Emu Meat Cuts
The six major carcass cuts are:
- Neck (about 1 1/2 pounds of meat) which is cut into sections like oxtail or deboned for ground.
- Rib Cage – 3 pounds trimmed for ground. This includes the strip running along the backbone.
- 2 Thighs (see cuts 1 through 7 on the chart below)
- 2 Drums (see cuts 8, 9 & 10 on chart below)
Emu Hindquarter, Meat Cuts and Muscle Names
| Meat Cut | International #’s of muscles in cut |
Muscle(s) with prefix M omitted |
Weight Before Desilvering | Tenderness rating* |
|
| 1. | Fan | EM 1046 | Iliofibularis | 1 lb. 4 oz (567 g) | 1 |
| 2. | Top Loin | EM 1047 | Iliotibialis cranialis | 1 lb. (454 g) | 1 |
| 3. | Outside Strip | EM 1036 | Flexor Cruris lateralis | 10 oz (238 g) | 2 |
| 4. | Round | EM 1035 | Iliotibialis lateralis | 1 lb 9 oz (709 g) | 2-3 |
| 5. | Inside strip | EM 1050 EM 1037 EM 1038 |
(Caudo-)iliofemoralis; flexor cruris medialis pubo-ischio-femoralis |
7 oz (198 g)6 oz (170g) | 1-3 |
| 6. | Tip | EM 1041 EM 1042 EM 1043 EM 1059a EM 1059b |
Femorotibialis complex: Femorotibialis Medius, Femorotibialis Externus, Femorotibialis Internus, Femorotibialis Accessories, pectineus |
1 lb + (454 g+) | 2-3 |
| 7. | Oyster | EM 1045 EM 1073b EM 1073d EM 1059c |
Liofemoralis internus: Iliotrochantericus cranialis, Caudalis; Ambiens (part of) |
12 oz (340g) | 1-4 |
| 8. | Inside Drum | EM 1011 | Gastrocnemius, pars interna | 1 lb 7 oz | 3-8 |
| 9. | Outside Drum | EM 1012 | Gastrocnemius, pars externa | 1 lb (454 g) | 3-5 |
| 10. | Mid-Drum | EM 1013 | Fibularis longus | 1 lb. (454 g) | 3-5 |
Information provided by the Emu Farmers Handbook, Vol 2 by Maria Minnaar (ISBN 0-9643741-4-5)
* Tenderness rating is from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most tender.
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Founded in 1989, The American Emu Association is a non-profit trade association representing breeders, producers and marketers of emu meat, oil and other emu co-products. The emu industry is an alternative agricultural industry, dominated by the small farmer, who is devoted to humane and environmentally positive practices that will produce beneficial products for society. For more information about the American Emu Association (AEA) or the emu industry visit https://aea-emu.org
I am looking to get emus butchered and processed in or around Ohio . I can’t seem to find a USDA processing plant who can do this for me . Do you know of anyone that still processes ratites ?
Any help would be appreciated !
Becky