Girl on the Block Page 7
For most of us as consumers, there is an unfortunate disconnect. What we see in plastic packaging on shelves doesn’t translate in our minds to a smaller part of a larger animal; it’s just part of our diet. We steer clear of cuts that might remind us of something unpleasant, like liver, heart, kidney, or tail, even though our parents and our parents’ parents probably grew up eating many of these cuts. Because of the ease and accessibility of buying meat in the modern world, we’ve lost touch with where it comes from. We’ll happily take a few pork chops from a grocery shelf, but we’re disgusted by the idea of a whole pig carcass fresh off the kill line. Supermarkets have made it that simple for us: pick from the fridge, put it in our cart, check out, and eat at home. It’s almost too easy.
Globally, factory farms have come to dominate the meat industry to fulfill the demand for cheap meat churned out quickly. The US is one of the leaders of fast meat, with more than fifty thousand outlets that classify as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Roughly speaking, a CAFO will house one thousand “animal units,” which, confusingly, doesn’t mean one thousand animals, but instead relates to the body-weight of each individual livestock animal. A thousand-pound beef steer, two and a half pigs, or one hundred and twenty-five chickens are each considered one unit. In farming terms, this means that CAFOs can house up to 1,000 cattle, 2,500 meat pigs, and 125,000 chickens for more than forty-five days of the year, packed into feedlots and bred solely to gain weight through feed that is high in protein.
CAFOs empty their waste into waterways, causing harmful bacteria and chemicals to enter our water systems and posing health risks for humans and wildlife. A quick Google search reveals hundreds of articles from the US alone reporting on CAFO spills that released harmful chemicals into waterways nationwide. One of the worst instances was in Iowa, where in 2013 a study done on the Raccoon River showed nitrate levels 240 percent higher than the level allowed under the Clean Water Act. It was revealed that there had been 751 manure spills in the state alone since 1996.
Although CAFOs are the worst of the lot, the farms that fall categorically below them aren’t much better. Less concentrated, so without the C, are the AFOs—simply animal feeding operations, of which there are almost a quarter million in the US. While the livestock are still confined in AFOs, they’re fewer in number, although not by much. According to US regulations, small-scale AFOs are defined as housing up to 300 veal calves or cattle, up to 9,000 chickens, and up to 749 pigs that weigh more than 55 pounds. If a pig weighs less, the AFO may keep up to 3,000.
What’s more concerning, from my perspective, is that there are almost eight hundred factory farms in the UK that are comparable to CAFOs by regulatory standards. In a relatively small country, the UK houses more than eight hundred factory farms classed as “intensive farms.” Each has the capacity to house forty thousand chickens at a time. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in the UK saw that in Northern Ireland alone, the number of pigs and poultry in intensive farms has increased by 68 percent from 2011 to 2017. The majority of large British supermarket chains and fast-food restaurants purchase their meats from these farms.
Animal welfare isn’t the only issue on the meat industry’s list of problems. Declared the biggest threat to human health in 2017 by the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is widely on the increase, thanks to intensive farms and feedlots across the globe. The concern is that the increased use of antibiotics within meat production, where animals are administered drugs to prevent illnesses, could be leading to new superbugs that become totally immune to human medicines. In China alone, the world’s biggest poultry producer with nine billion chickens raised for meat and five hundred billion eggs laid each year, administration of antibiotics to their livestock animals is set to increase by 129 percent by 2030.
The majority of this meat won’t see a butcher’s block in its afterlife. Factory-farmed meat is reared specifically to meet the growing demands of supermarkets, fast-food chains, and wholesalers, who have come to expect meat in huge quantities, and meat that is cheap. It’s estimated that globally, due to our voracious appetite for cheaply manufactured meat, almost 75 percent of the poultry and 50 percent of the pork we buy comes from factory farms. On average, one pound of industrially farmed chicken costs two dollars, while free-range costs five dollars. One pound of ground beef from intensive farms costs five dollars, while free-range costs almost nine dollars. As consumers, what we see first is the price. And it’s easy to understand why we would opt for the cheaper and more convenient option, neatly packaged and ready for us to simply pick up and put in our basket. What we don’t see are the larger ethical and environmental implications that go hand in hand with choosing to buy meat that has been reared quickly in a confined space and on a mass scale.
