Hoofed game such as venison is at its best at the age of 4–5 years. The fat should be bright and clear and the cleft of the hoof smooth and closed.
The larger furred game, like stag and roebuck, are usually supplied skinned but, for those who receive their game directly from the hunter, Figure 5.16a shows how to remove the skin reasonably easily.
Once the skin is removed, the venison should be rubbed with a mixture of salt, flour and crushed black pepper and hung up to dry in a cool, well-ventilated room, where it should be allowed to tenderize and to develop a good gamey flavour, for up to 3 weeks.
As game is mostly in season in the cold winter months, this should present no great difficulties.
The carcass of venison should be dissected like a carcass of lamb (see Figure 5.16b and Chapter 6 on butchery). Table 5.4 gives the basic cuts, of which the most important are illustrated in Figure 5.17.
TABLE5.3 Furred Game
English French
Deer or doe La chevrette
Young deer or stag Le cerf
Roebuck Le chevreuil
Hind La biche
Chamois or mountain goat Le chamois
Reindeer Le renne
Wild boar Le sanglier
Young wild boar Le marcassin
Young hare Le levraut
Hare Le lièvre
Rabbit Le lapin
Wild rabbit Le lapin de garenne
a
Approach to skinning
b
Common dissection (as for lamb)
FIG. 5.16 Approch to skinning and dissecting larger furred game
Venison and also hare or rabbit saddle has a very fine silvery tough skin which must be removed before cooking. This it best done with a sharp, small filleting knife (see Figure 5.18).
All furred game should, after hanging, be marinated, usually from between 12 and 24 hours according to the type of game and size of joint. Marinating will much improve and bring out the characteristic flavour of the game. (See marinades in Chapter 3.)
Because there is very little fat on venison, the larding of venison cuts comes into its own for flavour and moisture (see Figure 5.19).
Wild boar should be dissected very much like a carcass of pork (see Chapter 6 on butchery). Boar is both roasted and braised; some joints would benefit by larding and marinating.
Hares (August to March) have very tender ears which tear easily, they have short, easily broken claws; the harelip is only faintly defined. They are best at the age of
TABLE5.4 Cuts of Venison
Cut French Approx.
weight
Best uses
Scrag end Le cou de chevreuil 1 kg Boned used for ragouts, farces, pâtés and terrines Middle neck Les basses côtes de
chevreuil
2.5 kg Boned used for ragouts, farces, pâtés and terrines Best end Le carré de chevreuil 3 kg Roasting, grilling and frying,
or as part of saddle Long saddle La selle de chevreuil 2–3 kg Roasting, braising Legs (2) Le gigot de chevreuil 3 kg Roasting, braising Shoulder (2) L’épaule de chevreuil 2.5 kg Braising, roasting Breast (2) La poitrine de chevreuil 1–2 kg Stew-ragout, minced for
farces Any
trimmings
Boned used for ragouts, farces, pâtés and terrines
Bones Les os Stocks and sauces
7–8 months, weighing then about 2.5–3 kg. Hang the hare by its forelegs for about a week to collect the blood, which is used in the making of sauces and, of course, jugged hare.
Young hares are best used for roasting, frying, sauté and poêlé, as well as for the making of pies and casseroles. Older hares are best used for jugged hare, pies, terrines and soups.
Rabbits (August to March) are best at 3–4 months old. They are smaller than hare and tamed rabbit. The under-jaw is tender and very easily broken; there is a very short neck and large joints; the paws are well developed in proportion to size. Hang by its forelegs for 1 week. Rabbit flesh is often flavoured by wild thyme, on which it feeds.
To skin, hang hare or rabbit from two hooks, one through each leg sinew, and spreading legs apart. Make an incision upwards on the inside of one of the legs, cut around the paws and draw each leg out of the skin. Cut through the tail and draw the skin downwards, towards the head, using the tip of the knife to cut the tissue between skin and flesh. At the forelegs, loosen skin around the shoulder blades, cut around the front paws and continue to draw the skin over the head. Cut through the ears and take care to trim the skin off the head, making use of the tip of the knife.
Make an incision from vent to ribs, along the middle of the belly, inserting middle and index finger into the cut and cutting between them, so as not to perforate the intestines. Split the pelvic bone and remove intestines, which are disposed of. Next, break through the skin of the diaphragm, separating the belly from the organs, and lift out the lungs, liver and heart and place in a bowl together with the blood that will run from the cavity. A few drops of vinegar will keep the blood fluid till required.
