Glossary

Meat terms, in plain English.

What the words on your cut sheet, invoice and package actually mean. 109 terms.

Topic

Showing all 109 terms

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"Not for sale" label Buying and ordering

Also: not-for-sale stamp

The stamp or label that custom-exempt processors must put on packages of meat to show it was processed for the owner's own use. It means the meat may not be sold, traded, or served in a restaurant. Do not remove it. If you plan to sell by the cut or in shares, ask your processor about inspected options instead.

A

Added fat for venison grind Hunting and game

Also: fat added to venison, venison trim

Because venison is so lean, ground venison and venison sausage are often mixed with beef suet or pork fat, usually 10 to 20 percent. The added fat keeps burgers and sausage juicy and helps them hold together. Ask what the processor adds, and whether it is beef fat, pork fat, or none.

B

Backstrap Hunting and game

Also: deer loin

The long muscle running along each side of a deer's spine, equal to a beef loin. It is the most tender and prized cut of venison, cooked whole or sliced into medallions. It is lean, so cook it quickly and don't go beyond medium.

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Bacon types Curing, smoking and sausage

Bacon is cured pork, usually the belly. Common types are regular sliced, thick-cut, slab (sold unsliced), and Canadian bacon, which comes from the loin. Jowl bacon and pancetta, the Italian unsmoked kind, are other kinds. Labeled uncured bacon is usually cured with a natural source of nitrite such as celery powder.

Beef primal cuts Cuts and anatomy

The large sections of a beef carcass: chuck, rib, short loin, sirloin, round, brisket, plate, flank, and shank. The chuck and round are heavily worked muscles that benefit from slow cooking, while the rib and loin are tender and good for grilling. The brisket, plate, flank, and shank are flavorful and best cooked slowly or sliced thin.

Bone-in Cuts and anatomy

A cut sold with the bone still in it, such as a T-bone steak or a bone-in roast. Many cooks feel the bone adds flavor and helps the meat cook more evenly. Bone-in cuts weigh more per portion, so they lower your take-home weight compared with the same cuts boneless.

Boneless Cuts and anatomy

A cut with the bones removed, such as a boneless ribeye or boneless roast. It is easier to carve and cook, and takes up less freezer space. When you choose boneless cuts, the bones are kept or discarded and the take-home weight can look higher.

Boning out Hunting and game

Also: deboning

Removing the meat from the bones of a carcass, often done by hunters at home so meat fits in a cooler. Boned-out meat arrives as trim and muscle groups instead of a whole carcass. It cannot be cut into bone-in steaks, and the processor will usually grind or cube what is left.

Braising Cooking

Also: pot roasting

Browning meat, then cooking it covered in a small amount of liquid at low heat for a long time. The moist heat breaks down connective tissue in tough cuts such as chuck, shank, and short ribs. The cooking liquid becomes a flavorful sauce.

Brine Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: brining, wet cure

A solution of salt and water, often with sugar and spices, in which meat soaks. A brine either cures the meat, as for ham, or seasons it and helps lean cuts such as pork chops stay juicy. A few hours to overnight is common for chops, and longer for curing.

Butcher paper wrap Processing

Also: freezer paper wrap, paper wrap

Wrapping cuts in coated freezer paper and labeling them, the traditional way of packaging custom meat. It is cost-effective and easy to write on, but it is not airtight, so meat in paper is best used within a shorter time than vacuum-sealed meat. Double wrapping helps limit freezer burn.

Butterfly Cuts and anatomy

Cutting a piece of meat nearly in two and opening it flat like a book. It is used to stuff a tenderloin or roast, to flatten a chicken or leg of lamb for grilling, or to make a thin, wide pork chop. A butterfly chop is a boneless loin chop cut and opened this way.

C

Carcass Buying and ordering

The body of the animal after slaughter, with the hide, head, feet, and internal organs removed. It is usually split down the backbone into two sides, which are chilled before being cut up. All the steaks, roasts, chops, and ground meat come from it.

Carryover cooking Cooking

The rise in temperature that continues after meat leaves the heat, as the hotter outside warms the center. For large roasts it can add about 5 to 10°F, and much less for thin steaks. Take it into account so a roast does not overshoot, and check the temperature during the rest.

