Cuts Of Beef Defined Recipe

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Instructions

The beef creature is divided down the middle of the backbone into sides or halves, which are shipped to all sections of the country.
The next cut is purely local and divides into fore and hindquarters, leaving as many ribs on the fore- quarter as the butcher desires.
A common practice, at least in the east, is to leave ten ribs on the forequarter.
The shoulder blade begins on the fifth rib and the five ribs from the neck to the shoulder blade are called chuck; the next five, whether on hind or forequarter, are the prime ribs, and the eleventh is what is often called the tip of the sirloin, from its position, when hung up.
One reason this is prized so highly is that in hanging, there is a constant tendency to force the meat juices toward this portion, making the roast juicy as well as tender.
The neck piece will furnish stews or Hamburg steak for the least expenditure.
It is often used for mincemeat.
From the chuck ribs, small steaks and roasts of good flavor may be obtained, while for a pot roast, choose a portion from the back of the forequarter.
It will include some of the vertebrae, which will help to swell the stock kettle.
The cut sometimes called sticking piece, whose name is suggestive of its position on the under side of the neck, is very satisfactory braised or cooked in hot water with herbs and spices, and served with a tomato sauce.
Another cut called rattle rand, contains the thin, flat ends of the chuck and prime ribs, and joins the sticking piece.
It is no misnomer, especially at the thin end where the rattle is plain.
This is oftenest used for corning.
The hindquarter cuts are much more familiar.
Here are found the most of the roasts and steaks and the economical cuts depend to some measure on local demand.
An unsalable portion, in one section of the country, may be cheap, while in another it is better known, and therefore somewhat higher in price.
From the ribs toward the hips, the muscles covering the backbone are called loin.
The one on the outside is the sirloin, knighted by one of England's kings.
The inner muscle, dry but tender, is known as tenderloin.
The tenderloin is often roasted as a fillet, larded with salt pork to supply the fat it lacks.
Next come the muscles just over the hip bones called rump.
If cut correctly this is tender, but is boneless and lacks the indescribable flavor the bone imparts to meat.
Between the rump and the round is a wedgeshaped piece called the aitch bone.
This is sometimes inexpensive, and makes an excellent roast.
The price usually varies, being higher in direct ratio to the number of pounds.
If the butcher will cut eight pounds, it is decidedly an economical choice.
The round is divided into upper, lower and vein cuts.
The upper takes its name from the position on the butcher's block, and is the choicest; the lower is good for braising or any casserole use, while the vein is the muscle on the front part of the leg.
The first three slices make very good steak, or the whole makes an economical roast.
The longer meat is hung, the tenderer becomes the fiber, but if allowed to ripen too long the meat is unhealthful.
The craving for "gamey" meat is usually an acquired one and leads to digestive disorders.
If beef is clear in color, firm yet springy to the touch, well marbled or streaked with fat of a clear yellowish tinge and with a thick rim of fat on the outside, the meat will be satisfactory.