Part 5

Do not allow the carcass to freeze because freezing within 1 day after death may toughen the meat. If the carcass cannot be chilled to below 40°F on the farm, it should be transported to the local locker plant or market for chilling. Chilled beef should be aged at least 2 to 3 days to ensure that rigor is complete. There is no benefit to aging beyond 7 to 9 days. In fact, subsequent freezer storage life may be reduced by long aging periods.

CUTTING

Use the following guidelines to prepare cutting and packaging instructions for the plant if the carcass is not cut and wrapped on the farm.

Steaks.—Those from the loin and rib, which are to be broiled, should be an inch or more in thickness. Those from the round and chuck, or which are to be cooked slowly with moist heat, should be ½ to ¾ inch thick. If two or more steaks are packaged together, they should be separated by two sheets of plastic or moisture-resistant paper. Although the size and shape of a steak will largely determine how many servings it will yield, allow ¾ of a pound per person (bone-in uncooked) where practicable.

Roasts.—Allow ¾ pound (uncooked) per serving for bone-in roasts such as blade chuck roasts or rump roasts and ½ pound (uncooked) per serving for boneless roasts such as sirloin tip or heel of round.

Ground beef and stew meat.—Allow ½ pound (uncooked) per serving.

Carcass Cutting Equipment

Elaborate and expensive equipment is not necessary, but certain items are essential (fig. 72). The following equipment is recommended:

1. Steel. 2. Steak knife. 3. Boning knife. 4. Meat saw. 5. Freezer paper (see section on “wrapping”). 6. Freezer tape. 7. Meat grinder (electric or hand-driven).

CUTTING THE CARCASS

Forequarter

The forequarter (fig. 73) is best processed by separating it into two more manageable sections and making usable cuts from each section. The following cutting procedure differs from the usual style of retail cutting by separating the forequarter between the sixth and seventh ribs instead of between the fifth and sixth ribs. This approach was taken to preclude difficulties for the novice which might arise with older carcasses, whose blade bone cartilage would have become ossified and thus impede the knife cut. Counting the rib closest to the neck as number one, locate the sixth and seventh ribs. Insert the knife between these two ribs (fig. 74) at about the midpoint of their length and cut towards the brisket. From the outside (skin side) of the forequarter, (fig. 75) insert the knife through the previously made cut. Holding the blade perpendicular to the outer surface, cut toward the back line until you meet the bone. After reaching the backbone, continue forward in a flat, circular motion, cutting all the flesh.

Saw through the backbone keeping the saw blade parallel to the surface of the knife cut. The crosscut chuck will then drop down approximately a foot (fig. 76), so make certain you have plenty of clearance from the floor. The chuck portion of the forequarter of a 1,000-pound steer will weigh approximately 100 pounds. Call on your strongest helper to hold the chuck while you saw through the brisket edge (fig. 77), completing the separation of the two parts of the forequarter.

The crosscut chuck is then placed on the cutting table, bone side up, and divided into two pieces. First make a saw cut through the ribs. This cut begins on the first rib about 1 inch (fig. 78, top) from the inner curve of the split surface of the backbone and parallel to the top line. After sawing through the ribs, with the knife blade held perpendicular to the table, make a knife cut between the sawed ends of the ribs through the meat to the shoulder blade (fig. 78, bottom). Saw through the shoulder blade, separating the crosscut chuck into a blade and arm section. The fourth, fifth, and sixth rib portions of the arm are removed by cutting between the third and fourth ribs and sawing through the brisket edge (fig. 79). These rib portions may be made into short ribs, cut for stew, or boned and made into ground beef.

The shoulder joint and first arm roast are then removed. The shoulder joint extends from the cut surface 2 to 3 inches toward the foreshank.

Press over the rounded joint until you locate where it sharply declines and make a knife cut through that point over the bone and through the meat. Saw through the arm bone (fig. 80), cut through the flesh to the rib bones, and saw through them to remove the shoulder joint and first arm roast. The short ribs and most of the underlying fat are removed by cutting through the natural fat seam (fig. 81).

The large round knuckle bone is separated from the first arm roast by cutting between the two bones (figs. 82 and 83). This bone, with its marrow exposed, is an excellent flavor enhancer for soups and stews. Either arm steaks or arm roasts may be made by parallel cuts across the arm section until you reach the foreshank (fig. 84).

