10.1 Dry Heat Methods Introduction
Before You Come to Lab
Name: _________________________________
Watch “Ask the Meat Scientist: Beef Cuts Available in the Marketplace” posted on Canvas.
- Why is meat from the rib, short loin, and sirloin naturally tender?
Watch the short clip of Julia Child’s French Chef chicken video posted on Canvas.
- How is she going to prepare one of the chickens later in the video?
Watch “The Food Lab Breaks Down a Chicken” posted on Canvas.
- How long does it take him to cut up a chicken?
Dry Heat Methods for Tender Cuts of Meat
This lab will focus on dry heat methods used to prepare tender cuts of meat. Here are 5 dry-heat methods.
- Roasting: to oven-cook food in an uncovered pan. The high heat browns the surface and seals in the juices.
- Pan Frying: to cook meat in a sauté pan with added fat.
- Pan Broiling: to cook meat in a sauté pan with minimal added fat, removing additional fat as it accumulates.
- Broiling: cooking method using direct dry heat. The broiler pan with meat is set a short distance (2–5 inches) below the broiler heat, and the oven door is left slightly open.
- Deep Fat Frying: to cook food in hot fat or oil deep enough so that the food is completely covered.
Degrees of Doneness by Temperature and Description
| Degree of Doneness | Temperature | Sensory Observations of Steaks by Doneness |
|---|---|---|
| Medium rare | 145°F | Bright pink throughout the interior |
| Medium | 160°F | Pink center, gray toward edges |
| Medium Well | 165°F | Slightly pink center |
| Well Done | 170°F | Cooked throughout, gray, slightly drier |
Minimum Internal Temperatures for Safe Consumption of Meat, Poultry, and Fish
| Minimum Internal Temperature for | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Whole muscle cuts of beef, veal, lamb, pork | 145°F |
| Ground meat (beef, veal, lamb, pork) | 160°F |
| Poultry | 165°F |
| Fish | 145°F, flaky |
Wholesale and Retail Cuts Prepared in Lab
| Wholesale Cuts | Retail Cuts | Observations of Raw Meat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | Short Loin | Club, T-bone, Porterhouse Steaks | |
| Beef | Rib | Rib Steak | |
| Pork | Loin | Loin Chop, Rib Chop | |
| Lamb | Loin | Loin Chop | |
| Lamb | Rib | Rib Chop |
Meat Terms
- Loin muscle: Longissimus dorsi
- Tenderloin muscle: Psoas major
- Epimysium: Connective tissue around the muscle, acts like a rubber band and tightens as it is cooked if not cut. Cut perpendicular in a few places to cook a flat steak.
- Marbling: Intramuscular fat, adds juiciness and flavor
- Myoglobin: Meat pigment, related to hemoglobin
- Oxymyoglobin: Myoglobin exposed to oxygen, bright red in color
