Meat cookery : BEEF & VEAL

BEEF & VEAL

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As is generally known, BEEF is the flesh of a slaughtered steer, cow, or other adult bovine animal. These animals may be sold to be slaughtered as young as 1-1/2 to 2 years old, but beef of the best quality is obtained from them when they are from 3 to 4 years of age. Ranging from the highest quality down to the lowest, beef is designated by the butcher as prime, extra fancy, fancy, extra choice, choice, good, and poor.

Veal is the name applied to the flesh of a slaughtered calf. This kind of meat is at its best in animals that are from 6 weeks to 3 months old when killed. Calves younger than 6 weeks are sometimes slaughtered, but their meat is of poor quality and should be avoided. Meat from a calf that has not reached the age of 3 weeks is called bob veal. Such meat is pale, dry, tough, and indigestible and, consequently, unfit for food. In most states the laws strictly forbid the sale of bob veal for food, but constant vigilance must be exercised to safeguard the public from unscrupulous dealers. A calf that goes beyond the age of 3 months without being slaughtered must be kept and fattened until it reaches the age at which it can be profitably sold as beef, for it is too old to be used as veal.

NAME OF LARGE PIECE	NAME OF CUT	USES OF CUTS
Chuck	Neck	Soups, broths, stews
	Shoulder clod	Soups, broths, stews, boiling, corning
	Ribs (11th, 12th, and 13th)	Brown stews, braizing, poor roasts
	Ribs (9th and 10th)	Braizing, roasts
	Shoulder	Soups, stews, corning, roast
	Cross-ribs	Roast
	Brisket	Soups, stews, corning
	Shin	Soups
Prime Ribs	Ribs (1st to 8th, inclusive)	Roasts
Whole Plate	Plate	Soups, stews, corning
	Navel	Soups, stews, corning

Loin	Short steak	Steaks, roasts
	Porterhouse cuts	Steaks, roasts
	Hip-bone steak	Steaks, roasts
	Flat-bone steak	Steaks, roasts
	Round-bone steak	Steaks, roasts
	Sirloin	Steaks
	Top sirloin	Roasts
	Flank	Rolled steak, braizing, boiling
	Tenderloin	Roast
Round	Rump	Roasts, corning
	Upper round	Steaks, roasts
	Lower round	Steaks, pot roasts, stews
	Vein	Stews, soups
	Shank	Soups
Beef Organs	Liver	Broiling, frying
	Heart	Baking, braizing
	Tongue	Boiling, baking, braizing
	Tail	Soup

CUTS OF VEAL, AND THEIR USES

The slaughtered calf from which veal is obtained is generally delivered to the butcher, with the head, feet, and intestines removed and the carcass split into halves through the spine. He divides each half into quarters, known as the fore quarter and the hind quarter and cuts these into smaller pieces.

Fore Quarter

The fore quarter, as shown in Fig. 1, is composed of the neck, chuck, shoulder, fore shank, breast, and ribs. Frequently, no distinction is made between the neck and the chuck, both of these pieces and the fore shank being used for soups and stews. The shoulder is cut from the ribs lying underneath, and it is generally used for roasting, often with stuffing rolled inside of it. The breast, which is the under part of the fore quarter and corresponds to the plate in beef, is suitable for either roasting or stewing. When the rib bones are removed from it, a pocket that will hold stuffing can be cut into this piece. The ribs between the shoulder and the loin are called the rack; they may be cut into chops or used as one piece for roasting.

Hind Quarter

The hind quarter, as Fig. 1 shows, is divided into the loin, flank, leg, and hind shank. The loin and the flank are located similarly to these same cuts in beef. In some localities, the part of veal corresponding to the rump of beef is included with the loin, and in others it is cut as part of the leg. When it is part of the leg, the leg is cut off just in front of the hip bone and is separated from the lower part of the leg, or hind shank, immediately below the hip joint. This piece is often used for roasting, although cutlets or steaks may be cut from it. The hind shank, which, together with the fore shank, is called a knuckle, is used for soup making. When the loin and flank are cut in a single piece, they are used for roasting.

Vital Organs

Certain of the organs of the calf, like those of beef animals, are used for food. They include the heart, tongue, liver, and kidneys, as well as the thymus and thyroid glands and the pancreas. The heart and tongue of veal are more delicate in texture and flavor than those of beef, but the methods of cooking them are practically the same. The liver and kidneys of calves make very appetizing dishes and find favor with many persons. The thymus and thyroid glands and the pancreas are included under the term sweetbreads. The thymus gland, which lies near the heart and is often called the heart sweetbread, is the best one. The thyroid gland lies in the throat and is called the throat sweetbread. These two glands are joined by a connecting membrane, but this is often broken and each gland sold as a separate sweetbread. The pancreas, which is the stomach sweetbread, is used less often than the others.

NAME OF VEAL CUTS AND ORGANS AND THEIR USES

NAME OF LARGE CUT	NAME OF SMALL CUT	USES OF CUTS
Fore Quarter	Head	Soup, made dishes, gelatine
	Breast	Stew, made dishes, gelatine
	Ribs	Stew, made dishes, chops
	Shoulder	Stew, made dishes
	Neck	Stew or stock, made dishes
Hind Quarter	Loin	Chops, roasts
	Leg	Cutlets or fillet, sautéing, or roasting
	Knuckle	Stocks, stews
Veal Organs	Brains	Made dishes, chafing dish
	Liver	Broiling, sautéing
	Heart	Stuffed, baked
	Tongue	Broiled, braised
	Sweetbreads	Made dishes, chafing dish
	Kidneys	Boiled, stew