Before factory farms, and up until the early 1900s, livestock were reared on ranches and in pastures, allowed to graze on their natural feed of grass, and to grow and mature for longer than the animals in CAFOs. By contrast, the majority of the animals we consume today have lived their entire lives cooped up in cages or pens, eating processed, hormone-heavy feed. CAFO cattle are slaughtered at around twelve months, pigs at six months, and chickens at forty days.
A large proportion of the world’s beef produced for the meat market is fed on grain, but this isn’t what nature intended. Grain is high in protein, meaning that the cattle put on weight quickly, but what we need to understand is that whatever our food consumes, we consume, too. Although conventional grain-fed beef has proven health benefits, such as a large amount of the “good” kind of fatty acids, there’s substantial evidence that grass-fed beef is better for us thanks to its lack of antibiotics and growth hormones, and lower amounts of saturated fat.
Grass-feeding usually goes hand in hand with “free-range.” Whether a farmed animal can be called free-range is determined by the amount of time it spends outdoors. Free-range animals must have access to the outside for at least three hours a day within a pen or field as a minimum, although where cattle, pigs, or sheep are concerned, their access to the outdoors is usually for most of the day and night, while chickens are put away for the night to prevent them from getting killed by foxes or freezing in colder temperatures. This allows the animals to roam as they please, exhibit their natural behaviors in herds or groups, and graze as nature intended.
Because of the slower pace of life and feeding, free-range animals reach maturity at a much later stage than factory-farmed livestock; in cattle this is around six to eight months later. A growing number of meat eaters around the globe have taken to only consuming free-range meats, earning them the nickname “ethical carnivores.” If they choose to eat meat, they do so as responsibly as they can.
It isn’t just the intensive feeding that is jeopardizing our livestock these days. The breeding methods on factory farms are also doing damage. The practice of moving away from rare and heritage breeds of cattle, pigs, and sheep, and instead crossbreeding these animals for characteristics that are favorable for large-scale meat consumption means that rarer breeds are dying out. With cattle, “favorable characteristics” include long backs, meaning more rib and short loin, the most expensive cuts, and shorter legs, so that we end up with less of the cheaper cuts like shins. By crossbreeding, we’re designing animals based on what makes us the most money, but often the result is damaging to the genes of the animal itself. There are horror stories of crossbreeds barely being able to walk thanks to the huge bulk of muscle all over their body and health defects that kick in halfway through life or during pregnancy. Consumers rarely hear about this.
As crossbreeding became more and more common after the rise of the supermarket, we seemed to forget that each breed has its own unique texture and flavor profile. Highland cattle are small, with tiny eyes of meat packed with flavor. Longhorn cattle put on fat easily, meaning the meat has a fantastic covering for dry-aging. Belted Galloways are large animals that have a great marbling to their meat. Because of the crossing
and diluting of these gene pools, these rare and native breeds have begun to die out, taking with them not only a country’s heritage, but some of the best and most flavorful meat you can find.
As meat eaters we have a responsibility. We must choose between remaining blissfully ignorant of the unethical practices of the meat industry and confronting the uncomfortable truths about where our meat really comes from.
The first time I broke down a full carcass of lamb, I tried to do it quickly, turning it into something less recognizable. Standing in front of an actual beef carcass, though, is odd. It can be overwhelming, sometimes terrifying, often repulsive. The animal’s size takes some getting used to. When spread lengthwise, a cow is huge, and you get a true sense of scale and what it really means to kill something for consumption. As a butcher, the trick is not to hide or turn a blind eye. Today I take my time; I’m careful. I spend a while showing my respect, acknowledging the beast and where it came from.