The foreshank is separated from the brisket by a knife cut approximately midway between these two parts (fig. 85). The brisket bones and underlying fat are removed from the brisket by cutting through the natural seam between the thick meaty part of the brisket and the bones (fig. 86). The fat over the outside of the brisket is about the thickest located anywhere on the forequarter, and some of this fat should be trimmed away. Remember to follow the rounded surface of the lean. The foreshank may be boned and the meat made into ground beef or stew. Cross-sectional cuts across the muscle and bone will greatly enhance soup and stews (fig. 87).

Turning now to the blade section of the forequarter, remove the sixth rib by cutting between the fifth and sixth ribs and sawing through the backbone (fig. 88). This roast, or roasts from the fifth and fourth rib sections, can be used as is (fig. 89) or separated into several usable pieces. The outside muscles may be removed by cutting along the fat seam through the middle of the roast (fig. 90). These muscles are less tender and should be cooked with moist heat like a pot roast or made into stew meat or ground beef.

The chuckeye portion may be removed (fig. 91) by cutting along the curvature of the rib to the backbone and along its surface to separate the chuckeye from the bone. The heavy yellow ligament located at the edge of the chuckeye is removed. The chuckeye portion is usually tender and excellent for charcoal broiling. The rib bone and attached meat are excellent in soup or stew (fig. 92). Blade steaks or blade roasts can be made in a similar manner by cross-sectional cuts of the blade section to the first rib area (fig. 93).

The neck bones are removed by cutting along each edge of the vertebra, and then undercutting, lifting, and removing the neck bones with attached meat (fig. 94). The neck bones can be divided into several sections for stew or soup stock. The portions of the blade and knuckle bones and surrounding heavy connective tissue are removed. The boneless neck makes excellent ground beef or stew meat.

The rib is separated from the short plate by a saw cut across the ribs (fig. 95) approximately 2 to 3 inches from the edge of the ribeye. Rib steaks and roasts (figs. 96 and 97) are made by cutting between the ribs and sawing through the backbone. The protruding edge of the backbone may be removed by sawing through the spinal cord groove.

If you prefer, you may make boneless rib steaks and boneless rib roasts by following the same procedure used for the fourth, fifth, and sixth rib portion of the chuck, cutting along the curvature of the ribs to the backbone and along its surface, separating the meat from the bones. The boneless rib may be made into one or more roasts and/or steaks. Also, the outside muscles may be removed and the ribeye made into one or more roasts, or it may be sliced into excellent broiling steaks.

Short ribs are made by sawing across the rib ends of the plate at approximately 2-inch intervals (fig. 98) until you reach the white cartilages attached to the ends of the ribs. The 10th, 11th, and 12th rib sections of the short ribs often have a high ratio of fat to lean. Remove these, trim most of the fat away, and use them in soup or stew.

Hindquarter

The flank is the first part removed from the hindquarter (figs. 99 and 100). This is accomplished by making a cut beneath the cod or udder fat near the center of the round and following the surface of the round to the outer edge, loosening the upper edge of the flank. Holding the knife perpendicular to the outer surface cut towards the backbone at approximately a 45° angle until the hipbone is reached. Then, hold the knife parallel to the split surface of the backbone and cut straight down to the 13th rib. Saw through the rib to complete removal of the flank.

Lay the flank on the cutting table with the cod or udder fat up and peel the outer lean muscle back by cutting under the edge next to the cod or udder fat. Then lift and trim close to the lean approximately one-half the length of the flank (fig. 101). Turn the flank over and remove the flank steak. This cut is the hand-shaped muscle at the cod or udder fat end of the flank. First, loosen the edges of the tough membrane overlying the muscle. Lift it up and pull it back to clear the surface of the steak and then cut it off along the edge of the visible lean (fig. 102). Loosen the flank steak muscle at the cod or udder fat end and lift it free from the underlying membrane (fig. 103). Pull it back as far as possible, loosening the edges with the knife. Cut around the lower edge to free the flank steak.

The cod or udder fat and heavy connective tissue are removed from the rest of the lean by cutting through the flank along the edge of the visible lean (fig. 104). The portion of the 13th rib is also removed (fig. 105) from the flank. The boneless flank meat can be used for stew meat or ground beef.