To cut to the chase, there are four stages of meat processing. Those who handle meat with various degrees of proficiency can call themselves a meat tenderizer in these four stages:
The beginning of any tenderizing process is an intensive stage. This stage involves all aspects of raw meat treatment. You may include skinning, evisceration, cleaning, salting, baking, curing, etc.
Different Stages Involved In Meat Processing
Every stage involves a significant amount of processing time. Some of the stages are of short duration, while others take up to several hours. Let’s take a look at each of the stages in order to understand what each of them does and how they affect the finished product.
When you start cutting into a piece of meat, the first stage is cut. In this first stage, the processor uses cutting equipment to cut off the tip of the blade that will be used to cut the meat from the carcass. After the cutting is complete, the processor will be able to cut a decent piece of meat off of the carcass.
Skinning is also called trimming. The skinning stage requires a sharp blade that can remove skin without breaking it. It is often necessary to use a light coating of oil on the blade before the meat goes into the cutting board. The oil helps to protect the blade from scratches and skinning damage during this step.
Workable Knife For Meat Processing
If you had a workable knife for this stage, you are still in the skinning stage. After a little bit of time, your knife will become very dull and will not cut as well as it did in the beginning. To make it function again, simply soak the blade in oil. It is a good idea to use cooking oil as well, since many animals and meats contain some residual fats that should not be submerged. It is important to remember that if you do not completely submerge the fat or other ingredient in the meat, you may run the risk of cooking the food by over-fitting it.
After the initial stage of skinning, you will go on to the baking stage of meat processing. In this stage, you will be dressing the cut meat and seasoning it with salt, pepper, herbs, and spices. Some recipes call for additional dressing ingredients, while others call for just salt and pepper. Since many recipes call for the same thing, it may be wise to stay with the “standard” dressing ingredients.
The next stage, eviscerating, is a rough cut into small pieces. It can also be referred to as splitting or removal of the tongue. It involves removing the big chunks of the meat from the bone.
The Cutting Board
The cutting board will still be in place in this stage, but it will be used for cutting instead of for presentation. After the eviscerating process, the meat can be placed into the curing stage. This can be done by the following steps. It is important to note that you should not cure the meat on its own, or it may not be properly cured when you get it back from the curing room.
In the curing stage, the meat can either be immersed in water, injected with air, exposed to smoke, or exposed to other forms of smoke. Most curing rooms offer a variety of smoking options and some are offered for free. Other processes are typically sold at a very discounted price and will be included in the overall cost of the meat.
Curing is a pretty basic stage of meat processing, so you might as well just let it be. After the curing stage, the meat can be carved, sliced, or grilled. This allows you to get the best value from the meat, as well as getting to know how the meat will have a specific taste and texture before you actually use it. There are several ways to carve meat, and there are different ways to grill.
Bottom Line
The short cuts of meat we eat on a daily basis can also be the most flavorful and rich tasting. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to make sure the right steps are taken in order to ensure the proper growth and development of the meat before it can be consumed in this form. and to get the most from it when it reaches the table.
