Contracts for the Army require that fresh beef shall be good in quality and condition, fit for im- mediate use, and from fore and hind quarter meats proportionally, including all the best cuts thereof. Beef from bulls, stags, or diseased cattle shall not be delivered. The necks of the cattle slaughtered for beef shall be cut off at the fourth vertebral joint, and the breasts trimmed down; the shanks of fore quarters shall be cut off four inches above the knee joint, and of hind quarters eight inches above the hock joint. Necks, shanks, and kidney tallow shall be excluded from delivery.* Beef cattle may be placed in the following order, as to the character of eating beef : 1. Spayed heifer from four to seven years old. 2. Steer or bullock (never worked) from four to six years old. 3. Free-martin (or barren heifer) not over eight years old. * It was found by weighing a steer and dressing it according to contract that the— Fore quarters weighed ^\0 pounds 15 ounces. Hind quarters weighed 2C8 pounds 13 ounces. Excess of fore quarters, 42 pounds 2 ounces. This proportion has been found to be general ; consequentlj', in receiving fresh beef under contract it should be expected that the proportion of fore-quarters uieat to hind-quarters Hieat would be about as 8 is to 7. 26 MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. 4. Ox from five to eight years old. 5. Heifer from three to four years old. 6. Cow from three to eight years old. Besides having a knowledge of cooking and pre- paring food, the cook should be also conversant with the nature and quality of meat, and the way in which oxen and sheep, when killed, are divided into joints. Method of c A B.— Cut at the neck. C D. — Cut to divide fore and hind quarters. FORE QX'ARTERS. No. 1. — Chuck. Stews and stock. No. 4. No. 2. — Chuck roast, 5 ribs. Koast. No. 5. No. 3. — Second cut, 3 ribs. Eoast. No. 6. E F.— Cut at fore leg. G H.— Cut at hind leg. -First cut, 3 ribs. Koast. -Shoulders. Boiling. -Plates and brisket. Stews. No. 7. — Sirloin. Koast. No. 8.— Flank. Stews. No. 9.— Kump. Steaks. HIND QUA No. 10. — Kound. Boiling. A baron of beef is two sirloins cut in one joint. ^N'os. 1, 6, and 8 do not keep as well as other parts and should be consumed first. MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. 27 Proportion, of hone to meat. The following table exhibits about tlie average proijortion of meat to bone in the most ordinary joints of meat; the joints, when raw, being first weighed, and afterwards the bone, when dressed, and the meat removed with a knife ; Gross weight Sirloin Ruiiil» II bone Roiiiul iMoiise buttock. Veiny piece Thick flank Thin flank Leg Ribs (best end). Ribs (uiicldle) _. Ribs (chuck).-. Shoulder Sticking piece.. Shin Total. Weight of bone. Pounds. 1 4 1 1 9 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 0 2 24 Ounces. 9 0 G 12 0 0 7 0 15 12 0 n G Or, about 15 per cent of bone to that of meat. The hind quarter and ribs are considered far pref- erable ; the remainder of the fore quarter and neck are coarse and of inferior worth. The ration is twenty ounces of beef, as delivered from the block ; an allowance of twenty per cent for bone will leave sixteen ounces of meat. MUTTON.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Contracts for the Army require that fresh beef shall be good in quality and condition, fit for immediate use, and from fore and hind quarter meats proportionally, including all the best cuts thereof. Beef from bulls, stags, or diseased cattle shall not be delivered. The necks of the cattle slaughtered for beef shall be cut off at the fourth vertebral joint, and the breasts trimmed down; the shanks of fore quarters shall be cut off four inches above the knee joint, and of hind quarters eight inches above the hock joint. Necks, shanks, and kidney tallow shall be excluded from delivery.* Beef cattle may be placed in the following order, as to the character of eating beef : 1. Spayed heifer from four to seven years old. 2. Steer or bullock (never worked) from four to six years old. 3. Free-martin (or barren heifer) not over eight years old. * It was found by weighing a steer and dressing it according to contract that the— Fore quarters weighed ^\0 pounds 15 ounces. Hind quarters weighed 2C8 pounds 13 ounces. Excess of fore quarters, 42 pounds 2 ounces. This proportion has been found to be general ; consequentlj', in receiving fresh beef under contract it should be expected that the proportion of fore-quarters meat to hind-quarters Hieat would be about as 8 is to 7. 4. Ox from five to eight years old. 5. Heifer from three to four years old. 6. Cow from three to eight years old. Besides having a knowledge of cooking and preparing food, the cook should be also conversant with the nature and quality of meat, and the way in which oxen and sheep, when killed, are divided into joints. [illustration: Method of cutting beef] A B.— Cut at the neck. C D. — Cut to divide fore and hind quarters. FORE QX'ARTERS. No. 1. — Chuck. Stews and stock. No. 4. No. 2. — Chuck roast, 5 ribs. Roast. No. 5. No. 3. — Second cut, 3 ribs. Roast. No. 6. E F.— Cut at fore leg. G H.— Cut at hind leg. -First cut, 3 ribs. Koast. -Shoulders. Boiling. -Plates and brisket. Stews. No. 7. — Sirloin. Koast. No. 8.— Flank. Stews. No. 9.— Rump. Steaks. [illustration: HIND QUARTER] No. 10. — Kound. Boiling. A baron of beef is two sirloins cut in one joint. ^N'os. 1, 6, and 8 do not keep as well as other parts and should be consumed first. Proportion, of hone to meat. The following table exhibits about tlie average proijortion of meat to bone in the most ordinary joints of meat; the joints, when raw, being first weighed, and afterwards the bone, when dressed, and the meat removed with a knife ; Gross weight Sirloin Rump II bone Roiiiul iMoiise buttock. Veiny piece Thick flank Thin flank Leg Ribs (best end). Ribs (uiicldle) _. Ribs (chuck).-. Shoulder Sticking piece.. Shin Total. Weight of bone. Pounds. Ounces. G n G Or, about 15 per cent of bone to that of meat. The hind quarter and ribs are considered far preferable ; the remainder of the fore quarter and neck are coarse and of inferior worth. The ration is twenty ounces of beef, as delivered from the block ; an allowance of twenty per cent for bone will leave sixteen ounces of meat. MUTTON.

Manual for army cooks