Primary Cuts of Meats 

Beef 

Veal 

Lamb 

​Pork​ 

​

Marinades​

 ​

Good marinade will add flavor to your favorite meat and make it more tender and juicy. Making a marinade is very simple. All you need are three basic components. The first is an acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, or wine. The acid is important as it break down the meat and tenderizes it. The second is oil. This protects and preserves the food while marinated and also when it’s being cooked. The third is any herb and/or spice. This is what gives a marinade its unique flavor and zest. Feel free to experiment by grouping one or more ingredients from each component. ​

 ​

 Here are some general guidelines for marinating:​

​

1. Meat and poultry are generally marinated for 2 hours up to 2 days.​

2. Seafood and fish should be marinated for no longer than one hour.​

3. Use a non-reactive container- steel clear of aluminum, copper, or cast ​ iron.​

4. Wait for marinade to cool down before pouring over the meat of your ​ choice.​

5. Always refrigerate your meat while its marinating.​

6. Never reuse marinades.​

Examples of Marinades 

Pineapple Marinade​

This sweet, fruity marinade works great on any cut or chicken giving it a great Hawaiian Teriyaki flavour. Try this marinade when you are simply placing cut strips of pork or chicken over rice. You can make extra marinade to use as a sauce as long as you keep it separate from meat.​

 ​

Pork Chop Marinade​

This is a great Asian style marinade that works well on all cuts of pork, particularly pork chops, reminiscent of a teriyaki marinade with a hint of heat from the chili sauce. You can, if you like, heat this up with some extra chili sauce.​

 ​

Pork Rib Marinade​

This marinade uses a pork rub for the seasoning with vinegar and water to turn it into a marinade. ​

 ​

Teriyaki Marinade​

This teriyaki marinade works particularly well with pork and poultry and gives it a sweet salty taste.​

 ​

 Mustard-Vinegar Marinade​

This is a simple mustard marinade that tenderizes and adds flavor. It works well on pork or poultry.​

​

​

Source: http://bbq.about.com/od/marinaderecipes/tp/Top-10-Pork-Marinades

Effect of Heat on Meat 

1. It tenderizes connective tissue if moisture is present, and cooking is slow.​

2. It coagulates protein. Even meats low in connective tissue can be tough and dry if cooked at excessively high heats for too long.​

3. High heat toughens and shrinks protein and results in excessive moisture lost.​

4. Roasts cooked at low temperature shrink less and loss less moisture.​

5. Moist heat penetrates meat quickly. To avoid over cooking, meat should be simmered, never boiled.​

​

Methods of Cooking Meat

1. Dry heat cooking, such as roasting, broiling, or sautéing.​

2. Moist heat cooking, like braising, steaming, or poaching.​