Tag: primal cut
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MeatMatters: Bacon
In Australia, the most common types of bacon comes from a section along the side and back of the animal called ‘middle cut bacon’ or the back of pork only called ‘short cut bacon. Both are salt cured and require cooking before consumption.
Middle bacon has a bit more fat than the loin only short cut bacon. The pork loin is a lean cut.
Middle cut bacon:
The eye part (oval shape at the top of the rasher) is from the loin with the tail end running down the animal into the middle rib area. It is from further to rear of the animal than short cut bacon.
Short cut bacon:
Features just an eye from the loin area i.e. no tail (see the photo above) and is from closer towards the front of the animal than middle cut bacon. It costs more but many people buy it as a “healthier” option.
More Bacon Goodness
You might have heard about other types of bacon (such as gammon or speck) and wondered what they are. Bacon can also come from the pork belly and cheeks and there are many ways to cure it.
Streaky bacon
Is from the pork belly and is the most commonly consumed bacon in the United States.
Gammon
Is a hind leg joint that has been dry cured by packing it in salt. It may sometimes be smoked too.
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Bacon
In Australia, the most common types of bacon comes from a section along the side and back of the animal called ‘middle cut bacon’ or the back of pork only called ‘short cut bacon. Both are salt cured and require cooking before consumption.
Middle bacon has a bit more fat than the loin only short cut bacon. The pork loin is a lean cut.
Middle cut bacon:
The eye part (oval shape at the top of the rasher) is from the loin with the tail end running down the animal into the middle rib area. It is from further to rear of the animal than short cut bacon.
Short cut bacon:
Features just an eye from the loin area i.e. no tail (see the photo above) and is from closer towards the front of the animal than middle cut bacon. It costs more but many people buy it as a “healthier” option.
More Bacon Goodness
You might have heard about other types of bacon (such as gammon or speck) and wondered what they are. Bacon can also come from the pork belly and cheeks and there are many ways to cure it.
Streaky bacon
Is from the pork belly and is the most commonly consumed bacon in the United States.
Gammon
Is a hind leg joint that has been dry cured by packing it in salt. It may sometimes be smoked too.
Related Links:
- see all recipes using bacon here
- see all ingredients here
- see pork posts here
- see all MeatMatters here
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Beef – Chuck Section
The Chuck (Blade) Section:
To go back to the main post please click here.
Blade Roast
Characteristics:
- value for money
An example with fat left on:
Serving Suggestions:
Roasted for 4 hours, in a charcoal barbecue, at low temperature and with a final internal temp of 78°C:
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Beef – Rib Section
The Rib Section:
To go back to the main post please click here.
Scotch Fillet
The area where the Scotch Fillet comes from doesn’t do a lot of work so it is quite tender. It is one of my favourite cuts because although tender it still has a lot of flavour. In Australia it is one of the more expensive cuts with $39AUD/kg not uncommon at time of writing.
I like cooking with it in the kitchen on a very hot pan quickly on each side, aiming for rare to medium rare. I find that it doesn’t suit the way I cook on a BBQ because I get distracted and over cook it when I am cooking for several people that like their meat cooked to different degrees. I find porterhouse is more forgiving on a BBQ in this respect.
If I am slicing it for stir fries I tend to remove the strip of fat that runs through the length of the rib roast that the Scotch Fillet is cut from. If cooking as a steak I leave it in.
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Australian Beef
I find all the different cuts of beef a bit bewildering. To make matters worse they are called different name in different countries and then there are so many ways to cook with them.
I am going to try and learn and share as much information as I can about this great animal because considering the resources that go into raising cattle we don’t want to waste one bit of the meat.
That said, I still want to get the best value for money so I need to learn how to spot the best examples of each cut. I expect there are going to be a lot of insider tips and tricks to master and by now you know that makes me tick :).
Lastly how the animals are raised, what they eat and what that means for the environment is very important to me. I respect peoples’ right not to eat meat however I want to keep doing so but as sustainably as I can.
Although this image it shows the American names for primal (basic) beef cuts I think it is a good starting point.
The above primal cut graphic (and similar ones on the posts below) are credited to Wikipedia user JoeSmack.
Please click on the links below for more information and cooking tips:
- bottom sirloin section
- brisket section
- flank section
- chuck section
- plate section
- rib section
- round section
- shank section
- short loin section
- sirloin section
- tenderloin section
- top sirloin section
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