Students Module for Cookery
Module 8
LESSON 1: Determining the Primal and
Sub-primal Cuts of Meat
Introduction
This lesson is about the primal and sub-primal cuts of meat as well as the
variety meats used in cooking. Before you proceed, take to make yourself
familiar with the following terms you will encounter as you go further into this
module.
The carcass refers to the whole body minus the head, feet, entrails and hides
(except for pork). This is rarely purchased though since it will require
additional resources for butchering. Primal cuts are divisions of the sides,
quarters, forelimbs and hindlimbs while sub-primal or fabricated cuts are
trimmed versions of primal cuts and can even be cut ready for cooking.
TOPIC 1: Beef Cuts
The beef carcass is usually cut into two (forequarter and hindquarter) before it
is divided into primal cuts. The following are the primal cuts of beef and some
of the fabricated cuts you can get from each.
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The following are the common methods of cooking used for the sub-primal or
fabricated cuts of beef:
1. Chuck (Tender chuck, Chuck ribs)
Braised
Stewed
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Roasted (Tender chuck, Ground beef)
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2. Plate, Shank, Brisket and Flank
Braised
Stewed
3. Ribs and Loin (Shortloin, Sirloin)
Broiled
Roasted
4. Round (Eye round, Rump, Knuckle, Topside)
Braised
Stewed
Broiled
Roasted
Through time, additional beef cuts such as the hanging tenders, a piece of
meat found between the ribs, started to be used for food service. Before,
hanging tenders and other beef cuts are not sold to the public and only
consumed by the butchers. However, such cuts are currently being sold for
their flavor and tenderness as well as to maximize the profit from the cattle.
TOPIC 2: Pork Cuts
Pork is a type of red meat coming from domesticated swine or hogs. Records
say that the practice of domesticating hogs started in the Middle East but the
earliest pork recipe found was a 2000-year-old Chinese dish. Same with beef,
the carcass of pork is usually divided into two – forequarter and hindquarter
before being sectioned into the following sub-primal cuts:
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The following are the common methods of cooking used for the sub-primal or
fabricated cuts of pork:
Picnic Shoulder (Shoulder hock, Blade steak), Spare Ribs and Side
Braised
Stewed
Roasted
Broiled
Loin (Chops, Sirloin and Tenderloin)
Roasted
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Braised (Country-Style ribs, Back ribs)
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Broiled
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Leg (Ham, Rump)
Broiled
Roasted
TOPIC 3: Lamb Cuts
Lamb is another type of red meat coming from sheep. As the sheep gets
older, the meat gets a deeper color and becomes tougher. Here are the primal
and sub-primal cuts of lamb.
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Students Module for Cookery
The following are the common methods of cooking used for the sub-primal or
fabricated cuts of lamb:
1. Loin (Tenderloin, Sirloin)
Roasted
Broiled
2. Ribs (Lamb Rack, Rib chop) and Shoulder (Blade chop, Arm chop)
Roasted
Broiled
3. Leg (Leg Chop, Rump) and Breast (Spare ribs, Riblets)
Broiled
Roasted
Braised (Spare ribs, Riblets)
4. Shanks (Foreshanks, Hind shanks)
Braised
Stewed
TOPIC 4: Variety Meats
Variety meats, also known as offals or fancy meats, are edible organs which
are not included in the primary or secondary cuts. The common variety meat
used in cooking are:
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LESSON 2: Handling Meat Safely
Introduction
Proteins, such as meat, are prone to contamination by microorganisms that
may cause harm to human health. This lesson will present the safety
guidelines and measures you must observe to avoid food contamination
when washing, freezing, thawing and storing meat.
TOPIC 1: Cleaning Meat
"Cleaning Meat"
Ever since I was little, I’ve watched my mother “clean the meat” before she cooked it.
Whether it would be beef, chicken, turkey, pork, or lamb, she would “clean” it. I soon came
to realize that my whole family did the same thing; my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, basically
anyone I knew that was Haitian cleaned their meats and poultry before cooking it. It was one
of those things I never really questioned. I just assumed it was part of life and that “cleaning”
meat was the norm. Don’t worry, “cleaning” meat doesn’t mean scrubbing soap and water
thoroughly on your pot roast.
With that being said, I had to make sure I washed my meat too. It was my first time trying to
make spaghetti sauce with ground beef. I put the ground beef in a bowl, squeezed a couple of
limes onto it, and placed the bowl under the faucet and proceeded to fill it up with water…
That day, I learned the hard way that not all meat is supposed to be cleaned. I watched my
ground beef turn into a watery mush and when I tried to strain it, I pretty much lost the
majority of it down the drain.
