100 © 2017 2019 Braising Slow cooking something (usually meat) in a flavorful sauce. The combination of long, low heat and the sauce’s moisture tenderizes meat and draws out extra flavor. Pot roast is a classic example. Center Cut Only the center portion of a particular primal. Many primals taper off at either end, so rib chops, osso bucco, etc cut from the ends are smaller and less uniform than center cut portions. Buying center cut only meat means chefs are getting more reliable portion sizes and quality. Cervena Venison This trademark-protected brand name is only applied to top quality venison naturally farm-raised in New Zealand and processed in accredited plants. Denver Leg A deboned leg cut that has been separated into its major muscle groups and then had those groups separated again into their subsections. The veins and sinew have also been removed, making this an extremely convenient cut for chefs who get all of the meat and none of the butchery work. Drumette The largest wing bone, closest to the body. Fabricate Chef’s jargon meaning “to cut into the various saleable/servable portions.” For example, separating a whole chicken into breasts, legs, thighs, etc. Feral A once domesticated species that ultimately returned to a wild existence. Wild boar is also known as “feral swine.” Frenched The bones of this cut have been stripped of their connective tissue and clinging bits of meat. The resulting clean white bone is much more attractive for plate presentation. Marbling The natural distribution of ultra-thin strips of fat throughout meat which melt during cooking, resulting in a more tender and more flavorful finished dish. More marbling is what makes Prime steaks better than Choice steaks. Kurobuta pork and Kobe beef are much more marbled than conventional beef & pork, making them far more tender and flavorful. Offal Aka “variety meats.” These are organ meats like liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, brains, etc. Primal Largest cut from an animal (chuck, rib, loin, etc.). Portions of the animal have been separated into primals based upon the species-wide characteristics of the meat in those sections. Rendering Melting & extracting fat through the application of heat. Chefs often render out fat in bacon or duck breasts, and then use it as a flavorful cooking medium for cooking something else. Semi- Boneless When applied to poultry, this term refers to birds that have had their rib cages & other bones removed for chefs’ convenience. The resulting birds still have their wing and leg bones (so their plated appearance is closer to a normal bird), but are easier to stuff and grill. Also sometimes called “European-Style.” Shrink Weight lost during the cooking process. Low-shrinkage cuts are easier for chefs to calculate food cost on because the amount served to the customer is similar to the amount portioned for them prior to cooking. Also refers to the lost weight when cutting down primals (cutting away fat, skin, excess blood, meat, etc.). Silverskin Inedible membrane of connective tissue that is found connected to many muscles in most meat. Silverskin does not dissolve during the cooking process, no matter what method is used. It should be trimmed prior to cooking or else it may manifest as undesirable gristle in the finished dish. 180A, 112A, etc. The numbers that follow the cut titles are all references to their equivalent beef cuts as listed in the NAMP (North American Meat Processors Association) Meat Buyers Guide. These numbers not only describe the cut, but the level of butcher’s work performed on that cut prior to packaging for sale. Providing these numbers allows chefs familiar with the Guide to know exactly what the cut they’re ordering will look like.