Other Factors Influencing Choice of Cooking Methods

Meats high in fat, such as Prime beef or lamb, are generally cooked without added fat, such as by roasting or broiling.

Meats low in fat, such as veal, are often cooked with added fat to prevent dryness. Sautéing, pan-frying, or braising is generally preferable to broiling for veal chops that are cooked well done.

Fat can be added to lean meats in two ways:

• Barding. Tying slices of fat, such as pork fatback, over meats with no natural fat cover to protect them while roasting.
• Larding. Inserting strips of fat with a larding needle into meats low in marbling.

These two techniques were developed in Europe when meats were much leaner and not as tender. They are not often used with today’s tender, grain-fed meats. These techniques are useful, however, when cooking lean game, such as venison.

Other goals are:

• Developing flavor.
• Preventing excessive shrinkage and nutrient loss.
• Developing appearance.

You must often compromise to get a balanced result. For example, preliminary browning of a roast at high heat increases shrinkage but may be desirable for some roasts to develop flavor and appearance.