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Casings Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: sausage casings

The skin that holds sausage together. Natural casings come from the intestines of hogs, sheep, or cattle and give a snap when bitten. Collagen casings are made from animal collagen and are edible, while some fibrous and cellulose casings are not meant to be eaten and are peeled off.

Chilling Processing

Also: cooler time, hang time

Cooling the carcass in a cooler soon after dressing, usually to near freezing, to stop bacterial growth and let the meat set up. It also prepares the beef for aging and cutting. Meat is easier to cut and holds its shape better when cold.

Chine Cuts and anatomy

Also: chine bone, chined

The backbone, or the part of it attached to ribs and loin cuts. When a rib roast is "chined," the butcher saws the backbone loose so it is easy to carve between the ribs. If you want to carve the roast easily, ask for the chine bone to be cut off but tied back on.

Chronic wasting disease Hunting and game

Also: CWD

A fatal, contagious disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by abnormal proteins called prions. No human cases are known, but health agencies advise against eating meat from animals that look sick or test positive, and recommend testing animals where the disease is found. Hunters should wear gloves and avoid the brain, spinal cord, and lymph nodes. Rules vary by state, so check with your wildlife agency.

City ham Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: wet-cured ham, supermarket ham

A wet-cured ham, soaked or injected with brine, and often smoked, that is milder and moister than a country ham. It is the typical grocery or holiday ham. It may be fully cooked, which just needs reheating to 140°F, or labeled cook-before-eating, which needs 145°F.

Color and doneness Food safety

Also: pink meat

Color is not a reliable sign of doneness. Ground beef can look brown before it reaches 160°F, and some meat stays pink even when it is done, such as cured ham or smoked meat with a smoke ring. Only a thermometer tells you for sure.

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Connective tissue Cuts and anatomy

Also: collagen, gristle

The tough fibers, mostly collagen, that hold muscles together. Hard-working muscles like the shoulder, leg, and chest have more of it. Cooked fast, it is chewy, but cooked slowly in moisture it turns to gelatin, which is why tough cuts become tender and rich when braised.

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Cooling game meat Hunting and game

Also: chilling game

Getting the carcass cold as fast as possible after harvest to keep the meat from spoiling. Field dress promptly, keep it out of the sun, and get the meat below 40°F as soon as you can, using ice or a cooler. Warm weather makes this even more urgent.

Country ham Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: dry-cured ham, Smithfield-style ham

A ham that is dry cured with salt, aged for months, and sometimes smoked, a Southern tradition including North Carolina. It is salty and firm, with a strong flavor, and can have harmless surface mold that is scrubbed off. Many are soaked and cooked before eating, so follow the label, which says whether the ham is ready to eat.

Cross-contamination Food safety

The spread of bacteria from raw meat to other foods, hands, or surfaces. Use separate boards and plates for raw and cooked food, wash hands and tools after touching raw meat, and keep raw meat on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator so it can not drip. There is no need to wash raw meat, as rinsing can splash bacteria around.

Curing Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: cured meat

Preserving and flavoring meat with salt, often along with sugar, spices, and curing salt, which contains nitrite. Curing gives ham, bacon, and corned beef their color, flavor, and shelf life. It can be done with a dry rub of salt or by soaking in a brine.

Curing salt Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: pink salt, Prague powder, cure #1

A salt mixture containing sodium nitrite, usually dyed pink to keep it from being mistaken for table salt. It prevents harmful bacteria, helps preserve color, and gives cured meat its flavor. It must be measured carefully, as too much is harmful.

Custom-exempt Buying and ordering

Also: custom processing, custom-exempt slaughter

A category of slaughter and processing, under federal rules, for meat that belongs to the animal's owner and is used only by the owner's household and non-paying guests. The plant does not apply a USDA stamp, and the packages must be marked "Not for sale." Custom-exempt plants are still expected to follow sanitation and humane-handling rules.

