, it is a sternum with ribs in the front and cartilaginous processes of the ribs in the back. The meat is interspersed with layers of fat and films. On sale can be both on the bone, and without.
• Kostets. Delicate varietal meat located in the hip and gripping the spine.
• Thigh. The upper thigh of the animal's hind leg. It has a soft structure, especially on the inside.
• Rump. The middle part of the thigh, which, in turn, is subdivided into the inner side - the probe, and the lower part - the bisection.

Brisket

Kostets

Thigh

Rump

• Flank, or peritoneum, curl. The meat of the abdomen and groin area. The meat is rough, with fat, cartilage and films.
• Shank. Part of the meat from the front leg of the animal, the main content of which is muscles, tendons and bone.
• Shank. The medulla of the hind leg, which produces large amounts of gelatin when cooked. The shank also contains a mass of connective tissue.

Which part to use for what?

Experienced chefs advise, before buying a cut, to first determine the culinary purpose of this or that part. In order not to get confused in the variety of names and not to be misled, it is better to follow the recipe clearly. To do this, you need to remember or write down in your culinary notebook which use is suitable for a particular cut of beef.

For cooking

Excellent dietary broths are made from beef. Any carcass bones, as well as the trachea, are suitable for the preparation of first courses. For chunks of meat in soup, the neck cut, shoulder blade, shank and shank are suitable. Soups and broths, jellied meat, minced meat for cutlets are prepared from them.

For frying

For extinguishing

For stews, most often they take the hip and shoulder portion of the cut, rump, bone, thigh, kidney mass.

It can also be meatballs, beef stroganoff, stewed kidneys.

For baking

Brisket, bone, tenderloin and sirloin are suitable for baking. They make excellent roast beef in English, brisket with spices.

Definition of quality

The quality of meat is often influenced by factors that cannot be determined with the naked eye - this is the sex of the animal, its age, diet and conditions of detention, and the correct cutting of the carcass is also of great importance.

But still, when choosing meat, there are nuances that should not be neglected if you want the beef dishes later to turn out to be culinary masterpieces.

• The even distribution of the reddish color range indicates the freshness of the cut. Old meat has too dark color, going brown and brown. Too scarlet tones indicate chemical additives to preserve the presentation.
• The meat should not be covered with a dense crust. If there is one, then the cut has been sitting on the counter for too long. The slimy surface of the meat indicates improper storage conditions - most likely, the meat simply suffocated in polyethylene.
• Bloody smudges on the display case under the cut are obtained if the meat has been defrosted and an unscrupulous seller tries to pass it off as freshly chilled.
• Small pinkish crystals on frozen meat will also indicate that the cut is not frozen first.
• No less important is the firmness and elasticity of the piece - after pressing with your fingers, dents and pits should not remain on the meat.

You can see how to choose the right fresh and high-quality beef in the next video.

Meat recipes

Despite the fact that cooking any kind of meat requires certain culinary skills, there are recipes that even a beginner can bring to life.

Consider several diverse recipes - a hot dish, a cold appetizer, and a dietary version of beef. The recipes are simple to execute, do not require much time and products.

Stew

It is worth preparing a deep frying pan in advance or additionally using a stewpan.

Cooking.

• Rinse the meat, dry it with a paper towel, remove veins and bones if necessary. Cut into pieces, not too large, but not too small, so that it is convenient to prick them with a fork.
• Prepare vegetables - peel onions, carrots, garlic. If desired, you can add a small amount of tomatoes and slices of zucchini to the vegetables. Vegetables are cut in an arbitrary or standard way: carrots - in small cubes, onions - in half rings, zucchini - in large cubes.
• Pour oil into a frying pan or stewpan, heat the dishes well and put onions. Fry until slightly transparent, add the beef cubes. While stirring, let the meat brown for 5 minutes.
• Add vegetables and spices. Continue stirring for another 5 minutes. The vegetables should set with a golden crust.
• Add bay leaf, lay out potatoes, cover with water or broth so that the liquid covers the potatoes.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a minimum and simmer for 1 hour.
• Finely chopped greens can be added 5 minutes before cooking or directly to the plate before serving.

Carpaccio

This cold appetizer dish of Italian cuisine is considered gourmet cooking. According to the cooking technology, it resembles the familiar sliced ​​meat, but its recipe uses not fish, but beef tenderloin.

For a classic carpaccio, you need the following ingredients:

• 250 g beef tenderloin;
• 1 bunch of arugula;
• 120 ml olive oil;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of wine vinegar;
• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of lemon juice;
• 1/3 teaspoon of salt.

Meat for carpaccio should be chosen the freshest, chilled, previously unfrozen. Old, dark-colored meat will not work for this dish, but young veal is ideal.

Cooking.

• Rinse the tenderloin well and pat dry with a paper towel. Wrap with cling film and put in the freezer for 1 hour.
• Prepare arugula and sauce. Rinse the greens and drain off excess moisture. In a container, mix wine vinegar, lemon juice and salt.
• After an hour, remove the frozen meat from the freezer, let it rest for 2-3 minutes and start cutting. Cut into slices with a sharp thin knife. The slices should be nearly transparent.
• Each piece can be beaten lightly with a cooking hammer to increase the fineness.
• The meat is laid out on a plate in one layer, decorated with rucola leaves and poured with sauce.

Diet beef

Beef meat itself is dietary, contains a lot of fiber and a minimum of fat. However, its nutritionists categorically do not recommend frying in order to avoid the formation of bad cholesterol. Therefore, the dietary method of cooking is stewing or boiling.

The cooking principle is a steam bath. Meat and vegetables are cooked in their own juice, which does not mix with water and does not evaporate.

Benefit and harm

1. Beef is considered dietary meat and is indicated primarily for dieters. The product is slowly absorbed by the body, and the feeling of hunger is significantly removed even after eating a small portioned piece.
2. Due to its fibrous structure, beef acts on the gastrointestinal tract as fiber - it removes toxins and cholesterol from the body.

Among the contraindications can be called the excess of the daily intake of this product. Beef, like any meat, is not a light food, which can lead to digestive problems, heaviness in the stomach, and general loss of strength.