Chop (meat)

“ Chops should be bought according to the number of persons that are to be served, usually a chop to a person being quite sufficient. Rib roasts should be bought by designating the number of ribs. Thus, the housewife may ask for a rib roast containing two, three, four, or more ribs, depending on the size desired. Roasts from other parts of beef, such as chuck or rump roasts, may be cut into chunks of almost any desirable size without working a disadvantage to either the butcher or the customer, and may therefore be bought by the pound. ”

“ Put eight mutton chops in a frying-pan in which you have melted an ounce of butter, adding a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg; when the chops are colored on both sides, take them out and let them become cold. Chop fine three quarters of a pound of sausage-meat, add eight mushrooms, a little parsley and sage, all chopped fine; mix all together, and cover your chops on both sides with the farce, and wrap up each chop with the caul of pork. ”

“ Two mutton chops were covered with cold water, and one boiled a gallop, and the other simmered very gently for three quarters of an hour: the chop which was slowly simmered was decidedly superior to that which was boiled; it was much tenderer, more juicy, and much higher flavoured. The liquor which boiled fast was in like proportion more savoury, and when cold had much more fat on its surface. This explains why quick boiling renders meat hard, &c., because its juices are extracted in a greater degree. ”

“ It appears to me that, as regards the nature of the operation, it consists simply in the difference between the cooking media; that a grilled steak or chop, or a roasted joint is meat that has been stewed in its own juices instead of stewed in water; that in both cases the changes taking place in the solid parts of the meat are the same in kind, provided always that the roasting or grilling is properly performed. The albumen is coagulated in all cases, and the gelatinous and fibrous tissues are softened by being heated in a liquid solvent. ”

“ The high temperature rapidly imparted by radiation to the surface of the meat forms a thin superficial crust of hardened and semi-carbonized albumen and fiber, which resists the outrush of vapor, and produces within a certain degree of high pressure, which probably acts in loosening the fibers. A well-grilled chop or steak is "puffed" out—made thicker in the middle; an ill-cooked, desiccated specimen is shriveled, collapsed, and thinned by the slow departure of its juices. ”

“ If a meat-chopper is not at hand, chop it by hand, pound it to free the meat from the fiber, and rub it through a purée sieve.
Heat a cupful of chicken stock, pour it over the beaten yolks of three eggs, add a teaspoonful each of salt and celery salt, a dash of pepper and of paprika. Return it to the fire and stir until it has thickened like a boiled custard; add two tablespoonfuls of granulated gelatine which has soaked for an hour in a quarter cupful of cold chicken stock. ”

“ Broil over coals, not too near, turning often so that the temperature shall not get so high as to ignite the paper. A chop broiled in this way is basted in the butter and its own juices, and is very delicate. Be careful not to let the paper ignite, and yet do not have it so far from the coals that the meat will not cook. ”

“ Take some lean veal (quantity in proportion to the squashes) cut it into pieces and place it on the fire in a saucepan with a hash of onion, parsley, celery, carrot, a little corned beef cut in little pieces, a little oil, salt and pepper. Stir it often with a spoon and when the meat is brown pour in a cup of water and then another after a while. Then rub the gravy through a sieve and put it aside.
Chop the cooked meat fine and grind it in the grinder and make a hash of it and one egg, a little grated cheese, a crumb of bread boiled in milk or in soup stock and just a taste of nutmeg. ”

“ It is best to chop the meat very fine, (gristles and gelatinous matter from the bones may be included;) then make a gravy by putting a lump of butter (what you judge necessary) into a stewpan; when it is hot, add a little flour, and stir it into the butter; then add a teacupful of the broth the meat was boiled in, and a little catsup. Let this boil up, then put in the mince meat, with a little chopped parsley, pepper and salt. ”

“ A mutton chop would cost at least three times as much as a vegetable chop, unless you go in for meat of the worst kind, and it must be borne in mind that there are more diseases lurking in cheap meat than in vegetables. ”

