Offal products. Meat by-products. Terms and Definitions

Offal products. Meat by-products. Terms and Definitions

By-products are internal organs and not valuable parts of animals (see photo). This category includes quite a lot of parts of the carcass, so there is a certain classification depending on the nutritional value. The first category includes, for example, kidneys, heart, liver, etc. Representatives of the second category are the lungs, legs, etc.

Main types of by-products and their characteristics

The following main types of by-products are distinguished:

How to select and store?

Despite the fact that each offal has its own characteristics of choice, it is still possible to identify general characteristics or quality requirements for the entire range of these meat products:

Beneficial features

The benefits of by-products lie in their chemical composition. They contain vitamins, for example, A, E, K, group B, etc. The mineral composition of offal is wide, you can find iron, potassium, phosphorus, etc. in them. They contain proteins that are easily absorbed by the body. Given the presence of such substances, offal improves the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Thanks to the presence of iron, blood composition and blood circulation improve. Offal has a positive effect on the condition of muscle and bone tissue.

Use in cooking

By-products are used to prepare various dishes. They can be subjected to heat treatment, for example, stewed, fried, baked, etc. Each of the by-products is used in its own way, for example, aspic is made from the tongue, and fillings for pies are made from the liver. Buds and ears are used to make jellied meat. In order to diversify the taste of offal, you can use various marinades, spices, herbs, and sauces. In general, offal is an excellent basis for experiments in obtaining a new original dish. Each of the offal has its own cooking characteristics, which should be taken into account if you want to end up with tasty and original dishes.

Harm from offal and contraindications

By-products can cause harm if an individual intolerance to the product is detected. It is not recommended to consume them in large quantities, since many of their varieties contain a lot of cholesterol. It is worth limiting the amount of offal if you are obese.

In beef, not only the meat is used as food, but also by-products. Some of them have reduced nutritional value for the body, but they can be used to prepare amazing dishes for the table and even soup if you use one of the recipes.

What are by-products?

The concept of by-product covers not only organs - these are the cow’s udder, its tail, head and other parts of the body.

All of them are divided into two groups: according to their use in cooking and nutritional value. The first includes internal organs, brain, tongue, trimmings, and udder. The second group, less valuable for culinary experts, includes abomasums, heads, tracheas, joints, beef books, casings and other components. The genitals and horns have no value.

If classified by structure, by-products are:

  • meat and bones;
  • pulpy;
  • mucous;
  • woolly.

The stomach and lower part of the legs are used to create brawns because they contain a large amount of collagen. In order for the product to be suitable for consumption, it is necessary to comply with the technology and hygiene of primary processing. They must be used within seven hours, and the slimy offal within three. Hair is removed from wool before being used in production.

Preliminary preparation

Before cooking, the tongue is washed and the hyoid bone and pins are removed. Fatty layers, foreign tissues, and blood vessels are removed from the liver, including the heart, liver and lungs. The fat capsule and lymph nodes must be removed from the kidneys and the ureter must be removed.

If esophageal meat is used, then it will be necessary to remove contamination, that is, it is necessary to rinse under running water and cut out bruises. When using meat trimmings, remove the skin, dirt, and wash in water.

Slimy by-products require longer and more complex processing, so they are used more often on an industrial scale, since degreasing is required. As for the head, it must either be skinned or singed to remove all the hair.

Recipes

Cooking kidneys correctly

First of all, you need to boil water with wine vinegar in a large saucepan. When the water and wine vinegar reach boiling point, add the whole offal and cook for about 20 minutes. Then they are washed thoroughly.

Pour a little butter into a frying pan, fry the onion, which is peeled in advance and passed through a meat grinder. Pour half a bottle of red wine into the same frying pan, then gradually add flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Lay out the chopped kidneys, pepper and salt to taste. Fry for an hour over low heat so that the kidneys are thoroughly stewed. Serve with rice or potatoes.

It is worth saying that beef kidneys are a rich source of iron and protein. In addition, they are low in calories and help gain muscle mass. Alcohol, by the way, can be replaced with mustard.

Cooking the liver

To prepare the liver you will need:

  • 1 kg of beef liver;
  • 1 onion;
  • 1 clove of garlic;
  • 4 large tablespoons of tomato paste;
  • coriander;
  • sweet red pepper;
  • ginger;
  • caraway;
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil;
  • salt pepper.

Beef liver is cut into small cubes. Peel and chop the onion, chop the garlic, add coriander. All ingredients are placed in a cauldron, mixed well with spices, salt and pepper, oil and tomato paste are added. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. The dish is served hot.

