Fabricating Meat

Even though few operations today purchase large cuts, such as primals, and break them down in-house, you still need to know a number of trimming and fabricating techniques to finish or modify the fabricated cuts you purchase. The illustrations in this section demonstrate important procedures. These procedures are used for recipes.

One term you will encounter often when trimming meat is silverskin, a thin layer or membrane of connective tissue that often covers the surface of a muscle. For braised meats, it is not always necessary to remove silverskin, unless it is very heavy, because slow cooking breaks down the collagen of the tissue. However, for roasts, sautés, and grills of tender meats, it should be removed for two reasons: (1) It is tough and would be unpleasantly chewy in the cooked product; (2) It usually shrinks when cooked, making the meat deform or curl.