Which Cuts Of Beef Are Best For Pressure Cooking? Return to Meat Menu Page   Diagram of Beef Cuts Diagram of Pork Cuts Diagram of Lamb Cuts Diagram of Poultry Cuts Which Cuts Are the Most Tender One of the most important benefits of pressure cooking is turning a tough cut of meat into a tender, flavorful meal in just minutes. This is economical in that cooks can take advantage of sales, or buy cheaper cuts of meat, and also energy smart because this time and fuel is used to cooker the meat. Cuts of beef that are obtained from the center of the animal, such as the loin and rib area, are the most tender. This is because the muscles in the loin and rib areas are suspension muscles and do not move as much as the muscles in the front and rear portions of the animal, which are responsible for locomotion. The more a muscle is used, the less tender it. Why is meat red sometimes and brown other times? The color of red meats is not an indication of freshness. Some prime meats are aged for added tenderness and they will appear darker than meats that are not aged. Freshly cut meat is normally a dark color. However, when it is exposed to air, it will "bloom" and turn red. When meat is ground, and then tightly packed with little of no air inside, it will be brown. When choosing hamburger, look for the medium-to-deep color that signifies a low-fat content (a light pink color is a warning that excess fat has been ground in with the meat). Ground beef should contain no more than 15 percent fat. New, modern packaging methods of vacuum sealing removes air to preserves freshness and meats packaged this way will appear darker than meats in regular plastic packaging. When you open the meat package and let it stand for a short while, it will begin to turn red again. Iridescent Beef, why does sliced cooked beef or lunch meat  sometimes have an iridescent color? Meat contains iron, fat, and many other compounds. When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors like a rainbow. There are also various pigments in meat compounds which can give it an iridescent or greenish cast when exposed to heat and processing. Iridescent beef isn't spoiled necessarily, but if it is slimy or sticky and have an off-odor it's definitely not edible. Related Articles Beef Cuts by Name Diagram - Beef Cuts What Makes Meat Tender or Tough Browning Meats   Questions or comments on this article? Click here.