Hare and rabbits are jointed as in Table 5.5. Figure 5.20 shows the cuts for braising or stewing.
Plate 5.3f–k show various attractive presentations of cooked game dishes.
a
Long saddle of venison with best end attached
b
The two legs:
b As it was taken off the carcass
c Prepared for roasting or braising with aitch bone removed and leg knuckle cleared
d e
The two shoulders:
d As it was taken off the carcass
e Prepared for roasting or braising with blade removed and leg knuckle cleared
f
g
The two breasts:
Inner (f ) and outer (g) appearance
Thicker part can be cut in dice for stew-ragout, often with the bone enclosed, which is removed after cooking
The rest, freed of bones, fat and sinew, can be minced for stuffing or terrines
c
FIG. 5.17 Important venison cuts and preparations
a Venison saddle b Hare/rabbit saddle
FIG. 5.18 Skinning saddles of venison and rabbit/hare. Taking about a centimetre at a time, draw the knife upward to either side so as not to damage the tender flesh below
FIG. 5.19 The larding of various venison cuts
TABLE5.5 Hare and Rabbits Joints
Cuts Rabbit Hare Uses
Legs Les cuisses de
lapin
Les cuisses de lièvre
Roast and braise, ragout Saddle with best end,
excluding scrag
La râble de lapin
La râble de lièvre Roast and braise, ragout Shoulders La poitrine de
lapin
La poitrine de lièvre
Roast and braise, ragout Middle neck Basses côtes
de lapin
Basses côtes de lièvre
Bone for stew, stock
Neck Le cou de lapin Le cou de lièvre Bone for stew
and stock Head, breast bones
and trimmings
For stocks and sauces
Cut off the two hind legs. part in half and trim, resulting in three reasonably even pieces (1, 2, 3 in figure).
Cut off the two front legs and again cut in half at the joint and trim, resulting in two reasonably even pieces (4,5).
Now remove the breast on either side of the remaining saddle and set aside.
Skin the saddle (6) (see Figure 5.18a) and thereafter cut into eight even slices.
This preparation results in six hind leg pieces, plus four front leg pieces, plus eight saddle pieces, making 18 pieces in all or three portions.
FIG. 5.20 Cutting hare or rabbit for jugged hare, braising or stewing, pies and fricassee
6 (Le Boucherie)
The function of the Butchery department (Le Boucherie) in the Larder of a catering establishment is the preparation of all raw meat for the kitchens. This involves the breaking down of wholesale cuts of meat, or carcasses, into joints and small cuts for entrées, such as stews, pies, minces, steaks, escalopes, cutlets, fillets, medallions etc., as required for the menus of the day or for banquets.
All preparations requiring raw meat, such as sausages, hamburger steaks, minced shin of beef for clarification etc., are naturally the province of the Butcher. Offal likewise comes into this class. Unlike the shop butcher, who is concerned with selling his meat to his best advantage and, therefore, cannot trim his prime cuts too closely, the Butcher in the catering trade has to prepare and trim each cut carefully so that it should be ready for the different methods of cooking without further trimming of any kind. This involves removing all excess fat, all gristle and sinew, and any bones, which might interfere with easy carving and correct portion control of the meat when cooked.
These by-products should, of course, be carefully sorted and made use of to their best advantage for stocks, dripping etc., and wastage must be kept to its lowest pos-sible level. Careful storage, and the maintenance of all tools in an efficient condition will contribute to the elimination of waste in this very expensive product.
It follows from the above that the Butcher should be familiar with the various meats, should be able to distinguish quality, should have some knowledge of the bone forma-tion of the carcasses to enable him to dissect efficiently, should know the various cuts of meat or joints and their best utilization, the number of portions obtainable from each and the cost per portion. He must also be familiar with the French names of each cut of meat, joint, entrée or grill.
‘Fresh meat’ includes all meat not salted or cooked. It may be fresh, killed, chilled or frozen. Only chilled meat is imported. It is produced chiefly in Argentina and Uruguay and EU countries. After slaughter beef is cooled, graded, quartered and sheeted and it is hung during transit in a non-freezing temperature in a sterile refrigeration chamber. It must be sold and used quickly after arrival in port. Storage temperature is approx.−1 to−2◦C (28–30◦F).
