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Beef

Beef deserves its popularity as America 's favorite meat. No matter how it is cooked, whether you're enjoying a grilled steak, a juicy burger, or a savory stew, its deep, hearty flavor comes through. Our love for beef is traditional. The vast plains of the West have always provided enough grass and grain to feed huge herds of cattle. In countries without an enormous expanse of ertile land, beef remains costly.

Buying And Storing Beef

Consumers demanded leaner meat and the beef industry have responded. Beef is now about 30 percent leaner than in the past, and butchers trim away much of the external fat before meat is sold. If you are looking for especially lean cuts, look for the words "round" or "loin" on the label: Top round and tenderloin are good examples.

Beef has eight primal cuts: the chuck, ribs, short loin, sirloin, round, flank, plate, and foreleg (brisket). Ground beef can be made from chuck, round, sirloin, or a combination of these cuts. Beef is graded by the USDA. There are eight grades of beef, but the average consumer only has access to three: prime, choice, and select.

Prime beef has the most marbling and is usually sold to restaurants and high-quality butchers. It is expensive but worth seeking for a special occasion. Even though we often use the term "prime rib" to describe any beef rib roast, most are not really prime grade, which makes up only about 2 percent of beef production. Choice beef has moderate marbling and represents 45 percent of all the beef sold. It is the grade found most often in supermarkets. Select beef is the least expensive. It comprises 21 percent of the graded beef sold, has the least marbling, and is often sold as a store's house brand.

Remember that grading is a voluntary procedure, and while it rates the degree of tenderness, it doesn't rate wholesomeness or sanitary conditions, although all meat is processed according to strict sanitary regulations. Lots of ungraded beef is sold to consumers. The butcher often gives this meat an ambiguous and misleading name like "butcher's choice" or "special select," terms that mean nothing except that they are neither prime nor choice. When meat is a bargain, it is usually because it hasn't been USDA graded.

Once the primal cuts have been separated into individual cuts of meat, the meat is aged to improve its texture and flavor. Traditional "dry-aging" can take up to six weeks. Dry-aged beef is generally found at fancy butcher shops and upscale restaurants, where it is stored in special refrigerators that expose the meat to the air. The surface of the meat dries out and is then trimmed away before being sold, which decreases the amount of saleable meat, making dry-aged beef quite expensive but with a flavor that justifies the price. Most supermarket meats are "wet-aged" in vacuum-sealed packages for a week or so. Sometimes larger cuts of meat, such as whole beef tenderloin, are sold in their vacuum packaging. When opened, these meats tend to have an unpleasant smell, which is due to the lack of oxygen in the package, but the odor dissipates once the meat is exposed to the air.

When buying beef, look for bright to deep red meat; any fat should be creamy white. As with all meat, color is a good indicator of quality. Cut edges should look freshly cut and moist-never wet. Vacuum-packed beef is darker and often looks more purple than red. Lastly, remember that the names of steaks and roasts often vary from state to state: A strip steak in California is known as a shell steak in New York .

This site is for educational purposes only. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. If you have, or suspect you have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.