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Cut sheet Buying and ordering

Also: cutting instructions, cut order

The order form on which you tell the processor how to cut and package your animal: steak thickness, roast sizes, how much to grind, what to do with bones and organ meats, and how to wrap. A clear cut sheet gets you meat the way your family actually cooks. If you are unsure, ask the processor for common choices or a sample sheet.

Cut thickness Buying and ordering

How thick the steaks and chops are sliced, specified on the cut sheet. Typical choices are three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half for steaks. Thicker steaks stay juicier and are easier to sear without overcooking, and thinner ones cook faster.

D

Danger zone Food safety

Also: temperature danger zone

The temperature range between 40°F and 140°F where bacteria grow fastest. Perishable food should not stay in this range more than two hours, or one hour when the air is above 90°F. Keep cold food cold and hot food hot.

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Doneness Cooking

Also: rare, medium, well done

How far a piece of meat has cooked, from rare to well done. USDA's minimum of 145°F for whole cuts of beef, pork, and lamb is roughly the medium-rare to medium range, and cooking below that carries more risk. Ground meats should always reach 160°F, whatever their color.

Dressed weight Buying and ordering

Also: dressed carcass weight

Another way of saying the weight of the dressed carcass, the animal after the hide, head, feet, and internal organs have been removed. In everyday use it usually means the same thing as hanging weight, although some sellers weigh the carcass before the carcass is trimmed or chilled. Ask which weight a quote refers to before you compare prices.

Dressing Processing

Also: dressing the carcass

Removing the parts that are not sold as meat after slaughter: the hide (or hair and skin on a hog), head, feet, and internal organs. What remains is the dressed carcass. The edible organs may be saved if you ask.

Dressing percentage Buying and ordering

Also: dress-out, dress-out percentage

The carcass weight divided by the live weight, shown as a percentage. Beef often falls around 60 to 65 percent, and hogs around 70 to 75 percent, but it changes with breed, fat cover, gut fill, and whether the pork head and feet stay on. It is a rough guide for estimating what you will bring home.

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Dry aging Processing

Holding beef in a controlled cooler, uncovered, for weeks so natural enzymes tenderize it and moisture evaporates, which concentrates the flavor. The outside dries into a hard crust that is trimmed away, so the final yield is lower. A short hang of a week or two is common for beef at many plants, while longer dry aging is a specialty.

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Dry cure Curing, smoking and sausage

Curing meat by rubbing it with salt and other seasonings rather than soaking it. Country ham, prosciutto, and some bacon are made this way, and the process pulls moisture out of the meat over days or weeks. It must be done with correct amounts and temperatures.

F

Fat cap Cuts and anatomy

A layer of solid fat covering one side of a roast, brisket, ham, or similar cut. It keeps the meat moist as it cooks and adds flavor. Many cooks trim it to about a quarter inch before smoking, and some leave more on a roast.

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Federally inspected Buying and ordering

Also: USDA-inspected, federal inspection

A plant that operates under USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service oversight, with inspectors present when animals are slaughtered and processed. Meat from these plants carries the USDA mark of inspection and can be sold across state lines. It differs from custom-exempt processing, which is for the owner's own use.

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Feral hog Hunting and game

Also: wild hog, wild boar

A wild or free-ranging pig, also called a wild hog. These animals can carry diseases such as brucellosis and parasites, so wear gloves when handling them and cook the meat thoroughly. Check your state's rules, as handling and processing requirements can differ.

Field dressing Hunting and game

Also: gutting

Removing the internal organs from a harvested animal in the field, soon after the kill, so the carcass can cool quickly. It helps prevent spoiled meat. Wear gloves, avoid puncturing the stomach and intestines, and keep the meat clean.

Forequarter and hindquarter Buying and ordering

Also: front quarter and hind quarter

The two halves of a beef side. The forequarter holds the chuck, rib, brisket, plate, and shank, and the hindquarter holds the loin, sirloin, round, and flank. The hindquarter is where most of the steaks come from, while the forequarter gives more roasts, ground meat, and ribs.

Freezer beef Buying and ordering

Also: locker beef

Beef sold in bulk by the quarter, half, or whole animal for stocking a home freezer, usually straight from a farmer and cut to order at a processor. You buy a large amount at once, so you need freezer space and a plan for using it over several months. The terms "freezer beef" and "locker beef" are older ways of saying the same thing.

