The Morton Salt Book: Cutting Beef, Curing Beef, Making Jerky, and Preparing Wild Game

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This shows the beef carcass after making the major cuts. Referring to this picture will help you understand suggestions for the different cuts. PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

OK, Homesteaders . . . here's the fourth installment of Morton Salt's superior booklet, A COMPLETE GUIDE TO HOME MEAT CURING. Previous excerpts took you through preserving and into curing poultry. This section tells you how to cut and cure beef, veal and wild game.

We'll be serializing more from the Morton Salt handbook . . . but we still advise you to add the manual to your farmstead bookshelf right now. It's packed with valuable information on butchering, cutting up and curing pork, beef, veal, lamb, poultry and wild game.

Again, our special thanks to Murray J. Pearthree, Morton Salt Regional Sales Manager, for granting us written permission to reprint from the booklet.

Cutting the Beef Carcass

SEPARATING FORE AND HIND QUARTERS The first step in cutting the beef carcass is quartering, which is dividing the fore and hind quarters. The carcass has thirteen ribs on each side. The first cut is made between the last two ribs, leaving twelve ribs on the fore quarter and one rib on the hind quarter. Insert the knife between the twelfth and thirteenth ribs at the belly end of the ribs and make the cut all the way to the backbone. Then saw the backbone in two, which leaves the fore quarter hanging from the uncut strip at the flank. While one person holds the fore quarter to keep it from falling, another one finishes the cut at the flank, completing the separation of the fore and hind quarters.

Lay the fore quarter on the cutting table with the outside of the carcass up, and begin making the cuts.

Cutting Up the Fore Quarter

SEPARATING PLATE FROM RIB Measure 10 inches from the backbone or chine along the 12th rib. Using this as a starting point, a straight line cut is made, continuing the cut across the shank just above the elbow joint.

SAWING OFF PLATE AND FORE SHANK After the cut is made with a knife, the ribs are sawed through and the fore shank sawed off at the elbow.

SEPARATING RIB AND CHUCK Make a cut with the knife between the fifth and sixth ribs to separate the rib cut from the chuck. Complete the cut with the saw, sawing through the backbone.

The rib cut is one of the choice fore quarter cuts and comprises about 10% of the carcass. It is one of the more tender cuts and is extensively used for roasting. Roasts are made by cutting between the ribs. These roasts may be boned and rolled if desired. The chuck is somewhat less tender and better adapted for pot roasts, corning, or grinding. It comprises approximately 25% of the carcass.

Cutting Up the Hind Quarter

REMOVING FLANK FROM HIND QUARTER The thin three-cornered flank piece is trimmed from the hind quarter. This contains the flank steak which can be pulled out. The balance of the flank can be used for boiling piece or ground for hamburger, meat loaf. etc.