The Art of Beef Cutting: A Meat Professional's Guide to Butchering and Merchandising [Hardcover-spiral]

Kari Underly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 2011

The ultimate guide to beef fundamentals and master cutting techniques

An ideal training tool that’s perfect for use in grocery stores, restaurants, foodservice companies, and culinary schools, as well as by serious home butchers, The Art of Beef Cutting provides clear, up-to-date information on the latest meat cuts and cutting techniques.

Written by Kari Underly, a leading expert in meat education, this comprehensive guide covers all the fundamentals of butchery and includes helpful full-color photos of every cut, information on international beef cuts and cooking styles, tips on merchandising and cutting for profit, and expert advice on the best beef-cutting tools.

• This is the only book on the market to include step-by-step cutting techniques and beef fundamentals along with information on all the beef cuts from each primal
• Includes charts of NAMP/IMPS numbers, URMIS UPC codes, and main muscles for each beef cut; Latin American cut  names and cooking methods; and cooking tips for each cut for easy reference
• The author is an expert meat cutter who has developed some of the newest meat cuts for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and created their current retail beef cut charts

The Art of Beef Cutting is the perfect reference and training manual for anyone who wants to master the basic techniques of beef fabrication.

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From the Book: Shoulder Center

What a great beef find! This shoulder center is readily available and a great addition to any meat case and menu. Low labor, high profitability, and a happy steak consumer are all packed into this great offering. The shoulder center can make an excellent alternative for moderately priced steak or a great stir-fry, and it is excellent for kabobs.

Location and Composition
The shoulder center is contained within the larger muscle group called the shoulder clod. The main muscle contained in the shoulder center is the triceps brachii.

Cuts
Beef Shoulder Center (Ranch) Steak, Boneless

Beef Shoulder Center (Ranch) Steak Thin, Boneless

Ethnic Cuts
Bistec Ranchero

Beef Shoulder Center Pepper Steak

1 Beef Shoulder Clod
The shoulder is composed of three main muscles:

A. Shoulder Center – triceps brachii
B. Top Blade – infraspinatus
C. The teres major is not attached.

Shoulder Center

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From the Book: Meat Purchase Specifications

Check out a chart from the book on meat purchase specifications.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This immensely practical guide explains all the fundamentals of beef cutting—from the tools of the trade to the latest cuts to advice on merchandising and butchering for profit. A complete training reference for any and every butcher's workspace, it includes step-by-step cutting techniques, detailed descriptions and photos of the cuts from each subprimal, information on specialty and ethnic cuts, and easy-to-reference charts highlighting the NAMP/IMPS numbers, URMIS UPC codes, muscle names, and ideal cooking methods for each cut. Offering a full, professional-level education on the subject, The Art of Beef Cutting is a must-have resource for professional and aspiring butchers, chefs, meat buyers, grocery store executives, and foodservice operators, as well as for culinary students and even food enthusiasts.

"An invaluable addition to any cook's library."
—David Varley, Corporate Chef, Michael Mina Group

"A significant contribution to beef butchery where there is currently almost no complete guide for chefs, meat cutters, or culinary students to use as a resource."
—Bruce Aidells, Coauthor, The Complete Meat Cookbook

"What a rich treasure of clear photos, easy instructions, and creative tips . . . a superb resource for meat enthusiasts of all abilities. It's like having an entire college course at your fingertips!"
—Chris R. Calkins, PhD, Nebraska Beef Industry Professor of Animal Science

"Beautifully shows the passion and finesse behind something that is so often overlooked in our modern world . . . inspires anyone who reads it to become his or her own butcher."
—Kevin Gillespie, Executive Chef and Co-owner, Woodfire Grill

"A straightforward, comprehensive manual suitable for amateurs and professionals alike. Kari's style is easy to read and extremely instructive."
—Michael Strauss, Past President, North American Meat Processors Association

"Takes the mystery out of beef cutting . . . a book that all culinary students and professionals should add to their libraries."
—Christopher Koetke, Vice President, Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts; Executive Director, School of Culinary Arts, Kendall College

"The Art of Beef Cutting should be mandatory reading in all professional cooking schools . . . a must for any chef or butcher."
—Ariane Daguin, Owner, D'Artagnan

"A very encompassing, well written, in-depth training tool."
—Phil Plummer, Director of Meat and Seafood, Martin's Super Markets

About the Author

As a third-generation butcher, KARI UNDERLY witnessed the art of beef cutting at a very young age. With her own passion for the craft ignited, Kari became a journeyman meat cutter, and after gaining experience at the retail level, she moved on to meat education, merchandising, and muscle research. As a consultant to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Kari helped create the Flat Iron steak and Denver cut. She is the founder of Range, Inc., a consultancy dedicated to helping companies in the perishable marketplace develop merchandising tools and new market strategies. Kari speaks frequently on the topic of retail meat marketing and conducts training seminars on meat merchandising for chefs and students.
For more information on Kari and Range, Inc., visit www.rangepartners.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118029577
• ISBN-13: 978-1118029572
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 1.1 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Meat, Poultry & Seafood > Meats
  • #44 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Professional Cooking > Professional

More About the Author

A third-generation meat cutter, Kari was introduced to the trade by her father at Underly's Market, a butcher shop and ice cream parlor in South Bend, Indiana. As an adult, she entered a three-year meat cutting apprenticeship program and became a journeyman meat cutter with Martin's Super Market in South Bend. Over time, Kari continued to develop her cutting skills and product knowledge as well as her business savvy and instincts for merchandising and marketing. Today, retailers, foodservice operators, associations, chefs, and farmers across the country regularly tap into Kari's expertise.

Based in Chicago, Kari is the founder of Range®, Inc. specializing in meat industry innovation. She speaks frequently on the topic of meat marketing and conducts training and education seminars for retailers, foodservice operators, trade associations, culinary students, as well as food and meat enthusiasts.

Kari is also the author of The Art of Beef Cutting: A Meat Professionals Guide to Butchering and Merchandising which is short listed for the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards and is a finalist for the IACP Annual Awards and is a highly sought contributor for other books and articles on the subject of meat, butchery and the industry.

Kari holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is a faculty member with the IGA Coca-Cola Institute's International Supermarket Management Class and a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book. February 25, 2012

By matt f.

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I raise cattle and sell frezzer beef and beef at farmers markets. I was looking for a book to give me knowledge on how the beef is cut after I deliver it to the butcher. This book is very well writen and (more importatly) has good pictures to dicribe the cuts. it breaks down the primals into subprimals and then into individual cuts. I would have liked to have average weights of primals and individual cuts included in this book. it didn't waste my time with how to cook all these cuts (although it did give some basic cooking instructions). I agree with the reviewer that said a video would be great with this book. I have read, reread and made notes all over this book and will use it for reference for years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory information for meat cutters. November 13, 2012

By Manuallaborer

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a meat cutter at a warehouse club store. This book should be required reading for anyone in the meat trade. Very well written, and informative.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Something for everyone October 7, 2011

By amateur chef

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book will be such a help for chefs, homemakers, butchers, and culinary professors. The amount of information is overwhelming. If you think you know it all, you don't. This book shows cuts of meats, complementary seasonings, and more. It's just too much to list it all, but it's so very interesting! I'm going to buy some for gifts. Thanks, Kari, for a great addition to the literary world!