Evaluation of electric belt grill, forced-air convection oven, and electric broiler cookery methods for beef tenderness research

Five muscles from USDA Select beef carcasses were cooked on an electric belt grill at three temperatures (93, 117, and 163 degreesC), in a forced-air convection oven, and on an electric broiler to determine effects of cooking treatment and muscle on Warner-Bratzler shear force values, cooking traits (cooking loss, cooking time, and endpoint temperature), and repeatability of duplicate measurements. All cooking treatments allowed shear force differences to be detected (P < 0.05) among the five muscles, although the differences were inconsistent. Neither longissimus lumborum nor semitendinosus shear values differed among the five cooking treatments; however, shear values for biceps femoris, deep pectoralis, and gluteus medius differed (P < 0.05) among cooking treatments. Belt grill cooking resulted in the highest shear force repeatability (R = 0.70 to 0.89) for the longissimus lumborum. All cooking methods provided acceptable repeatability (R greater than or equal to 0.60) of shear values for the biceps femoris and semitendinosus. The electric broiler was the only cooking treatment that resulted in acceptable repeatability of shear force measurements for all five muscles. It is not recommended to use the gluteus medius to test treatment effects on shear force values. Belt grill or electric broiler cooking are recommended for shear force evaluations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.