Meat Flavor

Meat flavor has two distinct components: a generic “meatiness” that comes from muscle fiber breakdown products (shared across all animals), and a species-specific character that comes almost entirely from fat. Understanding both requires understanding myoglobin, fiber types, and the chemistry of cooking.

Myoglobin and color

Myoglobin is the iron-containing pigment that gives meat its color. It exists in three forms:

Oxymyoglobin (bright red): iron atom bound to oxygen. This is what you see when fresh meat “blooms” on exposure to air.