TLE 10 – Notes 2.

3
PREPARE AND COOK MEAT DISHES

Mise en place for meat dishes includes gathering all the needed tools and equipment, and getting ready with
the different ingredients for a particular recipe.

Tools and Equipment for Meat Dishes

measuring cups, non-stick pan, saucepan, knives, griller, skillet, carajay, measuring spoons, pressure cooker

Meat
 refers to the animal parts used as food. Includes beef, pork, lamb, goat meat, and carabeef or carabao meat
 meat specialties, otherwise known as meat sundries, refer to the internal organs and organs of animal meat

Basic Preparation Methods of Meat

1. Washing - Generally, the only occasion in which you will have to wash meat is when it comes into contact with
blood during preparation. After washing, dry the food thoroughly with absorbent kitchen paper.
2. Skinning - Most of the meat you dealt with has been already skinned by the supplier.
3. Dicing - Meat are diced when it is cut into cubes for various types of casseroles, stems, curries, and dishes such as
steak, kidney pie and pudding.
4. Trimming
Reasons for trimming:
a. Improve the appearance of the cut or joint
b. Leave as much of the meat intact as possible.
c. Leave an even thickness of fat (where fat is to be left). How much fat you trim off will depend on the type of
meat, preference, and the cooking process to be used.
d. Remove as much gristles and sinews as possible.
5. Slicing - It is the cutting of meat by determining the direction of the grain (the muscle fibers), and cut across the
grain. This is particularly important with tougher cuts such as steak, in which the grain is also quite obvious. You
slice meat with―instead of against―the grain.
6. Seasoning - It is the addition of salt and white or black pepper to improve the flavor of food.
a. Use white pepper or cayenne pepper on food which you want to keep attractive with white color.
b. Add salt to roast and grill after the meat has browned. Adding salt before cooking will extract the juices of the
meat to the surface, and slows down the browning reactions (which need high temperature and dry heat).
7. Coating - The two basic coatings are:
a. Flour – coat the meat before cooking, otherwise the flour becomes sticky and unpleasant.
b. Bread crumbs – coat the meat in flour, then egg wash (egg wash is made of lightly beaten whole egg with a
little water/milk) and finally with the bread crumbs

Kinds of Meat that are Popularly Consumed

1. Beef – meat of cows
2. Veal – flesh of a young calf, 4-5 months old. Because of its age, it is considered by some to be the finest meat.
3. Pork – meat of hogs
4. Carabeef – meat of carabao
5. Lamb – meats of domesticated sheep. Its texture is a direct result of what it consumes and the age at which it is
slaughtered
6. Chevon – meat of deers/goats
Lamb

Pork
Beef

Veal

Carabeef Chevon
Market Forms of Meat
1. Fresh Meat
a. Meat without undergoing chilling
b. Sold mostly in public markets or wet markets in our country
2. Frozen Meat
a. Meat cuts frozen at -18C
b. Form of imported meat
3. Chilled Meat
a. Meat cooled to just above freezing 24 hours after slaughter
b. Sold in supermarkets and meat shops
4. Processed Meat – includes corned beef, luncheon meat and other local food preparations
5. Cured Meat
a. Meat products treated with a curing solution
b. Include beef, ham, tapa, bacon, tocino and sausages

Four Kinds of Doneness in meat

1. Rare – when pressed with a finger, the meat is very soft with jelly like texture.
2. Medium Rare – when pressed with a finger, meat feels springy and resistant
3. Medium – when pressed with a finger, meat feels firm and there is a definite resistance.
4. Well Done – when pressed with a finger the meat feels hard and rough.

Meat Tendering Technique

1. Use of Tools – knife
a. makes cuts across the muscle fibers
b. cuts should be long and very deep
2. Meat tenderizing device
3. Heat
4. Use of marinade and fruit
5. Age your meat on a rack
6. Give time for the meat to become tender
7. Trim the meat – trim the meat down before cooking and eating

Tendering Beef
Pounding Steps
1. Select the right cut. – Round Steak, Flank Steak, Skirt Steak
2. Trim the fat from your cut.
3. Chill meat – put in the freezer for 30 minutes for easy pounding.
4. Use a cutting or chopping board
5. Pound it properly – Use a mallet to tenderize the fibers of tough cuts, making the meat easier to chew. Use the
toothy side of the mallet because it softens and breaks the muscle tissues.

Marinades
Good marinade will add flavor to your favorite meat and make it more tender and juicy. Making a marinade is
very simple. All you need are three basic components. The first, is an acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, or wine.
The acid is important as it breaks down the meat and tenderizes it. The second, is oil. This protects and
preserves the food while marinated and also when it‘s being cooked. The third, is any herb and/or spice. This is what
gives a marinade its unique flavor and zest. Feel free to experiment by grouping one or more ingredients from each
component.

Common Ingredients of Marinade

1. Soy Sauce – the salt content helps retain moisture of the meat
2. Sugar – enhance browning
3. Acid – breaks down tough proteins; makes the meat tender
4. Aromatics – adds flavor; enhances aroma; include spices, garlic and herbs
5. Oil – helps distribute aroma and flavor
Methods of Cooking Meat
A. Dry Heat Method
 Cooking using direct heat
 Cooking without added liquid
 Recommended for tender cuts of meat
1. Broiling/Grilling
a. Cooking using direct heat
b. Inihaw is the local term for broiling or grilling
c. No fat added
d. Turn meat with tongs, not fork, to preserve the meat juices
2. Roasting – Whole or large pieces of meat are roasted in an oven uncovered or in open space over live charcoal like
in cooking lechon.
3. Deep-fat frying
a. Uses enough good quality fat to submerge the meat to be fried.
b. Fry just before serving time to have a crispy product.
c. Examples of deep fat fried meat are lechon kawali and crispy pata. These are first boiled in water until tender
before deep fat frying.
4. Pan frying
a. A small amount of fat and the melted fat of the meat are used to cook the meat.
b. Recommended for tender cuts of meat using non-stick pan over low heat
c. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat.
d. Sauce can be made from the meat juices in the same pan.
5. Pan broiling – The meat is cooked in a heated skillet, cooking slowly and removing the accumulated melted fat.

B. Moist Heat Method

 Uses boiling water or steam to conduct heat to the food
 Used to tenderize less tender cuts of meat
 A pressure cooker can also tenderize the meat
1. Braising – uses a simmering method to tenderize the meat
2. Boiling – uses liquid enough to cover the meat pieces
3. Steaming – cooking by exposing the food directly to steam or cooking tightly wrapped food so that it cooks in the
steam formed by its own moisture. Embutido is cooked by steaming.
4. Pot roasting – cooking large meat cuts to be sliced before serving
5. Simmering – cooking slowly in liquid below boiling point until the meat becomes tender