Delicious dish with heart

To prepare such an offal you will need:

  • 1 heart;
  • 1 onion;
  • 5 carnations;
  • 4 stalks thyme;
  • 3 bay leaves;
  • 3 tbsp. spoons of flour;
  • olive oil;
  • 200 g bacon;
  • 1 sprig of rosemary;
  • 1 bottle of red wine;
  • 2 cloves of garlic;
  • salt;
  • pepper;
  • 15 ml red wine vinegar.

First of all, you need to cut out the fatty layers from the heart, chop the onion and add to it, adding cloves. Pour vinegar into a bowl, add herbs and seasonings. After this, cover with a lid and marinate for 8 hours.

Then you need to peel and chop the onion. In a frying pan with a little oil, fry it and the bacon. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beef heart pieces and fry. Stirring, simmer over low heat with the lid closed for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper.

The next step is to preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the container with the heart inside, simmer for 3 minutes, pour in red wine. Add peeled garlic cloves, as well as thyme and rosemary branches. Stir, close the lid and simmer in the oven for 3 hours.

Beef tongue delicacy

Boil beef tongue in a large bowl for 6 hours. Place thyme, bay leaf, carrots, onions, and cloves in a pan of boiling water. When bubbles form under the skin, this means that the offal is cooked.

Then the tongue is washed under cold water and cut into slices. Start preparing the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and mix well. Immediately add a little broth and a glass of wine. Salt and pepper.

After this, the dish is allowed to thicken: it takes 20 to 25 minutes to evaporate the water. Add a little beef broth to get the desired consistency. Place the champignons, previously fried in a frying pan, and then add the tongue and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Some recipes are presented in the following video.

The nutritional value

Meat trimmings from the heads of well-fed animals and tongues are rich in fat. The amount of fat-like substances is relatively large in the brain and spinal cord. These organs also contain a variety of phosphatides.

Cooking

By-products are used in the manufacture of various meat and culinary products. Main courses and fillings for pies are prepared from the liver; it serves as a raw material in the production of sausages and pates. The buds are used for first and second courses, canned delicacies; tongues - for main dishes, jellied dishes, in the production of smoked meats, canned food and sausages; The heart contains dense muscle tissue; Suitable for main courses, pates, liver sausages and canned food. Lungs are added to minced meat in the production of low-grade liver sausages along with other offal. Legs and ears are used as adhesive additives in the production of jellies, brawns, and liver sausages. Broths and canned goods are prepared from meat and bone tails.

Due to the fact that blood may remain in some offal products, as well as due to the large number of very active enzymes and microbial contamination, careful control of offal products in meat factories and in trade is necessary.

Processed by-products must be without signs of spoilage, thoroughly cleaned of blood and contaminants, and meet certain requirements for the quality of processing and organoleptic characteristics. The tongues are freed from fat, connective tissue, larynx and lymph nodes; Their color is uniform when cut. The kidneys are intact, brown in color, without incisions of the capsule, ureters and external blood vessels. The liver is without lymph nodes, large bile ducts and gallbladder, brown or light brown in color, with intact membranes of light gray color. The heart is cut or incised lengthwise, cleared of protruding blood vessels, dark red in color and elastic in consistency. The udder is cut into large pieces, fat-free, without milk residues, light gray in color. Fetlock joint and pig's feet without horn shoe, thoroughly cleaned of hair and bristles; Their color, depending on the type of processing, can be brown, pale pink or light cream. Beef and pork heads are cut into symmetrical parts, without tongue, brains, and carefully cleaned of hair, stubble and burnt epidermis. By-products are produced packaged whole or in pieces, chilled or frozen.

Thawed and second-frozen by-products with cuts and tears, or those that have lost or changed color on the surface are not allowed for sale in the retail chain.

By-products are transported for no more than 12 hours. Only frozen or salted by-products are allowed to be transported over long distances. For transportation, by-products are placed in wooden, metal, cardboard or polymer containers separately by type, name and processing method. The liver must be transported in a waterproof container. Frozen offal may be transported in bags or containers made of other materials. The net weight of each container must be no more than 30 kg. Each batch of by-products is accompanied by documents in the prescribed form.

The freshness of offal is determined organoleptically, depending on its type, using the same indicators as meat. If necessary, an additional bacteriological analysis is performed.

see also

  • Beef tongue

Links


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    See what “By-products” are in other dictionaries: By-products...