Freezer burn Food safety

Dry, grayish-brown patches on frozen meat where air has reached the surface and pulled out moisture. It does not make the meat unsafe, but those areas can taste dry and tough, and they can be trimmed off. Tight, airtight wrapping and a steady 0°F freezer prevent it.

Freezer storage times Food safety

Food kept at a constant 0°F stays safe indefinitely, but quality fades over time. As rough guides, steaks and roasts keep their best quality for about 6 to 12 months, pork chops 4 to 6, ground meat 3 to 4, and bacon and sausage 1 to 2. Vacuum sealing helps meat keep longer.

Frenched Cuts and anatomy

Also: french-cut

A bone that has been scraped clean of meat and fat at the end, as on a rack of pork or a rib chop. It makes a neat, fancy presentation. The bare bones can burn, so some cooks cover them with foil while roasting.

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G

Gambrel Processing

A hook or spreader bar that holds a carcass up by its hind legs so it hangs. The animal is hung from it to be skinned, dressed, and chilled. You may hear "hung on the gambrel" in the cutting room.

Grain Cuts and anatomy

Also: cutting against the grain

The direction the muscle fibers run in a piece of meat. Slicing across the grain cuts the fibers short, so each bite is more tender. It matters most with long-grained cuts such as flank steak, skirt steak, and brisket.

Grass-fed vs grain-finished Grades and labels

Also: grass-finished, grass-fed

Grass-fed beef comes from cattle that ate mainly forage, while grain-finished cattle spend their last months on a grain-based ration to add fat. Grass-fed beef tends to be leaner, with a slightly different, earthier flavor, and grain-finished tends to have more marbling. Rules and definitions vary, so ask the farmer what the cattle ate and for how long.

Grind Processing

Also: ground meat, grinding

Running meat through a grinder to make ground beef, pork, or sausage meat. Customers choose how much of the animal to grind and what lean-to-fat ratio they want. Ground meat spoils faster and must be cooked to 160°F.

H

Half and quarter beef Buying and ordering

Also: half a beef, quarter of beef, beef share

Ways of buying beef in bulk. A half beef is one side of the carcass, and a quarter is a front quarter or hind quarter, with cuts that differ because steaks and the leaner roasts come from the back, while ground meat, roasts, and brisket are plentiful up front. Plan on roughly a cubic foot of freezer space for every 25 to 35 pounds of packaged meat.

Hanging weight Buying and ordering

Also: carcass weight, rail weight

The weight of the carcass after the animal has been slaughtered and dressed (head, hide, and organs removed) but before it is cut up, boned, or trimmed. Many processors price their cutting by hanging weight, and many farmers sell beef and pork by it. A rough example: a 1,300-pound steer might hang at around 800 pounds, though that varies.

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Harvest authorization number Hunting and game

Also: Big Game Harvest Authorization Number, harvest number

In North Carolina, hunters report each deer they take and get a Big Game Harvest Authorization Number, and the number is meant to stay with the deer or its meat. Processors may ask for it when you bring in a deer. Rules change, so check with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for the current requirements.

Hide Processing

Also: skin, pelt

The skin of cattle, deer, and similar animals, removed during dressing. It is usually not kept as part of the meat order. If you want the hide for tanning, tell the processor ahead of time.

Hide and cape Hunting and game

Also: caping

The hide is the animal's skin, and the cape is the part of it from the shoulders and neck, which a taxidermist uses for a mount. If you want a shoulder mount, tell the processor or caper first, because the cape has to be cut and skinned carefully before the rest of the hide is removed.

Hot smoking vs cold smoking Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: hot smoked, cold smoked

Hot smoking cooks the meat in smoke at roughly 165 to 300°F, as in barbecue, and the food is done when it hits a safe internal temperature. Cold smoking uses smoke at low temperatures, under about 90°F, to add flavor without cooking, and the meat must usually be cured and then cooked or dried. Cold smoking is trickier and should be done only with a tested method.

