Muscles are made of bundles of cells called fibres, which are held together by connective tissue.
These fibres are different lengths and thicknesses; they are what gives meat its grain and texture. The grain of meat is defined as the fibres of meat that run in a certain direction.
Connective tissue is a gum-like substance that holds the meat tissues together. There are two types of connective tissue: yellow and white. The yellow connective tissue is called elastin and is found in tougher cuts of meat. This does not break down during cooking, so will need to be removed when preparing the meat. White connective tissue is called collagen and this will break down during slow, moist methods of cookery.
A cut of meat is the name we give a part of a muscle, that comes from different parts of an animal. The cut determines the best cooking methods. A cut from a muscle that is used a lot by an animal is tougher so usually needs longer cooking at relatively low temperatures compared to muscles that are not used much.
For example: Beef cheeks and eye fillet
Cattle spend most of their day chewing so their cheek muscles get a lot of work over the animal’s lifetime. This means cheeks tend to be tough and need slow cooking to achieve a tender dish.
In contrast, eye fillet is the muscle from beneath the ribs along the backbone and does very little work. It is very tender and suits quick cooking methods.
Customers may not be very knowledgeable about meat and may need your help to choose the dishes they will enjoy. You need to know:
what part of the animal a cut comes from
what the cut looks like
how it is cooked.
This helps you to correctly:
describe meat dishes to customers
explain the features and differences between the dishes.