It’s all about myoglobin. That’s a protein that holds oxygen in muscle. More myoglobin equals a redder, bolder hue, like a steakhouse’s signature.
Beef? Yes. Lamb? Absolutely. Pork? Technically a “white meat” by some definitions, but it’s red in butcher-speak. Don’t let the “other white meat” slogan fool you—it’s on the team.
The Quirky Rules of the Meat Kingdom
Here’s a fun one: duck and goose are often called red meat too. Their breast meat is darker than chicken breasts. So your fancy duck breast is basically a bird that went to the red-meat school.
Bison, venison, and elk? All red. They’re the hipster cousins of beef. Rabbit is usually white, but if it’s older? It turns redder. Age changes everything, even dinner.