I

Instant-read thermometer Cooking

Also: meat thermometer, probe thermometer

A thermometer with a thin probe that shows the internal temperature of meat in a few seconds. It is the best way to know when meat is safe and done, since color and time are unreliable. Insert it into the thickest part, away from bone.

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J

Jerky Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: dried meat strips

Lean meat cut in strips, seasoned or marinated, and dried slowly until chewy. USDA recommends heating the meat to 160°F, or poultry to 165°F, before or during drying, because dehydrating alone does not reliably kill bacteria. Beef and venison are the common choices.

K

Kill date Buying and ordering

Also: slaughter date

The appointment when your animal is slaughtered. Small processors often book weeks or months ahead, especially in busy seasons, so it is best to reserve a date early and confirm delivery details. Ask the plant when and how to deliver the animal.

Kill fee Buying and ordering

Also: slaughter fee, kill charge

A fee charged for the slaughter itself, separate from the cutting, wrapping, and any extras like smoking or sausage. It covers the work of killing, dressing, and chilling the animal. Plants differ in how they bill, so ask for a full list of what is included and what is extra.

L

Lard and tallow Cooking

Also: rendered fat, leaf lard, suet

Rendered fats: lard is melted pork fat, and tallow is melted beef or mutton fat. The best lard comes from the soft fat around the kidneys, called leaf lard. Both are used for frying, baking, and sometimes soap or candles. If you want the fat, ask your processor about saving it.

Lean-to-fat ratio Grades and labels

Also: percent lean, fat percentage

The proportion of lean meat to fat in ground meat, written like 80/20 or 90/10. Fattier blends like 80/20 are juicier for burgers, while leaner blends can dry out. Custom-ground meat takes on whatever mix of trim goes into the grinder.

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Links vs bulk Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: bulk sausage, sausage links

Sausage can be stuffed into casings and twisted into links or left loose as bulk. Links are easy to grill and serve whole, while bulk sausage is handy for gravy, stuffing, pizza, and patties. When you order sausage, you can usually choose either.

Live weight Buying and ordering

The weight of the animal while it is still alive, usually taken on a scale at the farm or when it arrives at the plant. Beef cattle often hang at roughly 60 to 65 percent of their live weight, and hogs at roughly 70 to 75 percent, but the exact figure varies with the animal, how much it ate that day, and how it was fed.

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Locker plant Buying and ordering

Also: locker

An older name for a local butcher or processor that cuts, wraps, and freezes meat for farmers and families. The name comes from the days when these plants rented out frozen storage lockers before most homes had freezers. Many small custom processors still carry on that tradition.

Low and slow Cooking

Also: slow cooking

Cooking at a low temperature, often 225 to 300°F, for many hours. It is the usual way to cook brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs, because it gradually turns collagen into gelatin without drying out the meat. It is used in barbecue, the oven, and the slow cooker.

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M

Marbling Grades and labels

The small white flecks of fat within the muscle itself, not around its edges. Marbling melts as meat cooks and adds juiciness and flavor, and it is the main factor in the USDA quality grade. Ribeyes and chuck eyes are usually well marbled, while round cuts are lean.

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Marinade Cooking

A seasoned liquid, usually with acid, oil, salt, and herbs, that meat soaks in before cooking. It adds flavor mostly at the surface and may soften the outer layer a little. A few hours is plenty for most cuts, and a marinade that touched raw meat should never be used as a sauce unless it is boiled first.

Mark of inspection Grades and labels

Also: inspection legend, USDA inspection stamp

The round stamp or label that shows meat came from a plant inspected by USDA or by a state. Packages from federally inspected plants carry the USDA mark, and those from state plants carry the state's mark. Custom-exempt meat is not stamped this way and is marked "Not for sale" instead.

Mechanically tenderized Food safety

Also: blade-tenderized, needle-tenderized

Meat that has been pierced by blades or needles to break up the fibers. The process can push bacteria from the surface into the inside, so tenderized steaks and roasts should be cooked to at least 145°F with a three-minute rest and not served rare. Packages are required to say so on the label.

