Joints For Roasting. Ribs. Sirloin

Chump of rump. Mouse buttock. Topside. Fillet of sirloin. Tongue, fresh. Heart.

Joints for salting. Round. Aitch-bone. Silver-side. Brisket. Tongue.

Joints for frying or broiling.

Rump-steak.

Beef-steak (well beaten). Liver.

Joints for stewing. Beef-steak. Topside.

Brisket and inferior portions. Liver. Ox tail.

Joints for puddings and pies.

Beef steak, or Fillet For soup and gravy.

Shin.

Cheeks, or any inferior parts.

Ox tail.

A rump- or beef-steak should never be hung up after it is cut off for use; the air dries all the juice out of it, and it will grow harder, not tenderer. Beating it well with a rolling-pin is the best means to make it tender when it is once cut out of the animal, but the flesh from which it is cut should hang to grow tender in the whole joint.

Salting Of Beef

Beef is salted either by having salt rubbed into it, or by being immersed in brine. Brine is strong enough for pickling when it will support an egg on it. Salt has the effect of contracting the fibres of meat, and drawing out the juice from the pores. You will see this by sprinkling dry salt on fresh lean meat; it will draw out the juice which will be con-verted (by being dissolved by it) into fluid brine. As much as one-third of the juice of the meat is forced out by the contraction of the fibres when a great deal of salt is used; the salt takes its place. The salt closes the pores by contracting the fibres, and thus prevents the entrance of the atmospheric air, which decays meat. For this reason, salted meat can be kept longer than fresh. But though preserved by salt, meat is robbed by it of much of its nutritive quality - the juice drawn out by the salt contains albumen, kreatin (the substance already described), phosphoric acid and potash. Salt meat will not therefore nourish us as fresh meat does, and, if long fed upon, injures the health; and unless vegetables or lime-juice are taken with it, will cause the terrible complaint called scurvy.

Fat meat keeps longer when salted, if the fat be hard.