The right cut: Special Cut
Philipp Sontag from the Sontag butcher shop in Kisslegg.
The correct cutting technique plays an absolutely crucial role in the result of every piece of meat in the mouth, or rather between the teeth. When you deal with the basics, topics such as slicing meat while taking the grain into account should come first. If you complete an apprenticeship as a butcher or as a chef, this is one of the first pillars of the foundation that you are taught in terms of basic knowledge about meat. It is also the basis for everything. Whether raw or cooked, from roast pork to strips of meat and flank steak. Professionals who hold a knife in their hand every day have of course internalized this fact. But we are very often asked in the shop or at our courses about the correct cutting technique for individual pieces.
I have often sung the song about connective tissue here. I hope it has gotten around that the more a muscle has done during its lifetime, the firmer and tougher the piece of meat is when raw. That is why some pieces, namely the tender ones, are quickly fried. The tough, connective tissue-rich meat is braised for a long time and only becomes soft through this cooking process. What all muscles or pieces of meat have in common, however, is a visible fiber structure. In some it is very coarse and clearly visible, in others the cut is very smooth and you have to look more closely. Contrary to popular belief, the visible fiber structure does not allow any visual conclusions to be drawn about tenderness. If a piece of meat has a visibly coarse structure, it is not automatically tough. When we talk about coarse or fine-fibered (long/short fibered), we mean the cell structure of the meat fiber, which is only visible under a microscope. In short, you cannot SEE how tender a piece of meat is.
The fiber structure is visible, however. When cutting, each piece must always be cut crosswise, preferably at a 90° angle to the meat fiber. The reason for this is that the fiber gives the muscle stability along its length. It distributes and transfers the load. In a living organism, this is important for the muscle, but with meat this fact produces the exact opposite of the desired, namely tender, result. The longer the fiber is left when cutting, the more stability remains, which means the tougher the whole thing feels in the mouth. If I have a tender piece, the slice can be thicker. But especially with solid pieces rich in connective tissue (braised roast), the following applies: the thinner the slice on the plate, the more tender the mouthfeel.
We Germans are used to cutting slices across the grain from large muscles such as roast beef (Musculus Longissimus Dorsi) and preparing them, for example as a steak. Our roasts are also made from large pieces of muscle and then cut into slices and served. The cutting process is the same. For small muscles such as pork fillet, our favorite, both processes are known. Either you cook it in one piece and then cut it into slices, or you cut it into medallions while it is raw and then cook them individually. The new steak cuts such as flank are still new to us in terms of their shape, in the pan or on the grill. But if you follow the rule of cutting through the meat fibers before or after cooking, you'll be fine. Each piece of meat has its own preparation options. Here are a few more examples of the correct cutting.
TRI TIP in section
Stuffed rolled roast from the nut lid
As a comparable example from nature, I like to cite the fiber structure of wood. Anyone who has ever dealt with wood in its original form, namely the tree, whether when making firewood or simply breaking off a branch, will know this. The wood fiber always runs from the root to the crown. If you saw a round slice about two centimeters thick off a tree, this happens across the grain. The wood fiber is therefore about two centimeters long. If you hit it with an axe, the slice breaks very easily. This effect is also used when splitting wood. With fresh wood, you can even break through this slice without much effort. It is not particularly stable. If you saw a two centimeter thick board from the same tree along the grain, you can easily stand on it without it breaking. The fiber transfers and distributes the weight. It gives the board stability.
Comparable to meat: The fiber structure of wood
Flank steak
It is the most well-known steak among the new cuts from the lower belly flap. The fiber is very clearly visible and runs lengthways. The physical comparison to a wooden board is obvious. As a whole muscle, it has the flat shape of a slice. Suitable for quick frying, but firmer than the usual suspects, such as roast beef and rump. Very aromatic and intense in flavor. It must definitely be cut into thin slices before serving.
Mayor's piece
In the USA it is called Tri Tip and in South America it is called Maminha. The fiber runs slightly diagonally towards the tip and is very visible. In one piece or in slices it is definitely a quick-frying piece. Along with boiled beef it is the best piece for churrasco. Its aromatic fat cap makes it ideal for encrusting at high temperatures.
Hanging Tender
We know this piece as a kidney. It has a very coarse structure, is very tender and therefore ideal for quick frying. It stands out because of its intense flavour. In the middle there is a tendon that divides the whole piece into two sides. The meat fibre runs diagonally from this. You can either cook it in one piece, cut it into slices and leave the hard tendon, or you can trim it out and cut diagonal medallions.
Beef nut
The picture shows the top round of beef. It consists of the round and the flat nut. It consists of 2 muscle strands that can be separated from each other. The fiber is not particularly visible because it is finely structured. It runs along the large, round muscle. The nut is usually used as a tender roast beef. If it is stored and comes from a heifer, it is easily suitable for quick frying and can be cut into slices for steaks.