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N

Natural Grades and labels

Also: "natural" label

A label meaning the product has no artificial ingredients or added color and is only minimally processed. It says nothing about how the animal was raised, whether it got antibiotics, or what it was fed. Look for other claims if those matter to you.

O

Offal and variety meats Processing

Also: organ meats, variety meats, offal, by-products

The organs and other edible parts besides muscle: liver, heart, tongue, kidneys, oxtail, tripe, and in hogs the feet, tails, and jowls. They are nutrient-dense and have a long tradition in cooking. If you want them, say so on the cut sheet, as otherwise they are often discarded.

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P

Package size and portioning Buying and ordering

Also: portion size

How many steaks, chops, or pounds of ground meat go into each package, set on the cut sheet. Match it to your household: two steaks for a couple, four or six for a family. Smaller packages thaw faster and waste less.

Patties Processing

Also: burger patties, hamburger patties

Ground meat formed into flat rounds for burgers, usually sold frozen in stacks with paper between them. Patties can be ordered in set sizes, such as quarter-pound or third-pound. They cook evenly and thaw quickly.

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Pig pickin' Cooking

Also: pig picking, pig pickin

A traditional eastern North Carolina gathering where a whole hog is cooked slowly over wood coals and then "picked" by guests, who pull and chop the meat. It is typically served with a vinegar-and-pepper sauce, slaw, and sides. The name has also come to mean the party itself.

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Pork primal cuts Cuts and anatomy

The main sections of a hog carcass: the shoulder (Boston butt and picnic), loin, belly, and leg (fresh ham), plus the jowl, feet, and hocks. The loin is lean and tender, the shoulder is rich and good for slow cooking, and the belly becomes bacon and spareribs.

Pork shoulder (butt and picnic) Cuts and anatomy

Also: Boston butt, picnic ham

The shoulder is cut into two parts: the Boston butt on top, and the picnic below it. The butt is more marbled and is the favorite for pulled pork. The picnic is a little leaner and is often sold with the skin and a bone. The "butt" is in the front of the animal, not the back.

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Primal Cuts and anatomy

Also: primal cut

One of the large sections a carcass is first divided into. Each primal is later cut into smaller pieces. Primals are a handy way to understand where a cut comes from and how tender it will be.

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Pulled pork Cooking

Pork shoulder cooked until the meat is soft enough to pull apart into shreds. Boston butt is the usual cut, cooked low and slow to an internal temperature around 195 to 205°F. The shredded meat is served on buns or plates with barbecue sauce, often vinegar-based in the Carolinas.

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R

Resting Cooking

Also: rest time

Letting meat sit for a few minutes after cooking before cutting it. The juices settle back into the meat instead of running out on the board. For whole cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, USDA's guidance is a three-minute rest at the safe temperature, and big roasts benefit from a longer rest.

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Reverse sear Cooking

A method for thick steaks and roasts: cook gently in a low oven or on the cool side of a grill until the center is nearly done, then finish with a quick, hot sear. It gives an even color through the middle and a good crust. It works especially well for steaks over an inch and a half thick.

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Rib types (pork) Cuts and anatomy

Baby backs are short, curved, and tender, from beneath the loin, while spare ribs are longer and meatier, from the belly side. St. Louis-style ribs are spare ribs trimmed into a neat rectangle, and riblets are small pieces. Country-style ribs are not true ribs but meaty cuts from the shoulder.

S

Safe internal temperatures Food safety

Also: USDA minimum temperatures

The lowest internal temperatures USDA recommends for cooked meat: 145°F with a three-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal; 160°F for ground meats; and 165°F for poultry. Use a thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. Fully cooked ham should be reheated to 140°F.

Sausage types Curing, smoking and sausage

Sausage is seasoned ground meat, often stuffed in a casing. Fresh sausage is raw and must be fully cooked, as with breakfast sausage and bratwurst. Smoked sausage may be cooked or raw depending on the recipe. Dry and semi-dry sausages, such as summer sausage, are cured and often ready to eat.

Scalding and dehairing Processing

Also: scald and scrape

The steps that remove the hair from a hog. The carcass is dipped in hot water to loosen the hair, then scraped or run through a machine. This leaves the skin on, ready for cuts like skin-on bellies, hams, or a whole hog for barbecue.

