Block kavurma is a practical solution in volume kitchens. The cost per portion, though, cannot be calculated from the kilograms printed on the box.
What is block kavurma made of?
Kavurma consists of pieces of meat cooked in their own fat.
In block form the product is cooked meat and set fat frozen together.
Fat runs between twenty and forty percent depending on the product.
The remainder is meat and some cooking liquid.
The ratio of those three components forms the basis of the portion calculation.
| Component | Typical share | Place in the calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | 55-70% | Net yield |
| Fat | 20-40% | Partly used |
| Water and cooking liquid | 5-10% | Lost on heating |
| Spices and salt | 1-2% | Ignored |
| Total | 100% | Packed weight |
How does net meat yield get calculated?
The usable meat coming out of a kilogram of block kavurma gets measured.
The product heats, the fat drains and the remaining meat gets weighed.
That measurement repeats across at least three different batches.
Average net yield comes out between fifty-five and seventy percent.
The ratio gets measured again whenever the supplier changes.
Is the fat share entirely a loss?
No; part of it goes into the food.
In rice, bulgur and vegetable dishes the fat from kavurma supplies aroma.
Not all of it gets used, though; the excess drains away.
How much gets used varies by kitchen, usually thirty to fifty percent.
In the calculation the fat sits as a partly used line of its own.
How much gets lost on heating?
Water evaporates as block kavurma heats.
The loss runs five to ten percent.
Long heating raises that loss and dries the meat.
Heating stays short; the product is already cooked and only needs bringing to temperature.
That loss goes into the net yield calculation too.
How does a block roast portion get defined?
In volume catering a kavurma portion gets defined as net meat.
A hundred to a hundred and twenty grams of net meat as a main course.
Eighty to a hundred grams served over rice.
Sixty grams as a supporting item.
The portion gets written in net meat; defined on block weight it gives a different result with every batch.
How does the portion count come from the block weight?
Knowing the net yield makes the calculation direct.
A five-kilogram block at sixty percent yield gives three kilograms of meat.
At a hundred grams a portion that means thirty portions.
Five percent gets added as a safety margin.
The plan works to twenty-eight or twenty-nine portions.
How does the menu cost get built?
The block price gets divided by the net yield.
That gives the real cost of meat per kilogram.
For example, a block bought at a given price per kilogram means a net meat cost about sixty-seven percent higher at a sixty percent yield.
That figure gets multiplied by the portion weight.
Energy and labour go in as separate lines.
How does block kavurma get heated?
The block partly thaws overnight in a fridge.
It does not thaw completely; water loss rises.
It heats in a pan over low heat.
Stirring stays minimal; too much breaks up the pieces.
Once the core reaches seventy-five degrees it is ready for service.
Which dishes use block roast?
Kavurma over rice is the most common.
As a flavouring in haricot bean and chickpea dishes.
As the meat line in vegetable dishes.
On pide and lahmacun.
At breakfast with eggs, where the portion drops to sixty grams.
What is the nutritional value of block kavurma?
A hundred grams of net meat carries 220 to 280 kilocalories.
Protein runs 25 to 30 grams.
Fat sits at 12 to 18 grams, the meat's own fat after draining.
Iron reaches 2.5 to 3.5 milligrams.
Sodium runs 400 to 600 milligrams, following the salt in the product.
What gets checked on a block roast label?
Meat content comes first; a quality product passes sixty-five percent.
The second line is the type of meat: beef, lamb or a mixture.
The third is the fat figure; above forty percent the net yield falls noticeably.
The fourth is added water.
The fifth is additives; traditional kavurma should carry no preservatives.
How does block roast quality get checked?
Once heated, the pieces of meat should keep their integrity.
Meat that falls apart into fibres points to poor raw material.
The fat should look white or cream; a yellow tint indicates long storage.
The smell should be characteristic of kavurma; a sour note indicates spoilage.
A sample from every batch gets tested for net yield, and a falling yield goes back to the supplier.
How does block kavurma get stored?
Held at minus eighteen degrees it lasts to the date on the pack, most often six months to a year.
The block stays whole; broken product oxidises faster.
A thawed block does not go back into the freezer.
Heated product keeps two days in a fridge.
The block can be portioned and frozen against expected use, which removes the need to thaw the whole block each time.
Where does the waste come from in portioning a block roast?
The first source is thawing; thawed without control, the block gives up five to eight percent of its weight as water.
The second is cutting; a frozen block produces shavings when cut, and that loss never reaches the scale.
The third is heating, where fat separates in the pot and the portion weight falls.
The fourth is what stays behind in the service pan.
In a well-run kitchen the total lands between eight and twelve percent.
Figures above fifteen percent point to a problem in the process.
The waste figure goes into the portion cost from the start; added afterwards, it sets the menu price wrong.
Keeping a monthly measurement is the only way that ratio stays under control.
Kitchens that record it usually find the largest share sits in thawing, which is also the easiest of the four to fix.
