knife skills: fabrication

poultry, beef, round fish and flat fish

what is fabrication?

Meat cutting, or fabrication, is the process of cutting, boning, and portioning large cuts of meat to menu specifications. Becoming proficient at fabricating whole carcasses or primal meat cuts takes practice often through an apprenticeship under a master meat cutter.

Poultry fabrication

Poultry fabrication includes disjointing, boning (separating meat from bones), and cutting a bird into pieces. Fabricating poultry is relatively simple because poultry bones are small and easy to cut through. Essential tools include a clean work surface, boning knife, and chef's knife.

After learning the cuts and dices, the kitchen professional moves on to breaking down various proteins for cooking. This involves using the knife to separate all the crucial parts of a particular animal and to do it cleanly and effectively.

First there is the chicken and the 12-piece fabrication. "Fabrication" is the culinary term for cutting meat, boning, and portioning pieces to menu specifications.

Chicken Fabrication w/Chef Gutierrez

CSFTW Chef Edward Gutierrez demonstrates how to properly fabricate a chicken.

beef fabrication

Beef is the meat of domesticated cattle. Most of the beef Americans eat comes from steers, which are male cattle castrated as calves and specifically raised for beef. Although Americans are consuming less beef today in comparison to past eating habits, we still consume far more beef than any other meat. The beef we are eating is leaner than that of years past attributable to advances in animal husbandry and closer trimming of exterior fat.

Whether its a Porterhouse Steak, Ribeye, Top Sirloin, or Chuck Roast a well studied chef can make any cut of meat delicious and full of flavor.

Understanding the various cuts allows the cooking professional to have the ability to adapt and procure ultimate flavor.

Meat Fabrication-Beef Chuck Breakdown

Chop Shop Lead Butcher, Tony Philpott breaks down a Beef Chuck showing us the best way to optimally yield Denver Steak, Sierra Steak, and Chuck Roast! -Chop Shop Artisan Butcher, St. Augustine, FL

seafood fabrication

flatfish and roundfish

Scale and gut the fish if needed. Trim fins with a kitchen shears. Remove the head by cutting through the fillet just behind the gills to the spine. Repeat the step on the opposite side and twist or cut off the head to finish. Proceed with filleting or cross-cut into steaks.

How to Fabricate a Round Fish

Flat Fish Fabrication

Arizona Culinary Institutes Executive Chef Christopher Wolf demonstrates how to fabricate a flat fish using Flounder

pork fabrication

In the fabrication process, pork carcasses are broken into primal units which, in turn, are broken into various sub-primal cuts. Primals can be cut in different styles to make different sets of sub-primals to fit different customer and consumer needs.

Pig Fabrication - Export Cuts

Whole pig fabrication using standard export cutting methods.

Pig Fabrication - Domestic Cuts

Whole pig fabrication using the standard domestic cutting methods.

in conclusion

The extent of meat cutting and fabrication performed in professional kitchens today depends on the philosophy and goals of the operation. Some restaurants, because of the consistency and simplicity, prefer to purchase portion cuts. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some chefs today are adopting whole animal utilization and prefer purchasing carcasses or sides of meats to use in various menu applications.

The success of a meat cutting program depends on quality control, food cost control, and product utilization. It requires a knowledgeable person skilled at accurately cutting meats, poultry, fish, and shellfish, plus cooks dedicated to using not just the prime cuts but under-utilized cuts, trim, and bone for other culinary applications.

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