Joe's Meat 101

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U.S.D.A. Grading System

Joe's Reserve Beef

Branded Beef

Beef Breeds

Beef Cuts

Dry / Wet Aging

Steak House Price Comparison

U.S.D.A. Grading System:

The current U.S.D.A. Grading System has eight grades of beef, although only the first three or four are usually sold in markets.  These grades are, in descending order of quality:

     Prime

     Choice

     Select

    Standard

    Commercial

    Utility

    Cutter

    Canner

The first two grades, Prime and Choice, are top quality.  The Select grade is lean but has average flavor.  Other grades should not be used in most circumstances.  80% of Prime Grade U.S. beef is exported (mostly to Japan) at premium prices; U.S. consumers are buying low quality beef without objection; and the low-quality beef costs the industry much less to produce (yet produces the same revenue as previously received for high-quality beef).

Within a maturity group, marbling (the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat) within the ribeye is the primary determinant of USDA Quality Grade.  Visual evaluation of marbling in the ribeye (at the 12th rib cross-section) are related to differences in eating quality of beef.  Beef cuts with high levels of marbling are more likely to be tender, juicy and flavorful than the cuts with very low levels of marbling.  Studies suggest that beef from carcasses grading at least USDA Select are likely to be acceptable in eating quality for most consumers.

Most of the beef that is sold in the United States is graded by the U.S.D.A. and includes both a quality grade and a yield grade.

See the following story for more information:  "A Matter of Fat".

    Quality Grades

The U.S.D.A. inspectors mark beef carcasses (including full-, half-, and quarter-carcasses) with a quality grade mark.  Quality grading is designed to distinguish between differences in palatability among carcasses.  In red meat carcasses the quality grade has served as a nationwide guide to the eating qualities of meat, including its tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.  Beef quality attributes considered to be of value include: 1) maturity, 2) marbling, 3) texture of the lean, 4) firmness of the lean and fat, and 5) color of the lean and fat.

The quality grade is determined by considering the degree of marbling and firmness as observed in the cut surface of the rib eye in relation to the maturity of the carcass.  In other words, a younger beef cannot be expected to have the same marbling in the rib eye as the older one.

Three Prime Grade Levels

The Prime Grade represents beef that is 15% more marbled than Choice.  Within the Prime Grade, there are three different levels of quality, which are usually called:

Abundant

Moderately Abundant

Slightly Abundant

Three Choice Grade Levels

The Choice Grade represents beef which is 15% more marbled than Select.  The Choice Grade covers a very broad spectrum of beef.  Within the Choice grade, there are three different levels of quality, which are usually called:

    Moderate marbling

    Modest marbling

    Small / Slight marbling

Moderately marbled U.S.D.A. Choice is the top cut, just one step short of Prime.  Joe's Butcher Shop "Joe's Reserve Beef" uses this top cut of Choice. Joe's Butcher Shop "Joe's Reserve Beef" is graded in the top 50% of Moderately marbled U.S.D.A. Choice top cut.  Prime and Specialty Beef are available upon request.

Percent of Intra-muscular Fat For U.S.D.A. Quality Grades

Prime Grade - is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. Only 2% of the beef in the U.S. is graded Prime. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking (i.e., roasting, broiling, and grilling).

Choice Grade - is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are, like Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and blade chuck, can also be cooked with dry heat, but be careful not to overcook them. Using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of cooking and assures a safe internal temperature: 145 ° F is medium rare; 160 ° F, medium; and 170 ° F, well done.

Choice Grade is also subdivided further by Yield Grades.
Yield Grade 1 is the best.
Yield Grade 5 is the "Least" best

Select Grade - is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. Only the tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin) should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or cooked with moisture to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.

Standard and Commercial Grades – frequently are sold as non-graded or as "store brand" meat.

Utility, Cutter, and Canner Grades - are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and processed products.

