The team at MyBraai Meat & Wine Pairing Theatre are part of the Fire & Feast Meat Festival happening at the Ticketpro Dome this weekend.
To get our juices flowing for what would arguably be the best meat in town they have shared these tips to keep in mind when you're buying your meat.
Juiciness and tenderness
Juiciness and tenderness are two very important factors when it comes to meat quality. They are both influenced by the cut of meat you choose and how long the meat is cooked. The more a muscle is used, the stronger and tougher the cut of meat will be.
The longer meat is cooked, the more liquid it loses and the tougher it becomes. Factors that also influence tenderness and juiciness are the animal's age at slaughter as well as the amount of fat and connective tissue contained in particular cuts.
Pic from: Fire & Feast Meat Festival
Fat content
Meat with a lot of fat usually has a more distinctive flavour than leaner meat. There is a perception that meat with a lot of fat makes the meat more tender, but this is not always the case.
Grade of meat
Grade refers to the amount of marbling or fat found in the cut of meat. It has nothing to do with the safety of the meat or how it was raised, it's all about the fat content. Meat that has a higher grade has more fat and is generally more tender.
Check the grade/marbling of your meat - Pexels
Cut
Cut refers to the part of the animal the meat has been taken from. Most of the leaner cuts come from the animals’ middle section or hindquarter region. ‘Loin’ is the word used when looking for the leanest cut of meat - sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, loin chops, etc.
The Fire & Feast Meat Festival starts on Friday 8 June