Lean meat

Sunset, Nov, 1987

Imported lamb cuts, smaller than their domestic counterparts, are often sold frozen. If you want to use a frozen leg for several meals, ask your meat delaer to saw it so you can thaw just the part you need. You might have 2 or 3 steaks cut from the large end, have the shank removed, and leave the center section whole to roast.

Keeping meat safe and labels honest

All meat-processing plants in this country operate under government surveillance. Federal requirements are meant to ensure that meat will not contain harmful residues of drugs; animals also undergo pre- and post-slaughter inspections.

Still, some question the use of any drugs in livestock. About four out of five food animals are given some drugs during their lifetimes--to stimulate growth, to help them utilize their feed more efficiently, and to treat disease. In general, fewer drugs are used now than in the past. The synthetic hormone DES, once widely used to promote growth, has been banned because of evidence that it causes cancer.

A few markets are selling meats labeled "natural.' As the term is defined--meaning any product that has no artificial color, flavor, or other ingredients and is not more than minimally processed--all fresh meat is natural, and the appearance of this word is no guarantee it is drug-free. But it has recently been given a little more meaning; labels marked "natural' must now explain the use of the term.

A few market animals are being raised today without drugs, and the USDA has approved labels that make specific claims about how the animals were raised. Some typical claims are "raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones' or "fed grain grown without the use of pesticides.' Anyone using such phrases on a label must have records to verify them.

Labels such as "lite,' "lean,' and "low-fat' have also been redefined. Any meat product called "extra-lean' may have no more than 5 percent fat by weight; a "lean' or "low-fat' product may have no more than 10 percent fat. A product may be called "light,' "lite,' "leaner,' or "lower fat' if it has at least 25 percent less fat than most comparable products; the label must state its fat content versus that of the standard product.

Meats labeled ground beef or hamburger may have no more than 30 percent fat and must be pure beef--all from skeletal muscles (no variety meats). But they may have added seasonings if declared on the label. If called ground chuck or ground round, meat must be entirely from those cuts and may contain no more than 30 percent fat. Any product that makes a claim about fat content must state the percentage of fat it contains.

How cooking affects meat

What makes meat tender or tough? Juicy or dry? Flavorful or bland? The answers lie in the structure of muscles and connective tissues (such as tendons and gristle) and how they respond to cooking.

Muscles consist of long, thin fibers held together in bundles by connective tissue.

In young animals, the muscles are thin; later, they become thicker and tougher. But younger animals often have a higher ratio of connective tissue to muscle. In any animal, muscles that are used least are most tender. Usually, muscles along the back get the least action, while those in the shoulder and legs get the most.