Searing Cooking

Browning the surface of meat over very high heat to build flavor and a crust. Searing does not seal in juices, but it does create the roasted taste people love. A dry surface and a hot pan help.

Side Buying and ordering

Also: side of beef, side of pork

One half of a split carcass, from the head end to the tail. Beef carcasses are usually split along the backbone into two sides, and a half beef is one side. Sides are often cut further into forequarters and hindquarters before being broken into primals.

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Silver skin Cuts and anatomy

Also: silverskin

A thin, shiny, silvery membrane of connective tissue found on cuts like tenderloin and ribs. Unlike fat, it does not melt and stays chewy, so it is usually trimmed off. A thin, sharp knife slides under it.

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Slaughter Processing

Also: harvest, kill

The humane killing of the animal, followed by bleeding. Federal law requires humane handling at inspected plants, and animals are typically stunned first. It is the first step before the carcass is dressed and chilled.

Smoke ring Curing, smoking and sausage

A pink band just under the surface of smoked meat, caused by a chemical reaction with gases in the smoke. It is common in barbecue, and many people value it, but it does not mean the meat is undercooked or especially smoky. Only a thermometer shows doneness.

Smoking Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: smoked meat

Cooking or flavoring meat with the smoke of burning wood such as hickory or oak. It adds flavor and, along with curing, helps preserve meat. It is used for ham, bacon, sausage, jerky, and barbecue.

Snack sticks Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: meat sticks, pepperoni sticks

Thin, seasoned, cured sausages, often smoked, and usually made from beef, pork, or venison. They are cooked during processing and eaten as a snack. Check the package to see whether they need refrigeration or are shelf-stable.

State-inspected Buying and ordering

Also: state inspection

A plant that operates under a state meat inspection program that must be at least equal to the federal one, with an inspector present during slaughter and processing. Meat from a state-inspected plant carries the state's own mark and may generally be sold within that state, though some states take part in programs that allow wider sales. Rules differ by state.

Subprimal Cuts and anatomy

Also: sub-primal

A smaller piece cut from a primal, such as a strip loin, ribeye roll, or top round, that is cut further into steaks and roasts. Subprimals are what butchers often work with at the cutting table. They help explain why steaks and roasts from the same area share a texture.

Summer sausage Curing, smoking and sausage

Also: salami-style summer sausage

A semi-dry, cured, and smoked sausage with a mildly tangy flavor, popular made from beef, pork, or venison. It is sold in large sticks, sliced cold, and keeps longer than fresh sausage, though it should be refrigerated after opening. It is a favorite for gift boxes and hunting season.

In the blog20 Venison Recipes, Backstrap to Jerky Sausage Doneness: Safe Temps for Every Kind

T

Take-home weight Buying and ordering

Also: packaged weight, finished weight

The weight of the finished, packaged meat you actually carry home. For beef it is often roughly 60 to 70 percent of the hanging weight, lower if you ask for lots of bone-in cuts and higher if you choose mostly boneless. The loss comes from bone, trimmed fat, moisture lost in chilling and aging, and cuts that go to waste.

In the blogBeef Cuts Chart: Primals, Retail Cuts & Uses

Tenderize / cube Processing

Also: cubing, cubed steak

Running a steak through a machine with small blades that pierce the meat to break up tough fibers, leaving a pitted, squared pattern. Cubed steak is the result. It is meant for quick cooking such as chicken-fried steak. Because the blades can push surface bacteria into the meat, tenderized steaks should be cooked all the way to 145°F.

In the blogBeef Cuts Chart: 9 Primals & How to Cook Each

Tenderloin Cuts and anatomy

Also: filet, fillet

A long, narrow muscle on each side of the backbone that does almost no work, making it the most tender cut. It gives beef filet mignon and pork tenderloin. It is lean and mild, and it is easy to overcook.