“ Stuffing for Chicken in Aspic Chop finely breast and meat from second joints of an uncooked chicken, or one pound of uncooked lean veal. Add one-half cup cracker crumbs, hot stock to moisten, salt, pepper, celery salt, cayenne, lemon juice, and one egg slightly beaten. In stuffing boned chicken, stuff body, legs, and wings, being careful that too much stuffing is not used, as an allowance must be made for the swelling of cracker crumbs. ”

“ Then add the celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoot, salty sauce, 1⁄2 cupful stock and stew on a high flame (use tight fitting lid) for about ten minutes. Then stir in the sesamun oil and cornstarch. Cover the noodles with a layer of this Chop Suey and garnish it with the shredded green onion stem.
WAR MEIN
With Chicken Make same as above but use chicken meat (cooked) instead of the pork.
WAR MEIN
With White Mushrooms Make the same as War Mein but use about a half canful of the French mushrooms instead of the Chinese. ”

“ Boil 4 lbs of lean meat, chop very fine, add twice the quantity of apples, also chopped and 1⁄2 lb of raw suet chopped very fine, then add 3 lbs of seeded raisins, 2 lbs of currants, 2 lbs of citron chopped, grated rind and juice of 4 lemons, sweeten to taste with brown sugar and add 3 qts of cider and 1 pint Madeira Wine, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, cloves, mace. ”

“ Lamb and mutton chops cut from loin have a small piece of tenderloin on one side of bone, and correspond to porter-house steaks in the beef creature. Rib chops which have the bone cut short and scraped clean, nearly to the lean meat, are called French chops.
The leg is sold whole for boiling or roasting. ”

“ A mutton chop, nicely cut, trimmed, and broiled to a turn, is a dish to be recommended for invalids; but it must not be served with all the fat at the end, nor must it be too thickly cut. Let it be cooked over a fire free from smoke, and sent up with the gravy in it, between two very hot plates. Nothing is more disagreeable to an invalid than smoked food.
In making toast-and-water, never blacken the bread, but toast it only a nice brown. ”

“ Broil the chops over or under hot coals, turning the broiler as often as you count ten slowly, using the same method as in broiling steak. When the meat offers a little resistance and is puffy, it is done. If cooked too long the chops will be hard and dry. If properly seared at first the juices are shut in, and the inflation is caused by the confined steam from the juices. It will take eight to ten minutes to broil chops which are one inch thick. When done sprinkle over them a little salt and pepper and butter. Dress them on a hot dish in a circle, the chops overlapping. ”

“ Three and one-half pounds raw beef, or a mixture of beef and veal may be used, run through a food chopper. A cheap cut of meat may be used if, before chopping, all pieces of gristle are trimmed off. Place the chopped meat in a bowl, add 8 tablespoonfuls of fine, dried bread crumbs, 1 tablespoonful of pepper, 11⁄2 tablespoonfuls of salt. Taste the meat before adding all the seasoning specified, as tastes differ. ”

“ This way of cooking the loin is much more economical than in chops, because with them the bones and flap are wasted, whereas in cutlets all is used up.
To stew the flap, put it in a stewpan, the fat downwards, sprinkle pepper and salt, and slice an onion or two over, and set it to fry gently in its own fat for an hour. Take up the meat, and put half-a-pint of cold water to the fat, which, when it has risen in a solid cake, take off, mix a little flour with the gravy which will be found beneath the fat, add pepper, salt, and some cooked potatoes cut in slices. Cut the meat into neat squares ”

“ With the general directions clear in mind, the methods of carving and serving particular kinds of meat may be taken up. Chops, of course, require no carving. By means of a large fork, one should be placed on each person's plate. Steaks and roasts, however, need proper cutting in order that equally good pieces may be served to each person dining. To carve a steak properly, cut it across from side to side so that each piece will contain a portion of the tender part, as well as a share of the tougher part. When cut, the pieces should be strips that are about as wide as the steak is thick. ”

