oxidized, denatured form of myoglobin is
brown; in meats cured with nitrite, including
corned beef and ham, the myoglobin assumes
a stable pink form (NO is nitric oxide, a
product of nitrite); and in uncured meats
cooked in a charcoal grill or gas oven, traces
of carbon monoxide (CO) accumulate and
produce another stable pink form.
Heat and Meat Texture
The texture of a food is created by its physical
structure: the way it feels to the touch, the
balance of solid and liquid components, and
the ease or difficulty with which our teeth
break it down into manageable pieces. The
key textural components in meat are its
moisture, around 75% of its weight, and the
fiber proteins and connective tissue that either
contain and confine that moisture, or release
it.