    The modern trade and office name for offal (liver), blood, intestines, heads, tails and legs of large and small ruminants and pigs, that is, everything that remains at the slaughterhouse after the initial cutting of livestock carcasses. By-products like... Culinary dictionary

    BY-PRODUCTS- internal organs (liver, kidneys, tongue, brains, heart, lung, etc.), head, tail and limbs of the animal, obtained as a by-product during the primary processing of cattle and small livestock carcasses. Edible by-products such as liver... Concise Encyclopedia of Housekeeping

    Industrial name of food (except meat carcass) products obtained from the slaughter of animals and cutting up carcasses: liver, tongue, kidneys, brains, etc. Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Noun, number of synonyms: 4 liver (6) kidney (22) product (75) ... Synonym dictionary

    By-products- 76. NDP by-products. Failure Internal organs, heads, tails, legs, udders, meat trimmings obtained during livestock processing Source: GOST 18157 88: Products of livestock slaughter. Terms and definitions original document 18. By-products... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

    The industrial name for food (except meat carcass) products obtained by slaughtering animals and cutting up carcasses. To determine the quality of S., it is subjected to veterinary and sanitary examination (See Veterinary and sanitary examination) directly... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    The modern trade and office name for offal (liver), blood, intestines, heads, tails and legs of large and small ruminants and pigs, that is, everything that remains at the slaughterhouse after the initial cutting of livestock carcasses. By-products,... ... Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts

    Ov; pl. By-products (internal organs, head, limbs, etc.) obtained during cutting of a carcass. Jellied meat made from offal. Feed your dog by-products. * * * by-products is the industrial name for food (except meat carcass) products,... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

    Mn. Products obtained by cutting up an animal carcass (internal organs, head, limbs). Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

For many, the word “offal” is associated with something second-rate. It is believed that this food is inferior to meat in all respects. However, this is fundamentally wrong. Some of the offal products contain much more minerals and vitamins.

By-product - what is it?

Depending on the type of livestock, there are beef, pork and lamb offal. This word refers to the internal organs, as well as the less valuable parts of the carcass of farm animals. All offal products differ in taste and taste. In this regard, there are two categories of offal. The first group includes those organs and parts of the carcass that have high nutritional value due to the content of a large amount of biologically active substances. This group includes the heart, brains, liver, kidneys, tongues, diaphragm, udder, meat and bone tails. The second group contains offal products that have low nutritional value: heads, lungs, legs, ears, stomach, trachea.

Quality control

Meat and offal are equally popular among the population. Their quality is carefully controlled both at meat plants and at points of sale. Certain types of offal may contain blood, as well as a large number of microbes and active enzymes. The presence of such defects must be excluded, since consumption of such food can cause serious health problems. Meat by-products must be completely free of blood and contaminants and must not show signs of spoilage.

The liver is freed from the lymph nodes, gallbladder and bile ducts. The color of fresh liver should be brown or light brown. Fat and connective tissue are removed from the tongue. Its color in the section should be uniform.

Implementation

The common man should know some rules by which he can determine whether the offal in front of him is of high quality, whether it is healthy food or poison. The product is sold chilled or frozen. It can be either whole or cut into pieces. It is strictly prohibited to re-sell frozen or thawed products. In addition, if you notice rips or cuts on the packaging, you should refrain from purchasing. The unnatural color of the product indicates that it is not suitable for consumption. Buying expired or low-quality products can cause enormous harm to your health. It is quite difficult to judge the quality. It is best to give preference to fresh and chilled offal. The characteristic smell and smooth, natural color will tell you that these products can be eaten.

Beneficial features

Beef, pork, and lamb by-products are good for health. They contain zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, as well as vitamins B, D, A, K, E, PP. The protein they contain is no different from meat proteins. These products contain all the amino acids necessary for humans, as well as elastin and collagen. The liver, heart, tongue, and brains are used in dietary nutrition. They are rich in substances that stimulate hematopoiesis. Dishes made from these by-products improve hemoglobin regeneration, which is extremely important for anemia. They are recommended for use for diseases of the kidneys, nervous system, after burns and injuries. In addition, they are very tasty and nutritious.

How are by-products used?

This product is very popular in our country. You can prepare a huge number of dishes from it. In this case, the processing of by-products plays an important role. Any product must be thoroughly washed, and in some cases soaked, to obtain a delicate taste. All films and veins must be carefully removed. There should be no blood in the original offal. Bone marrow is a very unique product. It can be eaten raw or seasoned with herbs, grated apples, and sweet almonds. The liver will be an excellent filling for pies and pancakes. Excellent main courses, sausages and pates are prepared from it. The tongue is usually used for preparing smoked meats, aspic, canned food, and sausages. Kidneys are suitable for second and first courses. Pates are also prepared from the heart. From the ears and legs - jellies and brawns. By-product - what is it if not an excellent replacement for expensive meat and sausages? A wide variety of these products guarantees a delicious and unusual menu every day.

