Beef cutting: features, parts of the carcass, types of meat

Fillet

The sirloin part is best suited for frying. It is what is traditionally used in preparing steaks, the taste of which is known to almost everyone. Also, shish kebab is often made from fillet.

Underthigh

The subthigh contains little fat, but despite this, after frying it becomes very tasty.

Back parts

The back portions of beef carcass are also good for frying. For example, entrecote is a soft, fibrous meat that is located between the ribs. The back parts also include the thick and thin edges. They differ in that they have several ribs. Therefore, for frying, they need to be cut into large pieces.

Tongue and neck

The neck part of beef is considered one of the most sinewy, so it will take a little longer to cook. Despite these characteristics of the meat, it has a rather pleasant taste and, moreover, has a low cost. It is most often sold chopped into small pieces for goulash and similar dishes.

The tongue is considered a delicacy and is only sold whole. It is a dietary and easily digestible food product.

The spine of the neck is a fairly large cut when cutting beef. This part contains bones that are removed by the butcher before sale. The spinal edge of the neck has a low fat content, due to which it is used as dietary food.

The best piece is on the table!

As in pork, the tenderest and juiciest in beef is the tenderloin. There are only two or three kilograms of it for the whole cow, so this is traditionally the most expensive piece. The second place is occupied by the beef rump, located between the pelvis and the rump of the carcass. It is not greasy and not cruel; if processed correctly, the resulting dishes are very juicy. So many people believe that the best meat is the rump, that this is the most “correct” piece of carcass. And if you come across a part from a not-so-young animal, don’t be upset: just beat the meat thoroughly and the dish will turn out just as tender and soft.

Blade part

Cutting beef according to GOST involves removing bone from the shoulder blade of the animal. The pulp is cut into pieces for preparing steaks. The shoulder portion of beef has high taste characteristics and a low content of fatty tissue. Some cuts of meat may contain a small percentage of the connective tissue that was used to attach them to the shoulder blade. It does not have to be removed, as it softens when cooked and is no longer tough.

How to make beef tender when boiling

Here's a proven way to make a tough piece edible.

Cut the meat into cubes with a side of three to four centimeters.
Fry in hot vegetable oil until golden brown.
Place in a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour one liter of boiling water and add two tablespoons of table vinegar. The heat should be reduced to low and simmered for an hour, depending on the degree of toughness of the meat.
Then add the diced onion, bay leaf, add boiling water if necessary, and leave to simmer for another 20 minutes.
Salt, season with your favorite spices and add tomato paste if desired. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes.

The secret of juicy and soft beef according to this recipe is, firstly, in preliminary frying (the juice remains “sealed” inside the meat cubes), secondly, in the use of boiling water (there is no sudden change in temperature), thirdly, in vinegar (acid softens fibers).

In general, there are two main keys to success: slow cooking and low temperature. Keen cooks even practice cooking for 10 or more hours at a temperature of 55-60 degrees. Of course, this requires special equipment like a slow cooker or sous vide, but the result exceeds expectations. The meat really turns out soft, like chocolate.

Kostrets

When cutting beef, the rump is considered one of the most delicious parts. It practically does not participate in the physical activity of the animal, so it has a rather soft texture. Rump is a piece of meat located on the lower vertebrae of the spine and pelvic bone.

Most often, before sale, the butcher removes all solid inclusions, and the pulp is cut across the grain into portions. Rump is considered the highest grade of beef meat for its high taste.

What is suitable for stewing

Beef bones are ideal for making broth or soup, but they are completely unsuitable for stewing. You need to take those pieces where there are few tendons, elastic flesh, and fat. It’s clear that nothing can be better than fillet. But not just any one will do. It is best to look at the market or store for selected parts of beef for stewing.

Attention! Cows have muscles of varying elasticity. The densest are those that are involved in movement (located on the limbs), the softest will be the muscle tissues that are not involved in walking (located along the back).

Spatula

An excellent purchase for stewing. Shoulder beef contains some tendons and connective tissue, but there is fat present. It takes a long time to simmer, but the pieces turn out juicy.

Neck, cut

Ideal meat that opens up completely when stewed. The neck and notch are located closer to the head and contain a sufficient amount of fat, which softens the fibers. Despite the presence of tendons, it stews perfectly. The only disadvantage of this cut is the high price. But you can afford the best, soft meat.

Brisket

Easily separates from the ribs. A layered piece in which rows of muscles, fat, and films are mixed.

shank

The knuckle or knuckle is the part of the leg that is located below the knee joint. Both the back and the front contain marrow bone, which makes an excellent rich broth. Often this cut of meat is used to prepare jellied meat or jelly. It is very important to process the drumstick over a long period of time in order to soften it.

Boning

Boning is the process by which the flesh is separated from the bone. A good indicator of the final outcome of the procedure is the absence of meat on the bones and the absence of cuts in the flesh.

For boning, purchase special boning tools - sharp knives. They should have thin blades and pointed ends.

The main rule is that each separated part is processed individually when cutting.

