Lean meat

When cutting meat, you can often remove tendons and gristle along with fat. Meats that appear coarse-grained have thicker muscles and often lots of connective tissue laced through them. Fine-grained meats have thinner muscles, with less connective tissue, and are usually more tender. Within many cuts, such as chuck blade, you'll find both coarse- and fine-grained meat.

The most direct ways to tenderize meats are physical. Slicing it thinly across muscle fibers makes it easier to chew. Pounding meat slices, scoring the surface, and putting slices through a mechanical tenderizer are all ways to break down fibers; grinding breaks them down even more, and also changes texture.

When preparing less tender cuts, determine the direction in which muscle fibers run and slice perpendicular to it. This is critical in cutting strips for stir-frying and slices for scaloppine, as well as for slicing roasts and thick steaks. Marinades containing wine, vinegar, or citrus juice also soften muscle fibers but work only on the surface. We use them to add flavor, not to tenderize.

The flavor of cooked meats is influenced by the age of the animal, what it was fed, and how the meat was stored after slaughter. Within muscles and surrounding them, even when not visible, are fat deposits. These melt during cooking, lubricating fibers and making meat seem more tender and flavorful. Our recipes use light sauces with lean meats to help compensate for the lack of fatty juices.

Changes that take place during cooking also result in characteristic flavors. High temperatures that give a brown crust to the meat's surface concentrate flavor there. As meat cooks, its color also changes predictably, so color can be a gauge of doneness. As the meat's internal temperature rises from about 130| to 170|, the fibers shorten and bond together in solid masses, squeezing out liquid from within the cells. At 170|, most of the juices have been exuded. Lean meats, especially, are more tender and juicy when served rare.

We've been told for years that pork must be well cooked to kill any trichinae parasite. But, when roasted to the 160| or 170| recommended in the past, today's lean pork is tough and tasteless. The parasite is actually destroyed at 137|; it's safe to cook pork to an internal temperature of 150| (use a meat thermometer).

Connective tissue breaks down most effectively at temperatures close to the boiling point of water, and in liquid. When meat has a lot of connective tissue, it needs to simmer until both muscle fibers and connective tissue begin to disintegrate --as with our braising method.

Lean meat techniques

For tenderness, you can use these six cooking methods. Marinades and sauces will add flavor

1. Kebab cubes: bright vegetables add color, texture

Buy meat already cubed, or cut cubes from any fairly tender cut of meat.

For 4 servings, you need 1 pound boneless lean meat (see chart, page 97); a marinade (choices follow); 8 tiny onions (each about 1-in. diameter), boiled until tender, or 1 small onion, cut into about 1-inch squares (optional); and 2 medium-size yellow, green, or red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into about 1-inch squares (optional).