The Zen of Beef Grades & Labels

Different grades of boneless ribeye These four boneless ribeyes (a.k.a. Delmonicos), approximately 12 ounces show how Wagyu has more marbling than Prime, which is more marbled than Choice. You can also see that the Dry Aged steak is smaller because it has dehydrated, and darker. Click on the picture to see an enlargement. Choice steaks of this size typically sell for $8-10. Prime: $20-30. Wagyu: $60-70. Dry Aged Prime: $30-35. Kobe (not shown): $125-140. These steaks all came from Allen Brothers, a first rate Chicago butcher that supplies many top steak houses (Morton's, Lawry's, and Delmonico's, among many others). They also sell superlative beef to consumers via catalog and online. Their catalog is drool inducing.

Bob Stoyamovski is the owner of Upper Cut Beef in the playground called the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. Here he shows the dark colored crust of a well-aged rib roast.

Buy only rosy colored beef, right? Maybe... If that beef in the grocery is looking so rosy and delicious, that's because it's really fresh, right? Well, maybe not. It seems that Cargill and others have perfected a process for sealing meet in an airtight pack with a carbon monoxide atmosphere, and that keeps the meat from oxidizing and turning brown. For a long time. Even if it is stored improperly. Seems that even fresh meat can brown easily, and still taste just fine, but shoppers will buy the pink meat first even if it is not fresh. So grocers, who are cutting back on their butchering staff and hate wasting unsold meat, have turned to "modified atmosphere" pre-packaged beef, lamb, and tuna. Consumer groups are fighting to have the stuff labeled, but the industry is resisting. So the color of beef in a package is not a good measure of freshness anymore. Check the sell by date! Of course health inspectors can all tell you tales about butchers changing meat labels to extend the sell by date. The solution? Get to know your butcher and stay on your toes.

Ahhhhhh, beeeeef. Flesh of bovine. Is there anything more luxurious and decadent than a prime grade dry aged ribeye grilled over high heat? Cattle are butchered and can be broken down into into many different cuts. The most popular use of beef is for steaks, roasts, and ground meat, but everything from the tongue to stomach to testicles are served. Even the bones are used for stews and soups.

Beef comes from both steers (boys) and heifers (girls), and the best comes from mature, but not old animals. Young animals, calves, are used for veal. Older, tougher animals are best used for ground beef.

There are some very helpful terms used to describe beef and many appear on beef labels. It pays to know them when you shop.

Marbling. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors grade beef primarily on the age of the animal and the amount of fat mixed in with the muscle. This fat is called marbling because it resembles the striations in marble, thin, weblike filigrees. The more marbling, the more flavor and tenderness and juiciness. Fat is where the flavor's at.

Beef grades

USDA Utility, Cutter, Canner Beef. These are the lowest grades of beef and used primarily by processors for soups, canned chili, sloppy Joe's, etc. You will not likely see them in a grocery.

USDA Standard or Commercial Beef. Practically devoid of intramuscular fat. If it does not have a grade on the label it is probably standard or commercial. These grades are fine for stewed or ground meat, but they are a bad choice for barbecue.

USDA Select Beef or Good Beef. Slight marbling. Most restaurant brisket is this grade. If you know what you are doing you can make this stuff tender. Otherwise, get a higher grade.

USDA Choice Beef. Moderate marbling. This is a good choice for backyard cooks. About half the beef is marked USDA Choice.

USDA Prime Beef. Abundant marbling. Often from younger cattle. Prime is definitely better tasting and more tender than Choice. Only about 3% of the beef is prime and it is usually reserved for the restaurant trade, but your butcher should be able to order it for you. If not, try a reputable online supplier like Allen Brothers.

Special breeds

Black Angus. Black Angus cattle are considered by many to be an especially flavorful breed. Alas, it is almost impossible to know if what you are buying really is Angus.

Certified Angus Beef™. The Certified Angus Beef™ (CAB) brand is a trademarked brand designed to market beef. It has nothing to do with quality. Alas, CAB does not actually certify that the beef in the store is Angus or that it even has any Angus in it. Their major control is that the steer must have a black hide, which is an indicator, but not a guarantee of Angus in its genes. In fact, according to geneticists I have interviewed, there may be no Angus in the genes. The carcass must pass 10 quality control standards. CAB can be ordered as select, choice, or prime grade. The one thing you can be sure of, CAB will cost more because the American Angus Association charges a fee to "certify" the steers and higher markups take place on down the line.

