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Juiciness
and tenderness are two very important factors when it comes to meat
quality. Both factors are influenced by the cut of meat you choose
and how long the meat is cooked. The more a muscle is used, the
stronger, and therefore tougher, the cut of meat will be. And the
longer meat is cooked, the more liquid it loses and the tougher
it becomes. Factors that also influence tenderness and juiciness
are: The animal's age at slaughter, the amount of fat and
collagen
(connective tissue) contained in particular cuts, and, to a small
degree, brining.
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Collagen
is a long, stiff protein that is the most prevalent protein
in mammals. It's made up of three separate molecules composed
of amino acid chains, twisted around each other, something
like the way fibers are twisted around each other to form
a rope. This structure is what makes the collagen so strong;
this strength is also what makes it more difficult to break
down. The more collagen there is in a piece of meat, the tougher
it is to cut and to chew. Skin is mostly collagen, as are
the tendons that connect muscles to bones. For cuts that are
high in collagen, cooking with methods that use slow, moist
heat, such as stewing or braising, are the best. Collagen
is soluble in water and when it is cooked slowly with moist
heat, it becomes gelatin. You can also make collagen less
tough by slicing up meat into smaller pieces, which makes
the fibers smaller and easier to break apart.
The
amino acid chains that form collagen.
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Weight-bearing
muscles and muscles that are constantly used contain higher
amounts of collagen than muscles that aren't used for support
or aren't used as frequently. Cows and pigs have higher
amounts of collagen in the legs, chest, and rump. Pork is
generally more tender than beef because pigs are usually
slaughtered at a younger age than cows, and so their muscles
are less developed and have less collagen than do those
of cows.
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Fish
muscles are quite different from those in mammals. Fish
float in water and so don't need muscle to support their
weight. Their muscle fibers are very short and are held
together by connective tissue called
myocammata
,
which is much more delicate than collagen and breaks down
much more easily when cooked. The only muscles that most
fish use extensively are around the tail and fins (areas
that aren't eaten as often by humans), which are used for
constant cruising around in the water.
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Fat
is a source of energy that is stored in muscle tissue. When
fat
is heated, it melts and lubricates the muscle fibers in the meat,
helping to keep it moist.
The
cuts of meat from cows and pigs that contain the most fat are those
that come from areas where the muscles aren't used as extensively,
such as the ribs and loins. The fat in fish is contained in the
oil that is present throughout the body, so most of the fish has
an inherent "lubrication" source.
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Learn
more about how
Brining
and Marinating
affect the juiciness and
tenderness of meat.
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