Fosters Food Fair
MeatRoll your mouse pointer over the diagram for meat information below

Look for the USDA Grade:

BEEF

USDA Prime highest quality, most tender, juicy, flavorful USDA Choice most popular quality, very tender, juicy, flavorful USDA Select very lean quality, tender, not as juicy or flavorful

LAMB

Diagram of Lamb USDA Prime highest in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor USDA Choice very high in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor

PORK

USDA Acceptable Quality very lean, firm, with grayish pink color

Chuck

Meat is basically muscle, and the chuck happens to be a heavily exercised area. Luckily, this area contains a great deal of connective tissue, including collagen. Collagen melts during cooking, making the meat intensely flavorful. Cuts from this area benefit from slow, wet cooking methods like stewing, braising or pot-roasting.

USES:

 

  

Blade Roast:

Pot-roast or cook in a cooking bag

Chuck Steak:

 Kabobs

Slices :

Braised dishes

Cubes :

Stews

Strips:

 Stir-fry
   

Rib

Tender and flavorful ribs can be cooked any number of ways. Most recipes call for ribs to be roasted, sauteed, pan-fried, broiled, or grilled.

USES:

 

  

Rib Roast:

 Oven/Dry -roast

Boned and rolled:

Oven-roast

Club steaks :

 Grill

Rib-eye steaks:

 Grill

Short Loin

This area boasts extremely tender cuts and can be prepared without the aid of moist heat or long cooking times. The larger side is referred to by top loin, strip, New York strip, shell steak, etc. The smaller side is the tenderloin or filet mignon. Cuts from the short loin may be sautéed, pan fried, broiled, pan broiled or grilled.

USES:

 

  

Porterhouse Steak:

Grill or Pan fried

Filet Mignon:

Grill or Pan fried

T-bone Steak:

 Grill or Pan fried
   

Shank

The shank consists of a large proportion of bone and a lot of white connective tissue (collagen), which makes this tough but tasty cut. Generally sold as Stewing Steak or made into mince (ground) meat. When sold in pieces it is only suitable for very long, slow, moist cooking. The shank is definitely best when braised as in the classic dish osso buco. It can also be used for stews and stocks.

USES:

Foreshank:

Excellent stew meat
   

Brisket

This flavoursome cut with a coarse texture contains the breastbone and a few ribs. Traditionally used for corned beef, brisket is best prepared with moist heat. Suitable preparation methods include stewing, braising and pot-roasting.

USES:

 

Brisket First Cut:

 Pot roast
   

Brisket Front Cut:

 Pot roast
   

Round

The round consists of lean meat well-suited to long, moist cooking methods. This section includes the top round, bottom round, heel round, eye round, and rump roast. Sometimes ground beef is made from the round as well. Although all round cuts are tough, the top round is the tenderest, because of this, it can be roasted.

USES:

 

Top Round

 Pot roast

Thick Steaks

 Braised dishes

Rump Roast

 Pot roast

London broil

 Grilled
   

Flank

This meat is lean, muscular and very flavorful. Flank is primarily used for flank steaks and rolled flank steaks. It can also be used for kabobs. Flank steak consists of a boneless section and a few ribs known as short rib. The whole cut is covered with a thick layer of connective tissue (elastin) which must be removed before cooking. Flank steak is best when it has a bright, red color.

USES:

Flank Steak:

Broil

Boned and rolled:

Pot-roast

Short rib:

 Cured and simmered

Cubes:

Stews
   

Sirloin

This is the most widely used quality beef cut, Sirlion steaks are cut from this. The meat is tender and has a fine texture. The fillet gets bigger to the rump side. These tender cuts respond well to sautéing, pan-frying, broiling, pan-broiling or grilling.

USES:

Sirloin Steaks:

 Grill

Sirloin Tip Roast:

 Dry roasted or Marinated

 

Short Plate

This section is best used for stew meat, where its rich, beefy flavor can be appreciated. The short plate and flank contain meat of medium toughness. The muscle fibers are relatively coarse but contain sufficient intramuscular fat to maintain tenderness. Skirt steak, (from the short plate) and flank and hanger steaks, (from the flank), are delicious when grilled.

USES:

Short ribs :

 Braised
 

Skirt steak :

 Grill or Marinate
   

Flank and Breast

The breast is sawn off with flank for convenience. The cut contains the breastbone and ribs in a triangular shape where the flank joins the breast. A large proportion of white connective tissue occurs in the flank and the meat has a coarse texture.