Kobe Beef. Kobe Beef comes from Wagyu cattle, a special breed that is genetically disposed to have high marbling. It was first popularized in the Kobe Prefecture of Japan where it became known generically as Kobe beef. Kobe cattle are fed sake and beer mash during the final fattening stages and some even get daily massages! No kidding. It is graded A1-A5 with A5 having the most marbling.

It is noticeably more juicy and tender than prime, and when grilled, the flavor of high heat on beef fat permeats every bite. If cooked properly, it can be verything you dream of in a steak.

Wagyu Beef. Wagyu cattle are now also raised in the US and other countries. American Wagyu does not have to adhere to the same feeding and massaging standards as Kobe. At twice the price of prime is it worth it?

Aging

After cattle are slaughtered chemical changes called rigor mortis makes the meat tough within the first 12 hours. The carcass must be chilled rapidly but not frozen, and it takes several days for the muscles to relax enough to be sold. This usually happens in shipment. After that it can be further aged, or ripened, to increase tenderness. Enzymes and oxygen begin to work on the meat during the aging process, but too much age can spoil the meat, especially if bacteria, yeasts, or molds attack the meat. There is a big difference between aged meat and old meat. In addition, aging does not enhance all cuts, and it is not necessary for ground beef. Pork and most poultry do not age well at all because their fats get rancid more rapidly than those of beef.

Fresh. This seemingly desirable term means the meat has not been aged at all, so it is actually not a sign of highest quality.

Wet Aged Beef. Most meat is shipped from slaughter houses as large wholesale cuts packed in plastic vacuum bags in boxes. If kept this way at 34-38F for about 30 days, enzymes tenderize the meat, but the flavor is not as enhanced as it is in dry aging. If you buy vacuum packed beef that has not been aged, keeping it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks may tenderize it a bit.

Dry Aged Beef. Dry aging beef is an expensive process for tenderizing beef and concentrating its flavor. Dry aged beef is noticeably different tasting than fresh beef. Some describe it as earthy, nutty, gamey, leathery, or even mushroomy. Some people are addicted, some just plain don't like it.

Large hunks meat, usually the best cuts such as the rib primal, are hung in a sanitary room at 34-38F and 70-80% humidity, with brisk airflow for 30-45 days. During this time the meat's natural enzymes tenderize the meat while moisture evaporates shrinking the meat up to 20% (fresh beef is about 70% water).

Dry aging is sometimes called controlled rotting because the exterior of the muscle gets dark purple and mold sometimes grows on the outside of the meat. The outside crust is trimmed off before butchering and cooking. Because precise temp and humidity control are crucial, you should not try dry aging at home.

It is rare to find dry aged beef in grocery stores because most of them buy their meat in vacuum packed plastic bags. Some specialty butchers and high end restaurants offer dry aged beef.

Other terms

Grass Fed Beef. Until the 1950s, most US beef was grass fed by being allowed to graze on open ranges. As the US population grew and demand for cheap beef grew, grain feeding of beef became the norm. Now there is a trend back to grass feeding because many believe it is better for the animals, for people who eat them, and the environment. Some people think grass-fed beef taste better than grain fed, but more think corn fed tastes best.

Grain or Corn Fed Beef. For most of their lives, and especially just before slaughtering, most cattle in the US are fed corn. These cattle have slightly more fat and many people prefer the taste. Cattle do not easily digest corn, but the process is popular because they can be kept in tight pens in feed lots and do not have to graze over open land.

Grass or Corn Finished. Before slaughtering some cattle are brought to feed-lots where they are gorged and fattened. Sometimes grass-fed cattle are corn finished, so consumers who are concerned about corn feeding might also inquire if their grass fed cattle have been corn finished. It's getting complicated out there...

Organic Beef. USDA rules passed in 2002 state that certified organic beef must be produced according to strict rules that must be verified with an elaborate paper trail on every animal including its breed, feed, and medical history. To be certified organic it must eat only organic grasses and grains, have unrestricted outdoor access, must never be given antibiotics or hormones, and must be treated humanely. Organic beef is more expensive.

Natural Beef. Natural beef must not be given antibiotics or hormones, but they can be grown, fed and handled in the same way as other common cattle. Some physicians and scientists think giving cattle antibiotics could be encouraging the appearance of antibiotic resistant microorganisms in humans.

Kosher Beef and Halal Beef. These cattle are grown and slaughtered according to Jewish law (kosher) or Moslem law (Halal). Their requirements are similar. Both require that the animal be slaughtered by slitting the animal's neck veins and drained of practically all blood. Some experts believe this method is painful and inhumane.

This page was revised 10/16/2009

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