Meat
Meat cooked at low to moderate temperatures is more tender, juicy, and flavorful than meat cooked at high temperatures. There is more meat to serve because there is less shrinkage at low temperatures.
Beef may be cooked rare, medium, or well done. Lamb is enjoyed either medium or well done, but veal and pork are usually cooked well done.
Broiling, pan-frying, and roasting are recommended for tender meats only. Less tender cuts are more satisfactory if braised, pot-roasted, or simmered. For suggested methods for cooking, see guide on [page [19]].
Frozen meat need not be thawed before cooking, but extra cooking time will be required if it is not thawed first.
Roasting ... beef, veal, lamb, pork
Place roast, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow pan. Do not add water; do not cover. Season either before or after cooking.
Check the timetable (p. [20]) for approximate roasting times. The quality of the meat, its size and shape, and its temperature at the start of cooking will affect the roasting time. Times given here are for meats at refrigerator temperature. Frozen roasts may take 1½ to 2 times as long to cook as unfrozen roasts of the same weight and shape.
If you are using a meat thermometer, insert it so the tip is at the center of the thickest part of the roast, and not touching bone or fat.
Broiling ... beef, lamb, cured ham
Slash fat around edge of meat to prevent curling. Place meat on cold broiler grid.
Broiling temperature can be regulated by the distance meat is placed from heat source and whether the door is open or closed during broiling. Because broilers vary widely, follow the manufacturer’s directions. If you like meat well done, place it farther from the heat source than for medium or rare meat—to avoid burning the outside before the center is cooked. Place thicker cuts farther from the heat source than thin ones, for the same reason.
MEAT COOKING GUIDE
| BEEF | VEAL | LAMB | PORK |
| ROASTING | |||
| Chuck or shoulder | Loin | Leg | Fresh and cured ham |
| Rib | Leg | Loin | Fresh and cured shoulder |
| Round | Shoulder | Rib | Loin |
| Rump | Shoulder | Spareribs | |
| Sirloin | |||
| Sirloin tip | |||
| Tenderloin | |||
| BROILING | |||
| Patties (ground) | Liver | Chops | Bacon |
| Thick steaks: | Liver | Canadian bacon | |
| Chuck | Patties (ground) | Chops | |
| Club | Cured ham slices | ||
| Porterhouse | |||
| Rib | |||
| Top round | |||
| Sirloin | |||
| T-bone | |||
| PAN-BROILING, PAN-FRYING | |||
| Liver | Cube steaks | Chops | Bacon |
| Patties (ground) | Liver | Liver | Canadian bacon |
| Thin steaks: | Patties (ground) | Patties (ground) | Cured ham slices |
| Club | Cutlets or round steak | Liver | |
| Cube steaks | Loin and rib chops | Thin chops | |
| Porterhouse | Thin steaks | ||
| Rib | |||
| Round | |||
| Sirloin | |||
| T-bone | |||
| BRAISING, POT-ROASTING | |||
| Chuck or shoulder | Cutlets | Breast | Chops |
| Flank | Loin and rib chops | Neck slices | Ham slices |
| Liver | Roasts: | Shanks | Liver |
| Round | Round | Shortribs | Shanks |
| Rump | Rump | Shoulder cuts | Spareribs |
| Shortribs | Shoulder | Steaks | |
| Sirloin tip | Tenderloin | ||
| SIMMERING, STEWING | |||
| Brisket | Breast | Breast | Cured ham |
| Corned beef | Riblets | Neck slices | Cured shoulder |
| Heel of round | Shanks | Shanks | Hocks |
| Neck | Shanks | ||
| Shanks | Spareribs | ||
| Shortribs | |||
TIMETABLE FOR ROASTING MEATS
| Kind and cut of meat | Ready-to-cook weight | Approximate roasting time at 325°F. | Internal temperature of meat when done |
| BEEF | |||
| Standing ribs: | Pounds | Hours | °F. |
| Rare | 6 to 8 | 2½ to 3 | 140 |
| Medium | 6 to 8 | 3 to 3½ | 160 |
| Well done | 6 to 8 | 3⅔ to 5 | 170 |
| Rolled rump: | |||
| Rare | 5 | 2¼ | 140 |
| Medium | 5 | 3 | 160 |
| Well done | 5 | 3¼ | 170 |
| Sirloin tip: | |||
| Rare | 3 | 1½ | 140 |
| Medium | 3 | 2 | 160 |
| Well done | 3 | 2¼ | 170 |
| VEAL | |||
| Leg | 5 to 8 | 2½ to 3½ | 170 |
| Loin | 5 | 3 | 170 |
| Shoulder | 6 | 3½ | 170 |
| LAMB | |||
| Leg (whole) | 6 to 7 | 3¼ to 4 | 180 |
| Shoulder | 3 to 6 | 2¼ to 3¼ | 180 |
| Rolled shoulder | 3 to 5 | 2½ to 3 | 180 |
| PORK, FRESH | |||
| Loin | 3 to 5 | 2 to 4 | 170 |
| Shoulder | 5 to 8 | 3½ to 5 | 185 |
| Ham, whole | 10 to 14 | 5½ to 6 | 185 |
| Ham, half | 6 | 4 | 185 |
| Spareribs | 3 | 2 | 185 |
| PORK, CURED | |||
| Cook-before-eating: | |||
| Ham, whole | 12 to 16 | 3½ to 4¼ | 160 |
| Ham, half | 6 | 2½ | 160 |
| Picnic shoulder | 6 | 3⅓ | 170 |
| Fully cooked:[8] | |||
| Ham, whole | 12 to 16 | 3 to 3¾ | 130 |
| Ham, half | 6 | 1½ to 2 | 130 |