USES:

Boned, rolled and tied:

Pot-roast or cook in cooking bag or aluminium foil

Soutribbetjie:

 Boil and grill

Cubes:

Casseroles and stews

Portions:

Stews

Strips:

 Kebabs, grill
   

Rib

The rib is the section of the lamb carcass on either side of the backbone between the shoulder and the loin and includes ribs 6 - 12. Rib meat is mild flavored, and tender. The rib cut has an outer layer of fat which can be trimmed off but, if left on during cooking, melts and bastes the meat.

USES:

Rack of lamb (8 ribs,chined and frenched):

Oven-roast

Chops:

Gril

Boned and rolled:

 Oven-roast

Saratoga chops:

 Grill

Loin

The loin primal cut is the section along the lamb's back from the 13th rib to the hip. The loin contains the most expensive, highly prized, and tender meat. It is somewhat leaner than the rib cut. Care must be taken in preparing loin meat, whatever the cut, so that it doesn't dry out during cooking. Therefore, it is recommended that cuts from this area be served medium rare or medium, and never well done.

USES:

Whole saddle:

Oven-roast

Whole loin:

 Oven-roast

Boned and rolled:

 Oven-roast

Loin chops:

 Grill
   

Leg

Although a lamb has four legs, only the two hind legs produce the cut referred to as "leg of lamb". It is a large, lean, and tender cut and can be used whole or subdivided into smaller cuts, which can be prepared in many different ways and are usually cooked using dry heat. The whole, bone-in leg can weigh from five to nine pounds and may be American style (no shank bone attached) or French style (shank bone left on).

USES:

Whole:

 Oven-roast (lamb), pot-roast (mutton)

Boned and rolled:

 Oven-roast (lamb), pot-roast (mutton)

Cured and smoked (Leipoldt ham):

 Boil

Slices:

 Shallow-fry

Cubes:

 Stews (mutton), kebabs (lamb), grill

Shoulder

The shoulder is the primal cut that includes the upper front leg, the shoulder blade, ribs 1 - 5, and the neck. The meat is tougher and more flavorful than the loin or hind leg. It also has more connective tissue, veins of fat, and many bones. Shoulder cuts are usually cooked using moist heat, although meat from young animals can be successfully roasted at low temperatures.

USES:

Boned and rolled:

 Oven-roast (lamb), pot-roast (mutton)

Boned and butterflied:

Oven-roast or grill over the coals

Cubes:

 Kebabs, grill

Shank slices:

Stews, or braised dishes
   

Shoulder

The pork whole shoulder originates in the forward portion of the carcass. Pork whole shoulders generally have the jowl removed. Collared (skin partially removed) may be specified by the purchaser. Generally used for further processing the pork shoulder is typically broken into the shoulder (Boston) butt and the shoulder picnic.

USES:

Whole, boned and stuffed:

 Oven-roast

Thick rib chops:

 Grill

Cubes:

 Stews

Strips:

Stir-fry
   

Belly

The belly is prepared from the carcass after removal of the loin, shoulder, leg, and back fat. Spareribs are produced from the bone-in belly and consist of ribs and intercostal meat and any diaphragm tissue that is firmly attached.

USES:

Whole, rolled:

Pot-roast or cook in cooking bag or aluminium foil

Boned, cured and smoked:

 Streaky bacon

Cured and smoked :

 Boil

Strips:

Kebabs, grill

Trimmings:

 Mince
   

Loin

The full bone-in loin is that portion of the carcass remaining after removal of the shoulder, leg, belly, and fat back. The bone-in loin contains both the rib or blade portion and the sirloin portion of the carcass as well as the full tenderloin.

USES:

Whole saddle:

 Oven-roast

Whole loin:

 Oven-roast

Boned and rolled:

 Oven-roast

Saratoga chops:

 Grill

Loin and saddle Chops:

Grill
   

Leg

The full leg is generated from the hind portion of the pork carcass. Pork legs do not include the sirloin and can be specified as short shank or long shank. Legs are often collared (skin partially removed to expose the lean).

USES:

Whole:

 Oven-roast

Boned:

 Oven-roast

Cured and/or smoked:

Ham

Slices:

 Shallow-fry, Pork olives, stews

Strips:

 Stir-fry

Cubes :

 Stews, kebabs and grill