Porterhouse/T-bone

Rib

Rib-eye

Chuck-eye

Round tip

Top sirloin

Chopped steak

Veal. Veal comes from young cattle. It is a very tender, light-colored meat with little or

no fat and connective tissue. They market virtually all veal and calf fresh (not frozen). The meat

has a high moisture content and doesn't improve with aging as beef does, so you want to use it

soon after purchase. Baby veal is the most tender and lightest in color of all veal but with very

little flavor. It comes from baby animals of mere 2 or 3 days old that weigh between 22 and 55

pounds (10 and 25 kg) (not much more than a large tom turkey).

Meat labeled veal comes from slightly older 1 to 3-month old animals that were entirely

milk-fed. The meat is white (there is no iron in milk that would darken the color). If the veal is

not white, the animal had supplemental feed, that turns the color pink. Meat labeled calf is still

from a young animal in the 3 to 8-month range, just a little older than veal. Calf meat is tender

but no longer a light pink color.

Baby beef is another category you occasionally see at the meat counter. This comes from

immature, 7 to 10-month old cattle. Ranchers usually sell these when economic reasons or

adverse weather conditions force them to reduce herd size. Although low-priced, this meat isn't a

good buy because these young animals have already lost the desirable characteristics of veal, but

haven't yet developed the true beef flavor and marbling.

By itself, veal is dry with little flavor. Its low fat and high moisture content does poorly

in dry heat cooking. It is best if you sauté veal (because frying oil adds lubrication), or serve it in

rich sauces or with high-fat fillings.

Retail cuts of veal are similar to beef, but the size is smaller—veal round steak, for

example, is smaller than a beef round steak.

Pork. Because pork used to be much fatter, you may have to alter recipes from older

cookbooks. Add a little more liquid and baste more frequently to compensation for today's leaner

pork.

Like other red meats, pork is best when you roast it slowly at a low oven temperature. If

you rush it, you'll lose more liquid and a hard outside crust forms that heat cannot penetrate

evenly. Part of the roast may be done while the rest is still pink. The hard crust also makes

carving thin slices difficult.

Cured pork cuts. Salt pork and some brine-cured hams (Virginia and Smithfield, for

example) are too salty for many people's tastes. The answer is to soak some of the salt out. If it is

a whole ham, soak it for 24 hours, changing the water many times. A small piece of salt pork

takes much less time. Cover it with cold water, bring it to a boil, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

Salt content, age of the meat and texture all make a difference. No exact timeline exists to

guide you how long to soak a particular piece of salted meat. Let the piece of meat soak a while

and then give it a lick test. Keep doing this until you are satisfied with the flavor.

Bacon. Have you ever wondered how much edible meat you actually get when you buy

bacon? I selected three different brands: a high-quality bacon from a butcher shop, a better-

quality bacon from a supermarket deli counter and a standard lower-priced, but not bottom-of-

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