The Essential Cuts From Nose to Tail
Lamb
SCRAG END AND MIDDLE NECK The neck of lamb is a bony yet rewarding cut. When sliced for a casserole, stew, or hot pot, its high fat content makes it a force to be reckoned with.
SHOULDER Kept on the bone, cooked for five hours at a low temperature, nothing beats this cut. The shoulders are some of the hardest working groups of muscles on the body, so that low cooking is essential to tenderize the meat. The flavor is sweet and rich, and the meat can be sliced thinly while still on the bone to make an excellent grilling cut.
RACK The most expensive cut on the carcass and the most tender. Whereas the shoulder is cut from the first five to six rib bones of the animal, the rack is cut from the next seven to eight. Encased within the ribs are two thin strips of lean loin meat. Traditionally the rack is French-trimmed, pan-seared, and quickly roasted.
LOIN/SADDLE The saddle, without the full rib bones, is best for lamb chops. The equivalent of a beef short loin with the fillet of lamb running on its underside, the saddle can be cut to make miniature T-bones, which when cooked on the grill are nigh unbeatable. For a great roast, I recommend the saddle, boned and rolled. It’s lean on the inside with a lovely layer of fat to keep it moist circling around the outside.
LEG Less tough than the shoulder, the leg is comprised of leaner muscles and usually has its covering of fat on the outside rather than the inside. Great for a traditional Sunday roast, the leg of lamb doesn’t take a lot of cooking time, offering a speedier and leaner alternative to the shoulder.
BREAST The breast, two oval-shaped strips that are usually removed from the carcass during the breakdown, is mostly fat and therefore the cheapest cut on the lamb. However, once you render the fat, the slow-roasted meat of a lamb breast is sweet and a lovely meal for two.
Pork
CHEEKS Pork cheeks went out of favor for a decade or so toward the end of the twentieth century, but with the popularity of nose-to-tail eating, they are now firmly back in style. The whole cheek, or the jowl when removed, is used to make guanciale, an Italian charcuterie that adds a great flavor to pastas and stews. The actual cheek muscle, or the plum, is smaller than your fist, and will need a very slow cook before it falls apart. When you get there, though, the flavors are sublime.
BUTT/SHOULDER The pork shoulder, or butt as it’s known in barbecue terms, is a portion of the neck end of pork split away from the front leg. Highly marbled, it’s the perfect slow barbecue cut for pulled pork, but when prepared properly it also makes a very good steak.
HAND AND SPRING/HAND OF PORK With lots of bone, this is the lower part of the shoulder that usually has the foreleg and trotter attached. With the bone removed, the joint can be tied for slow cooking, and the leg can be cut into rounds of shin. A great and economical option.
LOIN This cut includes the sirloin and little rib eye of pork, comprised of the first eight bones after the shoulder. Pork chops, rolled loin, French-trimmed rack of pork, and pork T-bone are all cuts that come from the larger pork loin. But if you’re looking for something special, ask your butcher for chops cut from the rib end. They’ll be the most marbled with the most flavor.
BELLY Much like the breast of lamb, the belly is roughly 50/50 fat to lean. Belly is a versatile cut, though—a slow roast with fennel and garlic brings out the sweetness in the meat, and once properly rendered, the fat helps to keep the meat moist to the point of falling apart. Located on top of the diaphragm, the belly is a well-used muscle, but when cut very thin and grilled it can be a beautiful supper.
CHUMP Cut from the very top of the leg, the chump is lean and if not prepared correctly can be dry. Boned out and sliced thinly for escalopes is one way to combat this.
LEG Pork leg was once the choice cut for roasting, but it has given way to the more marbled cuts from the upper carcass. Today its hulking muscle is used mainly for hams and gammons, yielding a large amount of lean meat with enough fat cover on the top. Farther down the leg you’ll find the hock, which makes a beautiful roast for two with plenty of delicious marrow.
TROTTER The trotters are filled with rich, beautiful jelly that renders when cooked. They also make a flavorful stock, or if boiled for long enough can provide nuggets of rich, gelatinous meat.