Features of deboning all pieces:

Spatula. Initially, separate the meat from all tendons, then cut the muscles from the radius and ulna bones. Next, separate the pulp from the shoulder and shoulder along the entire length. Remove all veins from a piece of pulp.
Neck part. There are attachment points on the vertebrae, from which remove the clean meat entirely, that is, in one piece.
Brisket. Separate the flesh from the breast at the point where the ribs meet the sterno-dorsal cut. Feature - move the knife through the cartilage from the first to the thirteenth rib (the line should be smooth).
Thick edge. Starting with rib 13 and ending with rib 4, make a horizontal cut along the line that connects the thick edge to the hem. At the end of the procedure, cut the flesh 1/3 of the rib down, then again bring the knife horizontally to rib 1.
Subscapularis. The pulp is removed from the bone along with the thick edge, but then a square-shaped layer is cut off.
Hem. It is located on the ribs. It is removed from them entirely (not in small pieces, but in one large one).
Thin edge. Cut the flesh of this part along the ridge line, then carefully remove it from the other bones. Along with this, the flank is removed.
Posterior part. First, separate the tibia and femur bones. To do this correctly, find the joint, remove the tendons and meat from it, and then cut the joint with an ax. The next step is the separation of the ilium. After this, make an incision along the thigh bone and cut off the flesh.

If there are pieces of meat left on the bones that can be processed into minced meat or goulash, cut them off.

Types of meat

Beef meat is divided into categories when cutting:

Dairy veal. The animal's age ranges from two weeks to three months.
Dairy beef. From three months to three years.
Beef. From three years or more.

Moreover, the younger the cow or calf, the more tender the meat will be.

According to varietal differences, beef is divided into several varieties:

First grade. Tenderloin, thick and thin edges, top and inside of the hind leg.
Second grade. Side and outer leg, shoulder and brisket.
Third grade. Undercut, neck, shank, hem.

These types of meat differ in taste characteristics, as well as in the presence or absence of bones, veins, and fat. The first variety is considered the most suitable for dietary nutrition, as it contains the least amount of heavy fatty tissue.

Recipe of borsch

What products will you need:

800 grams of beef rump;
water – 2.5 liters;
300 grams of potatoes;
400 grams of red beans, can be used in canned form;
onion – 100 grams;
½ beets;
one small carrot;
sweet pepper – 1 piece;
half a fork of cabbage;
2 large spoons of tomato paste;
bay leaf – 1-2 pieces;
vegetable oil;
salt to taste;
some seasoning mixture.

Cooking period: 2.5 hours.

Calorie content – 420 kcal.

How to cook:

We wash the rump and can cut it into several parts;
Pour water into a saucepan, place the meat in it and let it boil until done;
The rump is cooked for about 1 hour 20 minutes, it all depends on the meat and age of the animal;
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium cubes;
We wash, peel and rub the carrots on a coarse grater;
We clean the beets, grate them into coarse shavings;
Peel the onion and chop into cubes;
Place all vegetables, except potatoes, into a frying pan;
Cut the cabbage into thin strips;
As soon as the meat is ready, it needs to be removed from the pan. If necessary, add water;
Add potatoes and cabbage to the broth. Leave to boil for about 15 minutes;
Next, pour vegetable oil into the frying pan with vegetables and put on fire;
Fry the vegetables for about 10 minutes, then add the tomato and stir; Fry the tomato mixture for another 5-7 minutes;
Place the roast into the broth with potatoes and cabbage;
We put canned beans there;
Add salt, bay leaf and season with spices;
Stir the borscht well and boil for another 7-8 minutes;
Serve the finished borscht with pieces of meat and herbs.

Nuances of choice

Beef meat can be steamed, chilled and frozen. Despite the fact that the first one is the most recent, it is recommended to refrain from purchasing it. The reason is this. It is believed that after slaughter, at least 4-6 hours must pass before the meat becomes suitable for food. The steamed one has a much less rich taste, and also did not have time to soften well enough.

Chilled meat is fresh beef that has been slaughtered for more than 4-6 hours. It has the most pronounced taste characteristics, pleasant consistency and color.

Chilled meat is most often frozen. When processed, it loses some of its beneficial properties. That is why it is recommended to choose chilled food for consumption.

Despite the large number of specialized stores and other sales points, it is quite difficult to purchase fresh and high-quality beef. A good product should have the following qualities:

Color can vary from pink to bright red. A cherry tint indicates that the beef has been frozen.
The fat should have a dense structure and white color. You should refrain from purchasing meat with yellowish or greenish fat.
The cut should be smooth, slightly convex.
The meat should also be firm. When pressure is applied to good beef, a dimple from the finger is formed, which quickly levels out. If the dent remains, then there is no need to take such a piece.

You should also remember that parts of the carcass are suitable for preparing various dishes. This feature must be taken into account when purchasing.

Cooking tips

There are some rules that will allow you to cook beef rump in the best way:

To make the meat softer and tastier, it is better to marinate it well before cooking. The thicker the piece, the more time should be spent on marinating.
It should take at least one and a half hours to prepare the rump.
If the meat is tough, it would be a good idea to beat it, and vice versa, if you take a soft rump of veal, you should not beat it so as not to lose precious juices.
Rump meat goes well with fruity sweet and sour sauces and red wine.
Before cooking, you need to ensure that the meat is at room temperature, this allows you to preserve the meat juices in the piece as much as possible when frying.
If you are using frozen meat, the slower it thaws, the better. Therefore, we place frozen meat in the refrigerator.

Stripping

After deboning, stripping is carried out, which is the removal of all unwanted elements in the meat that create rigidity. This:

films;
veins;
cartilage;
fat.

Stripping Features:

Absolutely all pieces of meat and bones are cleaned;
from the neck it is important to first remove the elements of the periosteum, and then the tendons;
Be sure to cut off films and fatty deposits from the shoulder blade;
there is a lot of excess cartilage and fat on the sternum;
from the thick edge, cut out not just the tendons, but also the edge pieces (otherwise it will look ugly);
in the posterior pelvic cut there are too many tendons and the like.

At the last stage, remove the edges from the pieces of pulp, that is, small elements of meat that stick out or hang down (spoil the appearance of the pulp).