Frozen beef is imported from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
Lamb and mutton come mainly from New Zealand and Australia. After slaughter the carcasses are inspected, graded, stamped and sheeted, frozen solid, packed in layers in store refrigerators and in refrigerated ships at−29◦C (−20◦F). This enables all the space to be filled and therefore makes for cheaper rates of transport than chilled beef.
On arrival at British ports it is kept frozen in cold stores and distributed by insulated rail or road containers to various parts of the country.
140
B E E F Le boeuf
Best home-killed beef comes from Scotland, Norfolk and Devon. Beef is classi-fied as below and the classification can easily be distinguished by reference to the hindquarters of the carcass.
Male Female
Entire=Bull calf up to 1 year Heifer calf
Castrate=Castrated bull Heifer =Not calved
Yearling=Bull in first year Cow-heifer=Young female after calving Steer calf=Castrated yearling Cow =After calving
Bull=Adult bull
Steer ox=Castrated adult Identification:
Steer: Steer will have a curved pubic bone and a relatively narrow pelvic cavity; the cod fat will be heavy.
Heifer: Heifer will have a flat pubic bone and a relatively wider pelvic cavity;
the udder fat will be firm.
Cow: Cow pubic bone is flat and light with a wide pelvic cavity.
Bull: The bull pubic bone will be large, the pelvic cavity narrow and cod fat almost non-existent.
Carcass quality is judged under three main headings: conformation, finish and qual-ity. Conformation relates to the proportion of good joints in relation to bone and is rather more important in beef than other animals. Finish refers to an outer covering of fat, which should be smooth, evenly distributed over the carcass and creamy white in colour.
Quality of beef can be judged by these points:
• The meat should be firm and bright red.
• It should have a good showing of dots or flecks of white fat, what we call marbled.
• The fat should be firm and brittle in texture, and creamy white in colour.
• Yellowish fat is always a sign that the animal is older or of a dairy breed.
Beef should be fresh, or only chilled: frozen beef is never quite as good.
Steer beef is considered best but in some districts heifers are preferred as these are smaller and the bones are lighter. The texture, too, is finer. Cow or bull beef is usually sold to the manufacturing industry.
S K E L E T A L F O R M A T I O N
Cattle, sheep and pigs are similar in structure. The body consists of head, neck, trunk and tail, and is divided into the front part, ‘forequarters’, and the rear part,
‘hindquarters’. The diaphragm forms a division between the chest or thorax and the abdomen or belly. Figure 6.1 shows the bones to be found in a side of beef.
Lumber Vertebrae
Seven segments of bone in the neck region Thirteen segments of bone in the chest region Six segments of bone in the back region
Five segments of bones fused into one at the end of the back region
The tail segments vary in number in different animals
Ribs Thirteen pairs
Sometimes 12 or 14 of these are 8 pairs true ribs and 5 pairs false ribs
Breeds of pigs have 14 or even 15 segments of dorsal vertebrae and, as each segment has a pair of ribs attached, it follows that they will have 14 or 15 pairs of ribs too.
The numbers of segments of bones in the sacral region and in the sternum breast bone are also different, e.g.
4 segments of sacral vertebrae, 6 segments of sternum Sternum or breast bone One bone, 7 segments of bones, fused
Pelvic or haunch bones Consisting of hip bone and aitch bone Hind limb Consisting of thigh bone, knee cap, leg bones Fore limb Consisting of blade bone, shoulder bone, foreleg bone
FIG. 6.1 Skeletal formation of beef
J O I N T I N G O R D I S S E C T I O N
The method of jointing described here is based on the skeleton of the animal. No one would take the trouble to chop through a bone if a joint could be found which, with very little effort, one could cut through. Even in these days of mechanical saws, use is still made of the skeletal structure to facilitate jointing.
For convenience a side of beef quartered between the tenth and eleventh ribs and cut straight across is described. This provides a 10 rib forequarter and a 3 rib hind-quarter. All imported chilled beef is quartered in this manner, and so is all-local beef.
A whole side of beef (as shown in Figure 6.1) is very seldom supplied to hotels and restaurants. Figure 6.2 shows the cuts available from a side when divided into forequarter and hindquarter. The average weight of a side of beef is about 175–180 kg (350–380 lb) but it could, in certain cases, be heavier or lighter. For this reason, the weights given below for the different cuts are only approximately correct. The meth-ods of cutting vary considerably in certain parts of the world, even in Great Britain.
There is, however, a broad correlation between the various systems based on the skeleton of the animal. The method given here is known as the ‘London and Home Counties’.