Thawing Food safety

Also: defrosting

Bringing frozen meat to a temperature where it can be cooked. The safe ways are in the refrigerator, in a sealed bag in cold water changed every thirty minutes, or in the microwave if you cook it right away. Never thaw on the counter. Meat can also be cooked straight from frozen, which takes about half again as long.

The stall Cooking

Also: barbecue stall

A pause in the climb of a large cut's internal temperature, often between about 150 and 170°F, while smoking or slow cooking. Moisture evaporating from the surface cools the meat as fast as the heat warms it. Patience, or wrapping the meat in foil or butcher paper, gets through it.

Trichinella Food safety

Also: trichinosis

A parasite that can be found in pork and in wild game such as bear and wild hogs. It is rare in commercially raised pork today, and cooking whole pork to 145°F or ground pork to 160°F kills it. Wild game should be cooked thoroughly, since freezing does not reliably kill every kind.

Trim Processing

Also: trimmings, trimming

Fat, gristle, silver skin, and small scraps cut away from a cut when it is being prepared. Trimmings that are lean enough go into ground meat or sausage. How closely a cut is trimmed affects how much you take home.

U

USDA Prime, Choice, and Select Grades and labels

Also: Prime, Choice, Select

The top three USDA beef quality grades. Prime has the most marbling and is the most tender and juicy, Choice has moderate marbling and is widely sold, and Select is leaner and a bit less tender. Grade is about marbling, not safety, and good beef can be found at any grade when it is cooked well.

USDA quality grade Grades and labels

Also: quality grade

A voluntary USDA rating of beef quality based mostly on marbling and the age of the animal. The top three retail grades are Prime, Choice, and Select. Grading is done at the request of the product's owner and is paid for by them, so beef from custom processing is often ungraded.

In the blogWagyu BMS & A5 Grading Explained Primal Beef Cuts & Cattle Breeds Explained

V

Vacuum sealing Processing

Also: vac-packing, vacuum packaging

Packing meat in plastic with the air removed. Without air, the meat resists freezer burn and keeps its quality longer in the freezer, and the packages are neat and stackable. It can also change the look of the meat, which may appear darker until opened.

Venison Hunting and game

Also: deer meat

The meat of deer, and sometimes of other game such as elk or antelope. It is very lean, with little fat or marbling, so it cooks quickly and dries out easily. Cook whole cuts to at least 145°F and ground venison to 160°F.

W

Wet aging Processing

Aging beef sealed in a vacuum bag in the cooler, usually for a week or two, so it does not dry out and lose weight. Enzymes still tenderize the meat, and the flavor gets mildly tangy. Most grocery beef is wet aged during shipping.

In the blogBeef Cuts Chart: Primals, Retail Cuts & Uses

Whole hog Buying and ordering

Also: whole pig, half hog

An entire hog, either purchased to be cut into chops, roasts, ribs, ham, bacon, and sausage, or cooked whole for a barbecue. Hogs typically dress out at around 70 to 75 percent of live weight, so a 250-pound hog hangs at about 175 to 190 pounds, though that varies. Many families split a whole hog or order a half.

In the blogPork Cuts Guide: Primals, Chops, Roasts & Ham BBQ Pork Cuts: Butt, Ribs, Belly & Hog Cut Sheet

Y

Yield Buying and ordering

How much usable, packaged meat comes from an animal, expressed as a weight or a percentage of live or hanging weight. Yield depends on the animal's size and fat, how closely the meat is trimmed, and whether you choose bone-in or boneless cuts. Treat any percentage as a rough range, not a promise.

Yield grade Grades and labels

A USDA rating from 1 to 5 estimating how much lean, closely trimmed retail meat a beef carcass will yield, with 1 yielding the most. It is based on fat thickness, ribeye size, and carcass weight. It is separate from the quality grade, which is about eating quality.

Visit Flowers Slaughterhouse in Sims, NC

5154 St. Rose Church Rd
Sims, NC 27880

Mon–Fri	7 AM – 5 PM
Saturday	7 AM – 12 PM
Sunday	Closed

Deer season: evening drop-off 6–9 PM. See all hours

Get directions Call 252-885-1892

Mon–Fri	7 AM–5 PM
Sat	7 AM–12 PM
Sun	Closed