Midterm Exam

Marbling is an intramuscular fat that can affect the quality of the meat.  Marbling is small pieces of fat that is distributed in the muscle tissue. Subcutaneous fat is the outer layer of fat that can affect the yield.  Subcutaneous fat is the fat directly below the skin.  Marbling affects the quality of meat by melting during cooking, making meat juicy, tender, and flavorful.  While the subcutaneous fat is generally cut away during the processing and preparation, hence affecting the yield

To make Fajitas you could use chuck, round, and flank.  I would choose Flank steak to make fajitas.  Flank steak is a leaner meat that becomes tender when you slice it very thinly against the grain.  It is also a cut that be cooked quickly.  Flank steak can be prepared by grilling, pan-searing, and broiling.

The different grades given to poultry by the USDA are A, B, and C.  Grade A is the highest quality possible.  It has no defects, plenty of well-developed flesh, no blood spots, no odor, no broken bones, and intact skin.  Grade B and C have more defects than Grade A.  Grade B and C could have skin tears or broken bones,, disjointed bones, or slightly exposed flesh.  Generally, lower-grade chickens are used for further processing, such as chicken nuggets, diced chicken, or canned chicken.  They are also used for institutions.  They are also used in soups and stews.  This is accepted where appearance is not as important.

The type of cuts used for sous vide cooking are tougher cuts of meat, like pork shoulder, brisket, short ribs, thick steaks, and chicken thighs.  Sous vide cooking is where you vacuum seal the protein in a bag with the seasonings and then you cook it in a water bath at a precise temperature.  This technique allows even cooking with maximum flavor.  It also ensures complete doneness while simplifying preparation and service.  This method also allows for consistent results.  This also allows for the protein to be quickly seared and served to the consumer in a timely manner, especially during busy periods in a restaurant.

I chose the fact that pork is 31% leaner than 20 years ago.  In the article, I read it said that in the 50's and 60's people wanted leaner hogs.  So breeders started changing their diet and breeding patterns which created leaner hogs that were not as tasty, and consumers didn't like them.  This prompted new grading revisions.  Along with that came new understanding as to breeding, housing, and dietary requirements.  This has allowed the pork industry to grow hogs quicker and leaner.  The hogs also have the right muscle proportions.  This allows culinarians to be able to use the pig in a better way without so much waste.  When I was growing up we liked fatter hogs because we boiled all of excess fat down to make lard for cooking; nowadays, that is becoming obsolete with the ongoing health crisis.   

I found this information in a Modern Day news article called "The rise and fall of the great American hog"  Here is the link to the article.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=c4d149b79d6fb177df02d51de607ba32097c1439e8cdcd15e8e139518bb79177JmltdHM9MTc3Mjc1NTIwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=3124af70-333e-69c2-39a9-bc4e325468a0&psq=why+is+pork+leaner+than+20+years+ago&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9tb2Rlcm5mYXJtZXIuY29tLzIwMTMvMDgvdGhlLXJpc2UtYW5kLWZhbGwtb2YtdGhlLWdyZWF0LWFtZXJpY2FuLWhvZy8