Anyway, what’s the purpose behind it then? In Haiti, the food standards are not the same as it
is in the United States. You're never really sure how fresh the meat is. So it is imperative that
the meat be cleaned in order to get rid of any harmful bacteria. In general, it’s a way of
removing any impurities like germs, blood, slime, and excess fat before cooking it. My
mother states that this process also gets rid of strong odors that may be present on the meat.
This post will focus on cleaning any type of red meat. Cleaning chicken is pretty much
similar but with a few differences. When the post for cleaning chicken becomes available,
you can find it by clicking here.
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1. You always want to start off by removing any excess fat from whatever cut of meat you have as
well as any gunky like material that doesn't look like muscle. Certain types of meat have more fat
and unwanted parts than others.
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.
As a rule of thumb, for every pound of meat, consider using 1 lime, lemon, or sour orange. As a
substitute, you can also use the concentrated bottled version. They come in all 3 varieties. If using
the bottled juice, anywhere from 2 – 4 tablespoons per pound of meat would suffice. The same
amount would apply if using vinegar. Rub the juices all over the meat. If using fresh limes, lemons,
or sour oranges, after squeezing the juices, you can throw in the peels into the bowl as well.
3. Next, pour in a very generous amount of salt onto the meat then pour just enough water to
cover all the pieces. Let the salt and citric acid do it's work for about 30 minutes, no longer
than an hour at room temperature. Sometimes, 10 minutes works just as well, especially if
you’re in a rush. You will notice that after some time, the water becomes very cloudy as it
removes all the impurities from the meat.
4. After the soaking process, dump the contents into a clean sink and briefly rinse out the bowl.
Rinse off each piece of meat under cool running water to thoroughly rinse off the citric salt
water solution. Squeeze as much liquid out of each piece of meat before returning it to the bowl.
Once complete, your meat is ready to be marinated or prepared according to your desired
recipe.
Notice the before and after pictures below. Before the meat is cleaned, it has it's fresh, deep
red color. After cleaning, it isn't as red anymore. The juices contained in the meat have been
stripped out and I believe it helps the spices and marinade that will be added later to be more
readily absorbed.
To take it a step further, some Haitians also like to “shodé” their meat as well. This is
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basically a process of pouring hot boiling water over raw meat then draining it immediately. I
don't really do this step unless it's goat meat. Goat meat tends to have a very strong,
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distinctive scent and this extra step helps to get rid of that scent.
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Students Module for Cookery
The overall process of cleaning meat works well with generally all types. You want to avoid
this with any kind of ground meats of course. Also, it's not really necessary to do this with
things like steak. Avoid using vinegar on stew beef as I was told that it toughens the meat.
When washing meat, remember not to soak lamb or beef too much to prevent
it from losing its flavor.
1. Lay the meat on a cutting board or a clean surface and remove the slivers or the sinews.
You can use a paring knife to remove the membranes that are closely attached to the
meat.
2. Gently rinse the meat under running water. Remove the cloth blood and other unwanted
elements.
3. Pat the meat dry using a clean paper towel or let it drip dry using a colander.
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TOPIC 1: Cleaning Meat
Cleaning Variety Meat
Variety meats or offals have certain characteristics that need to be lessened
or enhanced in order to achieve the delicate and distinct flavor they have.
Here are the procedures for cleaning the common variety meats.
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TOPIC 2: Storing and Freezing Meat
Another way of preventing contamination is by freezing the meat. This is also
an effective way of extending the shelf life of meat and preserving its desirable
color, texture and scent. The following are important reminders for freezing
and storing meat.
TOPIC 2: Storing and Freezing Meat
Labeling Meat for Storage
Labels can be handwritten as long as it is legible. Labels should contain the
following important information:
Name of the item
Description of the product
Date product was packed
Who packed the product
Use by date
Storage conditions
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If the item was purchased from an external supplier, the label must contain the
following:
Name of the processor
Contact details of the processor
Phone Number/email
Description of the product
Name of the product
Date product was packed
Who packed the product
Use by date
Storage conditions
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TOPIC 3: Thawing Meat
Another important measure in preventing contamination is thawing or
defrosting frozen meat properly. Here are important reminders when thawing
frozen meat:
TOPIC 4: Minimizing Meat Wastage
Meat undergoes trimming and cutting before it is cooked. This might lead to
wastage and loss of profit if not done wisely. As a kitchen staff, you should be
able to look for opportunities to minimize meat wastage such as using off-
cuts or the pieces of meat obtained from trimming and fabricating:
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End of Module Evaluations Exercise
Name :__________________ Date:_________________ Score:___________
Answer the following:
1. List down the different cuts for beef
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
2. List down the different cuts for lamb
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
3. List down the different cuts for Pork
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
4. Proper cleaning of Meats
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
5. Proper storage and labeling of meats
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
____________________________________ ___________________________
Corrected by: Checked and Recorded by:
______________________ Bernabe R. Malang
Printed name over Signature Teacher’s Name and Signature
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