Beef
CHEEK Cows spend eight hours a day chewing their food and very little time walking around; thus the cheek is the most used muscle on the entire carcass. The cheeks are filled with sinews that might not look appetizing, but when cooked down turn to a rich jelly. Ox cheeks prepared in a ragù are sublime, if you have the patience for it.
BRISKET The larger breast of the carcass, comprised of a number of interconnecting muscles. In British butchery, brisket gets trimmed of most of its fat for pot roast. The lean meat on its own is very tough, so it needs to be cooked in liquid to soften. Left with the fat on, though, brisket is the barbecuer’s choice cut for smoking low and slow.
CHUCK Cut from the shoulder, chuck is the ideal meat for a stew, taking less time to cook than the cheek or shin but still ending up tender. The connective tissues in chuck house a nice amount of fat (roughly 80/20 lean to fat) that melts during cooking.
SHORT RIBS Cut from below the brisket, the short ribs are usually four short bones covered in at least two inches of meat. In butchery, they can be cut “flanken”—across the bone—or “English style” with each bone cut individually. Like brisket, they’re great for grilling or smoking.
BAVETTE Bavette, or flank steak, is a long, thin yet fibrous muscle cut from the flank. It should be pan-fried and offers tons of flavor. Don’t go past medium-rare and you’ll have a fantastic and much cheaper alternative to sirloin or top round steak.
ONGLET Also known as thick skirt or hanger steak. Once upon a time onglet was called butcher’s steak, as it is a well-kept secret. The onglet is technically offal, coming from the diaphragm muscle and close to the organs, and it takes on a strong, beefy flavor. Opt for this if you’re looking for a cheap steak with plenty of bite.
SHIN The shank of beef harbors the best bone marrow on the carcass. A series of tough and lean muscles surrounding a large bone, the shin is best cut across the bone or diced. It’s a cheap alternative to chuck, arguably with more flavor.
RIB EYE The most popular steak cut on the carcass, usually taken from ribs that come after the chuck. A forerib consists of five bones before tapering off into a leaner sirloin steak. Removed from the bones, the rib eye steak is marbled, filled with sweet fat, and tender. On the bone, with the tail of fat left on, it’s a great grilling cut.
SHORT LOIN The short loin comes from the three ribs after the forerib. Bone-in for roasting as a “wing rib” or boned out, the short loin has a beautiful nugget of fat that sits at the edge of the meat and a strip that surrounds it. It’s lean yet flavorful, and extremely tender.
T-BONE A lower portion of the short loin with the tenderloin attached, separated by a T-shaped bone. The steak is the ultimate sharing cut, popular for barbecues and in steak restaurants. Beneath this umbrella is the porter
house, cut from the part of the loin where the tenderloin is at its widest, although this depends on who you’re asking. The definition of the porterhouse is widely contested.
TENDERLOIN The absolute king of cuts, the tenderloin is the least used muscle on the entire carcass, hidden below the rib cage on both sides of the spine. As it’s the least used, it’s also the most tender and thus the most expensive. The top end of the tenderloin, the chateaubriand, sits on top of the sirloin and comprises three muscles. It makes a great meal for two, while the center cut is most desired for beef Wellington or steaks thanks to its uniform size.
SIRLOIN Sirloin, or “rump” in the UK, located at the top of the leg and the bottom of the loin, can withstand more dry-aging than other cuts because it’s a slightly tougher steak than the rib eye or short loin. It’s packed with flavor, and if you’re not looking for the most tender of steaks, a thick-cut sirloin to feed three or four people will fit the bill. Get to know your butcher and ask for a picanha, too—it’s a muscle that comprises the sirloin and is usually sold in one large triangular steak. It’s great for grilling or barbecuing.
TOP ROUND Cut from the top bit or top leg, the top round, or “topside” in the UK, produces thin-cut frying steaks, escalope style, or large roasting cuts best served medium rare. Top round is fantastic when cooked for forty minutes over high heat, with the leftovers making a pretty unbeatable sandwich.