“ Dip in beaten egg when you have sprinkled a little pepper and salt over them; then roll in cracker-crumbs, and fry in hot dripping or lard. If you use butter or dripping, add a little boiling water to the gravy when the meat is dished; thicken with browned flour, boil up once, sending to table in a boat.
Or, You can rub the cutlets well with melted butter, pepper, and broil on a gridiron like beef-steak, buttering very well after dishing.
Veal Chops Are more juicy and less apt to be tough and solid than cutlets. ”

“ Any other variety of meat—mutton, veal, venison, &c.—cooked in the form of steak is more readily eaten. The short, compact fibre of mutton chops, especially those from the loin, makes them less likely than beefsteak to be badly cooked, and far easier to be consumed. Well-selected, carefully-cut lamb chops, in their proper season, are a delicacy of the highest order, and rarely fail to be appreciated by the most benumbed eater. ”

“ To stew, add water to partially cover meat, cover kettle, and simmer.
Chopping, pounding, scoring.—The foodchopper helps make meat tender. After chopping, any meat cooks as quickly as a tender cut. Pounding, or scoring with a knife, before cooking is similar in effect to chopping but tenderizes meat less.
Seasonings
Meat itself is usually flavoring enough for the main dish. It is often browned in a little fat to develop its flavor. In combination dishes, highly flavored or cured meats such as ham, dried beef, corned beef, and sausage may lend more flavor than fresh meat. ”

“ A small piece of bacon or lean ham is sometimes cooked with vegetables for flavor.
Beef ranks first as regards utility and economy in soup making. It should be cut from the fore or hind shin (which cuts contain marrow-bone) , the middle cuts being most desirable. If the lower part of shin is used, the soup, although rich in gelatin, lacks flavor, unless a cheap piece of lean meat is used with it, which frequently is done. It must be remembered that meat, bone, and fat in the right proportions are all necessary; allow two-thirds lean meat, the remaining one-third bone and fat. ”

“ The most satisfactory way in which to prepare chops is either to broil them in a broiler or to pan-broil them. Apply to the cooking of them the same principles that relate to the preparation of steaks; that is, have the pan or broiler hot, sear the chops quickly on both sides, and then cook them more slowly until well done, turning them frequently. The broiling of lamb chops should require only from 8 to 10 minutes, as they are seldom more than 1 inch thick. ”

“ Take about two and a half pounds of the thicker part of the shin, place it in an iron pot with two tablespoonfuls of drippings. Turn it as it browns. When brown enough put it in a [251] stew-pan; add enough water to cover it, a large onion stuck full of cloves, and half a carrot cut into slices. Let it simmer four hours, remove the meat and onion and carrot, thicken the liquor, and serve in a dish large enough to allow plenty of gravy. If, after removing the meat, the liquor appears too rich, pour off the fat before thickening. ”

“ Instead of a trivet, four skewers stuck into the meat transversely will answer the purpose, or a soup plate whelmed the wrong side upwards. With good management it will take less fire for boiling than for roasting, but it should be kept to a regular pitch, so as to keep the pot gently boiling all the time. If it boils too fast, it will harden the meat, by extracting too much of the gravy; but if it be allowed to simmer only, or to boil gently, it will become rich and tender. The scum must be carefully taken off as soon as the water boils, or it will sink and discolour the meat. ”

“ The parts of the animal from which these cuts are taken are clearly shown in Fig. 2. Although beef is obtained from the animal shown, the same cuts come from practically the same places in other animals. Stock made from one of these cuts will be improved if a small amount of the fat of the meat is cooked with it; but to avoid soup that is too greasy, any excess fat that remains after cooking should be carefully removed. The marrow of the shin bone is the best fat for soup making.
If soup is to be made from fish, a white variety should be selected. ”

“ When beef and fowl are well done remove, take off the skin and fat and cut the meat in pieces one inch square. Remove the bouquet garni, and cut the cabbage, carrots, turnips, celery and leeks in round pieces one-half inch in diameter. Put the beef, chicken and vegetables in another pot and strain the broth over them. Boil slowly for five minutes. Have your butcher saw some raw marrow bones in wafers as thin as paper, and add them to the soup at the last moment. Serve very hot in soup tureen, with a sprinkle of chopped chervil. ”