Meat joint

“ He can then cut between the bones, and each bone with meat attached should be of a convenient size for serving.
Some joints, such as the undercut of a sirloin of beef, or the knuckle end of a leg of mutton are best when eaten hot; others are equally good either hot or cold, but sometimes by using only one particular part the joint may present a better appearance when served cold. ”

“ A portion of the fat should invariably be served with the venison.
No. 6. SIRLOIN OR RUMP OF BEEF. As the very tender part of this favourite joint, which lies under the bone, and is called the fillet, is preferred by many eaters, the beef should be raised, and some slices be taken from it in the direction a b, before the carver proceeds further. The slices should be cut quite across the joint, from side to side, as indicated by the line from c to d, in which direction the whole of the meat is occasionally carved, though it is much more usual to slice the upper part from e to f. ”

“ If too large a joint to dress whole, for a small family, or where cold meat is not liked, it may be cut into two or even three pieces, taking care to give to each piece a due portion of fat; skewer it up tightly, of a good shape, then bind it with strong coarse tape, or strips of linen. The vessel roomy, the beef placed on a fish drainer (as should all large joints) , and care taken to keep it covered with water. Three hours for a piece of 12 lbs. About three hours and a half to 16 lbs., and so on, in proportion. Put in carrots and turnips two hours after the meat. ”

“ You can remove the bone or not, it improves the flavor if left. Put the joint into a saucepan and over it pour some boiling water. Boil about fifteen or sixteen minutes, and then remove it to one side of the fire. This process secures all the juices in the meat. Now put the bacon, onion, carrots (cut in lengths) , turnips (sliced) , spice, cloves, pepper corns, celery, parsley and salt into a braizing pan. Put in the meat and pour the stock over it, and, if you have it, add some sherry or wine. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Boned and rolled or stuffed meats require longer cooking than the same joints would if neither rolled nor stuffed. The meat of young animals and that of old ones requires different treatment. As a rule young flesh, containing less fibrine, requires longer cooking. White meat, such as pork, veal and lamb, always should be well cooked and never must be served rare. The exact time and process of roasting must be left to the good management of the cook, who must be guided by circumstances and conditions. The cook's business is to serve the joint as full of nourishing qualities as possible. ”

“ Although a saddle of mutton or sirloin or fillet of beef frequently comprise this course, one's choice is not necessarily confined to joints of meat, for turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, pies, venison, etc., may all be served instead. If there are two removes, the poultry is served before the joint of meat.
Appropriate, plainly-dressed vegetables are always served with the "remove"; but it is a matter of choice as to whether they appear on the menu; and the same remark applies to such sauces as mint and horseradish, and other things which always accompany certain dishes. ”

“ SPECIAL DIRECTIONS. TIP OF THE SIRLOIN, OR RIB ROAST.
It is easier to carve this joint by cutting across the ribs, parallel with the backbone, but that is cutting with the grain; and meat, especially beef, seems more tender if cut across the grain. ”

“ The less the spit is made to pass through the prime part of the meat, the better. Thus, in a shoulder of mutton, the spit is made to enter close to the shank-bone, and passed along the blade-bone of the joint.
When the meat is nearly sufficiently roasted, it is dusted over with a coating of flour; this, uniting with the fat and other juices exuded on the surface, covers the joint with a brown crust, glazed and frothy, which gives to the eye a prelude of the palatable substance it encrusts. ”

“ Ribs of Beef. A piece of from twenty to twenty-five pounds makes a very pretty joint; trim neatly by sawing off the tips of the chine-bones to make it stand flat, saw also about three inches from the tips of the ribs, merely sawing through the bones, which detach from the meat, leaving a flap, which fold under and fix with wooden skewers, not, however, pulling it too tight, or it would cause the skin to crack in roasting, which would produce a very bad effect; roast as directed for the sirloin, from two hours and a half to three hours would be sufficient, unless very thick. ”