Branded Beef

As U.S.D.A. Grading has changed over the years "Branded Beef" has emerged.  The goal of branded beef is to create a perceived level of quality branding without using specific U.S.D.A. Grades.  Certified Angus Beef (often seen abbreviated as "CAB") sounds like one of the highest grades of beef.  But the facts behind the hype are quite different.  In 1978, Certified Angus Beef was created by the America Angus Association.  The stated purpose of the program was "to bring back high standards".  The program touted that "this USDA certified, specification-branded beef was the answer to the demand for consistent, high-quality beef."

Because the 1987 changes led consumers to experience a decrease in the quality (taste) of beef, a market for higher quality beef developed, which itself let to the development of branded beef programs.  The best marketed and thus best known program now is the Certified Angus Beef (CAB).

Most consumers believe incorrectly that Certified Angus Beef is U.S.D.A. Prime Grade.  Of course, that is exactly what CAB wants consumers to believe (and it is the reason that CAB does not usually label the U.S.D.A. Grade on its products).

Note, however, that CAB beef is not USDA Prime-Grade, nor is it necessarily the top of the USDA Choice-Grade.  To be eligible for the CAB designation, the quality must only achieve the USDA Choice-Grade, Middle Choice designation.  In effect, Certified Angus Beef is a brand created for a specific breed of cattle, requiring the steer be 51% black hided.

Beef Breeds

Worldwide there are over 250 breeds of beef cattle.  Over 60 of these breeds are present in the United States. However, a relatively small number of breeds (less than 20) constitute the majority of the genetics utilized in the U.S. for commercial beef production. The breed, or combination of breeds, used in a defined breeding program have a significant impact on the efficiency and profitability of the beef enterprise. Breed influences the important parameters of growth rate, reproductive efficiency, maternal ability, and end-product specifications. Additionally, nutritional requirements and production costs are related to traits such as mature cow size and growth rate that are largely determined by breed. Therefore, selecting appropriate breeds to be used in a crossbreeding program is an important decision for beef cattle producers.

Source: Beef Cattle Breeds and Biological Types

Beef Cuts

Major Beef Cuts

Beef Aging

Aging beef can be accomplished in two different ways:  dry-aging and wet-aging.

Both types of aging take place at a temperature of about 36° F (cold, but above the freezing point).  During the aging process, natural enzymes in the meat are released and soften the connective tissue in the muscles.

Dry-Aging:

In dry-aging, the beef is maintained in a low-humidity environment, and the meat loses a substantial amount of moisture -- up to 20% of the meat's weight.  This evaporation concentrates the meat flavor, but it also increases the cost of the meat.  If a New York strip weighs 20 pounds before dry-aging and cost $15.00/lb, and if it loses 20% of its weight during the process, then after aging the meat will weigh only 16 pounds, so the price will have to be increased to $18.75/lb, just for the weight loss.

Wet-Aging:

Wet-aging avoids this moisture loss and thus is a much less expensive process than dry-aging.  When beef is processed, the producers seal the large, sub-primal beef cuts in cryovac vacuum packs, which are placed in boxes and shipped to butchers.  (Thus the term "boxed meat", which is used in contrast to hanging meat.)  Some butchers will age the meat by leaving it in the vacuum packs.  This is wet-aging. 

Wet-aging will tenderize the meat by the same enzymatic process as dry aging.  However, because wet-aging involves no loss of moisture through evaporation, the flavors do not become more concentrated, as they do with dry-aging.  Moreover, some scientists maintain that the enzymes do not react as well during wet-aging to tenderize the meat.

Because wet-aging does not concentrate the meat flavors, butchers will use dry-aging to age their finest beef.

Steak House Price Comparison

The following is a chart to show comparative prices at some of the leading steak house chains.  Joe's Butcher Shop & Fish Market New York Strip for two 10 ounce portions would cost approximately $18.75 (Wet-Aged) and $22.50 (Dry-Aged).  Add two Idaho potatoes and Salad for about $5.00 more and you can have the Morton's / Ruth Chris' experience at home for 1/3 to 1/5 the price.  Enjoy!