Cooking secrets

Due to the fact that each offal is a separate organ with its own taste, density, and so on, you need to know some tricks to prepare it. For example, the liver is salted only before use. Doing this while cooking will ruin the dish by making it dry and tough.

To boil the lungs, you need to rinse them, put them in a container, press down with pressure and only then add water and cook. If you don't follow these rules, your lungs will float to the surface.

What should you be more careful with?

By-product - what is it? A storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. You should definitely eat them. However, you shouldn't get too carried away. Many offal products contain cholesterol. Therefore, experts recommend eating them no more than twice a week. In addition, this product may contain cadmium and lead. Choose raw organ meats carefully. If in doubt, refuse to purchase. Remember that a low-quality product may contain microorganisms harmful to health. Choose your products carefully each time so as not to risk your health.

Every woman, one way or another, includes offal in the family diet. This is done for several reasons at once - the low price of meat of a lower category, as well as the desire to diversify the daily table.

However, the result of prepared dishes is not always able to please, because offal requires a completely different approach than beef tenderloin or selected pork chop.

Let's try to figure out where the real value of the product is, and whether meat in this category is as safe as it is believed to be.

What are by-products

Offal has been valued for centuries. The wisdom of the people has long given the most seemingly low-grade meat derivatives a place of honor in the traditional health resort.

The ancient sages, of course, did not know how the process of the influence of these products on the body occurred, but they unmistakably correlated the internal organs of dead animals with the work of similar human organs.

So, for stomach diseases, a unique recipe for a decoction of peeled chicken ventricles has survived to this day, and for liver diseases, doctors still advise eating incompletely fried beef liver. And this is not surprising, because the enzyme composition of the internal organs of humans and animals is relatively similar in composition.

If we put the concept of “offal” into one phrase, then these are the internal organs and the least valuable parts of the carcasses of domestic and wild animals suitable for food. In other words, this is not only the liver, lungs, kidneys and everything that we are accustomed to mean by this concept, but also the animal’s head, tail, udder, legs with hooves.

Benefit and harm - where is the middle?

There are no products consisting of only pros and cons - there are always two sides, and both should be taken into account when choosing a dish.

One of the most common and, by the way, expensive by-products is liver. In terms of vitamin content (it contains vitamins A, B, E and D), it has no equal among products of animal origin, but its taste is quite specific.

Also, you may not like the smell of liver during cooking, this is especially noticeable during the cooking process. Partially, this deficiency can be eliminated by keeping a piece of liver in cold water or milk for 2-3 hours.

It is not recommended to prepare the liver of old animals, or those who have recovered from illness - in the toxin filtration apparatus, that is, in the same liver, over the years of life, or during the period of treatment, a fair supply of toxic, antibiotic, and hormonal substances will certainly be deposited.

But, even if the taste of this offal is not delightful, eating it cannot be avoided while maintaining many therapeutic diets aimed at recovery:

  • normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • immune and cardiovascular apparatus;
  • cosmetic skin defects or diseases.

The kidneys also have their advantage. Despite the fact that the preparation of this product itself is quite complicated, its benefits are so obvious that it outweighs the inconvenience of preparation.

The main problem that housewives face is the necessity of repeated washing and long-term soaking of this offal in order to eliminate the smell and taste of urine. The kidneys themselves are a unique natural zinc - an element of beauty.

The heart, tongue and lungs are well saturated with iron, magnesium and copper. This mainly concerns the heart, which is practically a non-competitive by-product when it comes to dietary nutrition. Lungs are a source of animal protein, which perfectly saturates the body, but does not overload it and is perfectly metabolized.

The tongue is a rather greasy product, but this is its only drawback. It is quite expensive, and does not appear on the table so often as to be afraid of any significant violations of current diets.

What applies to meat by-products?

In terms of nutritional value and essence, meat by-products are the same meat, but with reduced quality. Often, they are bought as food for pets. However, there is a whole series of exceptionally delicious and recognized dishes that are unthinkable without the so-called “trimming”. These dishes include the well-known ones:

  • "aspic";
  • udder stewed in sour cream or with vegetables;
  • various dishes from the liver, tongue, heart.

All these offal products are not cheap, sometimes not cheaper than the finest cut, but for some reason they belong to a category one step lower than ordinary meat.