“ Rolled ribs and round of beef are carved in round slices as thin as possible, each slice having considerable fat mixed with the lean.
Beefsteaks are carved across the grain.
Sirloin Steak.—Cut slices at right angles to the vertebræ in both the sirloin and the tenderloin, then separate.
Lamb and Mutton
A leg of mutton is considered by many the most difficult piece of meat to carve. If the hip bone is removed, the carving of this joint is simple, but it is usually left in. Place the leg on the platter, with the skin side next the platter. Carve from the hip bone across the leg ”

“ The lean of good fresh beef is of a bright red color, a fine close grain, and feels tender to the touch on pinching it between your thumb and finger. The fat is firm and very nearly white. The suet about the kidney, firm and quite white. If, on the contrary, the lean is coarse, tough, and of a dull color, and the fat scanty, yellow, and moist, do not buy that meat for any purpose. The same rules will apply to mutton. If the weather is so cold that the meat is frozen, thaw it by lying it all night or early in the morning in a tub of cold water. ”

“ Cut Beef, Veal, Ham, Tongue, and Breasts of Poultry, with a sharp knife, very thin; Mutton, Lamb, and Pork rather thicker.
Never rise from your seat to carve; never cut across the grain of the meat, that is, not across the ribs of beef, as I have seen some persons do, and Mr. B. tells me is often done at clubs, but it is only those do so who do not know how to carve or appreciate the true flavor of the meat. ”

“ Spread the bottom of the pot with butter, or marrow. Pack in pieces of meat, bone, gristle, the carcases of birds, two or three vegetables cut up in small pieces, two cloves, and a bouquet of herbs.
Cover the meat, etc., with cold water. Put on the lid. Heat slowly, and when it boils set back to simmer for four or five hours.
In preparing meat for this stock, look it over carefully; reject any piece which is not perfectly good, also all stuffing, skin, smoked or burnt pieces. A little beef fat can always be retained, but mutton fat should not be used as it is rank in flavour. ”

“ In plump young lamb and pork all cuts are tender. With veal, rib and loin are generally more tender than the rest of the carcass. The cheaper cuts of lamb, pork, and veal—that is, shoulder, breast, and shank meat—make good chops, roasts, pot roasts, and stews.
Learn the cuts of meat so you can name them when you see them. The best teacher is the reliable meat dealer. Arrange to do your marketing at the time of day when he can help you. ”

“ This exception should be duly noted, inasmuch as it is the one redeeming feature of such proceeding that renders it fairly well adapted for the cookery of such [125] meat as cow-heels, sheeps’-trotters, calves’-heads, shins of beef, knuckles of veal, and other viands which consist mainly of membranous, tendinous, or integumentary matter composed of gelatin. To treat the prime parts of good beef or mutton in this manner is to perpetrate a domestic atrocity. ”

“ To have stock in the house at all times is by no means easy in a small family, especially in summer; with glaze, which is solidified stock, one is independent of it.
Six pounds of lean beef from the leg, or a knuckle of veal and beef to make six pounds. Cut this in pieces two inches square or less; do the same with half a pound of lean ham, free from rind or smoky outside, and which has been scalded five minutes. Put the meat into a two-gallon pot with three medium-sized onions with two cloves in each, a turnip, a carrot, and a small head of celery. ”

“ A variety of pieces known by a variety of names, such as cross ribs, plate or Rattel rand, brisket, shoulder, rump, thick flank, aitch bone and the butt or vein, are used for boiling, braising, stewing, corned beef, pot roasts and spiced beef.
The upper round, occasionally called the buttock, is used for round steaks.
The lower round is good for beef-tea, hamburg-steak, meat pies and any purpose for which good chopped beef is needed.
The chuck ribs are those nearest the neck; they [269] are frequently used for stews, chuck steaks and ragout. ”

