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Now that we have covered sauces the next thing I would like to talk about is Meat. Meats are used in a variety of French cooking. Here is meat 101.

Beef Quality Grades

A quality grade is a composite evaluation of factors that affect palatability of meat (tenderness, juiciness, and flavor). These factors include carcass maturity, firmness, texture, and color of lean, and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. Beef carcass quality grading is based on (1) degree of marbling and (2) degree of maturity.
Marbling

Marbling (intramuscular fat) is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean. Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade.
Degrees of Marbling

Each degree of marbling is divided into 100 subunits. In general, however, marbling scores are discussed in tenths within each degree of marbling (e.g.,Slight 90, Small 00, Small 10).

It is probably not a surprise to most of you that the texture of meat changes as it is cooked. But what is really going on inside?

Raw Meat

Raw meat has a chewy, slippery texture. All of its water is trapped inside the muscle and connective tissue. You may have noticed that pounding a piece of meat doesn’t release much juice.

Early Cooking – Rare

Around 120° F (50° C), the protein myosin begins to coagulate. When this happens, water is squeezed around the groups of myosin and eventually forced out of the cell. This action not only makes the meat juicier but also gives it a firmer texture.

Middle Cooking – Medium

At 140° F (60° C), the protein coagulates even more and cells form into more solid groups. As this happens, the meat becomes firmer and larger pockets of liquid make it juicier. Once the meat rises past 140° F (60° C) up to 150° F (65° C), however, the collagen denatures in the connective tissue and puts more pressure on the water. When this happens, the meat shrinks and releases much of its juice. It becomes tougher and drier.

Late Cooking – Well Done

As the meat continues to cook, it becomes dry and stiff. Another change takes place, however, when the meat slowly reaches the temperature of 160° F (70° C). When slowly raised to this temperature, the collagen changes into soft gelatin and the meat releases its tight texture. While the actual muscle fibers are still firm, the gelatin allows it to break apart easily, making it feel tender. You usually achieve this result with barbecues, stews or braises.

Now that I know how meat reacts to cooking, I just have to figure out how to cook it to the right temperature!

Temps:

Beef
Rare
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): n/a
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 115 degrees

Medium-Rare
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 145 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 120 degrees to 130 degrees

Medium
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 160 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 140 degrees

Medium-Well
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): n/a
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 150 degrees

Well-Done
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 170 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 155 degrees to 160 degrees

Ground Beef
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 160 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 160 degrees

Pork
Medium
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 160 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 145 degrees

Well-Done
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 170 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 160 degrees

Ground Pork
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 160 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 160 degrees

Lamb
Rare
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): n/a
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 110 degrees to 115 degrees

Medium-Rare
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 145 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 130 degrees

Medium
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 160 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 140 degrees

Medium-Well
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): n/a
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 145 degrees to 150 degrees

Well-Done
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 160 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 150 degrees to 155 degrees

Ground Lamb
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 170 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 160 degrees

Poultry
Whole Bird, Thighs, Legs, Wings, Ground Poultry
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 165 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 165 degrees

Boneless Chicken Breasts
USDA Guidelines (Before Resting): 165 degrees
Professional Kitchens (Before Resting): 160 degrees

Quiz:

What temp is Med Rare?

What temp should you cook pork to?

What temp is Well Done?

What temp should you cook Chicken to?

Assignment:

Choose a cut of meat and try cooking it. Take the temp every 3 min and log how the temp fluctuates to see what happens during the cooking process. Leave a comment on this post to let me know what you found when cooking various types of meat.