In addition to the above, which belong to the first class of by-products, there is also a second class (II category). This includes: the animal’s head (ears, lips), tripe and other components of liver products.

They are extremely rarely used to prepare independent dishes and are much more often processed into sausage, feed production, and light snacks.

According to the pricing policy, these products are at the lowest level among meat components, and their energy value is relatively low - up to 180 kcal per 100 grams of product.

What about chicken by-products?

Of all categories of by-products, chicken ones are in greatest demand - as they are the most dietary, inexpensive and available everywhere. Of particular note are chicken gizzards, which contain so little animal fat and so much protein that they can easily become favorites on the diet table. Of course, provided they are prepared correctly.

The next type of chicken by-products is hearts. It is already difficult to classify them as dietary products, but as a filler for broths of restorative rehabilitation nutrition after long-term illnesses, hearts are simply irreplaceable.

Chicken liver is a unique product, a combination of invaluable vitamins A, B, C, folic acid and amino acid compounds. In addition, chicken liver contains: copper, calcium, zinc and sodium.

Features of culinary processing

Offal often requires special processing, while regular store-bought meat can be simply washed under running water before cooking.

Both beef and pork liver are permeated with ducts and, in addition, have a fairly hard film on the surface. Both the first and second must be thoroughly cleaned - and every single one of the flow tubes must be cut out, as they impart an unpleasant bitterness to the finished dish and are very harsh in taste.

The same applies to kidneys wrapped in a fatty membrane, which will have to be removed, and the kidneys themselves must be repeatedly filled with cold water and washed. Before soaking, it is recommended to cut the buds lengthwise.

If you cannot buy a peeled tongue, it requires additional stripping and removal of the throat tube, but purchased tripe must not only be thoroughly washed from the inside, but also rolled in a special way before cooking.

Interesting recipes from offal

What can be prepared from offal? Dishes made from offal are so varied that they can be served at least several times a week and at the same time avoid repeating recipes without any effort.

Try preparing the following three dishes to appreciate the originality of simple dishes consisting of the minimum number of ingredients.

Homemade dietary pork lung sausages

  1. After pre-soaking the lungs in cold water, boil them under pressure until fully cooked. Oppression is required to prevent the lungs from floating to the surface;
  2. Then, the lungs should be cooled by placing them on one cutting board and pressing them on top of another, with pressure placed on it. It should be taken into account that liquid will be released abundantly from the by-products;
  3. While the lungs are cooling, you need to fry medium-sized onions and carrots in vegetable oil;
  4. After cooling, the lung should be sorted out, stripped of veins and finely chopped. Mix with vegetables, add spices (optional);
  5. Then you need to take wooden skewers and mold something like “sausages” around them. Put them in the refrigerator;
  6. Turn on the oven and, when the temperature reaches 200 degrees, place the sausages on skewers and bake them until cooked.

Zrazy with chicken liver

Ingredients:

  • 0.5 kg of potatoes;
  • 250 g chicken liver;
  • 1 small onion;
  • 1 small carrot;
  • salt pepper;
  • 20 grams of dill;
  • 5 tbsp. l. breadcrumbs;
  • 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

Cooking time: 60 minutes.

The number of calories per 100 grams of product is 230 kcal.


Baked beef tongue

Ingredients:

  • 800 grams of beef tongue;
  • ready-made hot sauce with horseradish - to taste;
  • sour cream - to taste;
  • 1 large onion;
  • 200 grams of hard cheese;
  • salt;
  • 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

Cooking time – 3.5 hours.

The number of calories per 100 grams of product is 180 kcal.

  1. Pre-prepared, washed tongue should be boiled in salted water for 2.5 hours;
  2. Then, the offal must be cooled and refrigerated in the refrigerator;
  3. Now you should carefully remove the skin from the tongue and cut the entire piece into thin slices;
  4. Fry the onion cut into half rings in odorless vegetable oil;
  5. Place several rolled up slices of tongue into cocotte makers, place a little fried onion on top of each portion, and add salt;
  6. Mix the prepared horseradish mixture with sour cream in the proportion required for the spiciness of the dish, and cover the contents of the cocotte bowls with the sauce;
  7. Sprinkle portions with grated cheese and bake the dish at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Who should not eat offal?

Doctors have different opinions about the frequency with which offal should be consumed by people with various forms of cardiovascular disease, as well as gouty manifestations and joint diseases.

  • reduce the intake of tongue and brains to 3-4 meals per year;
  • limit the presence of beef liver in the diet for people over 60 years of age;
  • for joint diseases and atherosclerosis, it is recommended to eat any offal no more than three times a week.