“ Pigs' Knuckles and Sauerkraut Wash and scrape pigs' knuckles and simmer in water to cover for about 2 hours, or until tender. Then add sauerkraut to the broth and cook just long enough to make it tender. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and if available, celery or caraway seed.
GROUND MEAT IN SAVORY WAYS Grinding helps to make tough meat tender. Good cuts of beef for grinding grinding are lower round, fore part of the chuck, lean sections of brisket, and other small pieces of good flavor. There are also many small tidbits of tender lamb, pork, and veal that are best used as ground meat. ”

“ Of course, the butcher takes care to regulate his prices so as to secure a remunerative profit on his outlay. Prime parts of beef are sirloins, ribs and rounds; of mutton, legs and loins. Middling pieces of beef are top ribs, back ribs, and silverside; of mutton, shoulders. Inferior pieces of beef are shins, brisket and flank, clod, or shoulder, sticking piece, or neck; of mutton, necks and breasts. The prices given in the table are such as would be paid for meat of the best quality. ”

“ A ROUND OF BEEF STEWED BROWN.—Take a round of fresh beef; the larger it is the more tender it will be: a small round is always, comparatively, hard and tough. Remove the fat; with a sharp knife make [70] deep cuts or incisions all over the meat, and stuff into them a seasoning of finely minced onions, mixed with powdered mace, nutmeg, and a little pepper and salt. Then go all over the meat with the drippings or cold gravy of roast beef, and dredge it slightly with flour. Have ready an iron dutch-oven and its lid, well heated by standing up both lid and oven before the fire. ”

“ By adding one tea-spoonful of made mustard, the juice of half a lemon, and a little vinegar to the poivrade, instead of the claret, one has the sauce Robert.
BEEF.
For a roast of beef, the sirloin and tenderloin cuts are considered the best. They are more expensive, and are no better than the best cuts of a rib roast: the sixth, seventh, and eighth ribs are the choicest cuts. The latter roasts are served to better advantage by requesting the butcher to remove the bones and roll the meat. Always have him send the bones also, as they are a valuable acquisition to the soup-pot. ”

“ A sufficient quantity of mutton or [100] beef suet, butter, lard, or oil, being melted in a pan, and made boiling-hot, the meat is laid in it. It is not necessary that the meat be wholly immersed in the boiling fat; if it be immersed in part, it will be quite sufficient. When flesh is the substance to be fried, the pieces, previously to their being put into the pan, are sometimes brushed over with eggs and crumbs of stale bread, flour, or any other farinaceous substance. ”

“ Take the fat from the top of your cold stock. Pick out some of the best pieces of meat—about a cupful—and [529] set aside. Add a pint of boiling water to the stock, and boil slowly, with the bones and the rest of the meat, for nearly an hour. Chop the meat reserved from the stock; make into force-meat with fine crumbs, seasoning with onion, parsley, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and binding with beaten egg. Flour your hands and make this into round balls. Roll them in flour; set in a floured pie-dish, not touching each other, and leave in a quick oven until crusted over. Let them cool. ”

“ In the cooking of animal substances in public institutions, where the allowance of meat is generally weighed out in its raw state, and includes bones, and is served out cooked, and sometimes without bone, it is a matter of importance to ascertain nearly their relative proportions. Much, no doubt, depends upon the piece of the meat cooked, and the degree of cookery, and the attention bestowed on it. Persons who salt rounds [129] of beef to sell by retail, after it is boiled, get 19 lbs. of cold boiled beef from 25 lbs. raw; but the meat is always rather underdone. ”

“ The next morning take the meat from the bones to use for potted meat, put the bones and vegetables into the stockpot, together with any bones, whether large or small, left from the previous day, trimmings of meat, cooked or uncooked, gristle, skin, &c.: bones from poultry and game of any kind should be used with the rest, and a ham or bacon bone, or trimmings from a tongue, all help to improve the flavour of the stock. ”

“ Of course, the kind, quality, and shape of the meat all play their part in the matter. Extra time is needed for meats with a good deal of sinew and tough fibers, such as the tough steaks, shank cuts, etc.; and naturally a fillet of beef, or a steak from a prime cut, will take less time than a thick piece from the shin. ”