Meat

• Meat from sheep


  lamb and mutton

  shoulder and fillet steaks

  leg and saddle joints

  loin chops

  chump chops

  noisettes and mince cuts
• Main sources of meat in the UK

  sheep (lamb)

  pigs (bacon, ham, pork)

  cows (beef)
• Meat from cows


  beef and veal

  sirloin, fillet and rump steaks

  topside and silverside joints

  skirt, chuck and minced cuts
• Meat from pigs


  pork

  gammon

  bacon

  ham

  shoulder and loin steaks

  belly slices

  spare ribs and chops
• meat contains water, protein and fat
• Visible fats


  fats we can see around the edge of cuts of meat (pork chops)
• Invisible fats (marbling)


  located in the connective tissues and helps to keep the moisture in meats during cooking
• raw meat is made up of muscle, connective tissues and fat
• Connective tissues


  surround the muscles

  groups of fibres
• Fibres in meat


  tiny tubes containing mineral salts and water
• length of different muscle fibres depends on how much workthat part of theanimal does
• longer fibres make meats tougher