How To Select Beef Steak Cuts by the Numbers

 How many times have you felt inadequate for the task of selecting the right beef cut for your Saturday cook out or Sunday dinner? Probably more often than any of us would like to own up to. It's not entirely because of your inability, but largely because the method of meat preparation, the beef standards and the point of delivery have taken a mass production approach to meat deliver to you the consumer with high expectations for that important dinner party of family meal.

My roots are deep in meat production , display and end sales of meat. More importantly I love Meat, especially beef and have made it my goal to understand this product inside and out.In this Hub I will offer 10 Tips-How To Buy Beef Steak Cuts as well as some other useful preparation advice. Get your fork out and lets dig in.

USDA Prime Beef, USDA Choice & USDA Select are the three main grades of beef available in the USA. The most foolproof method to confidently buy quality beef is to buy according to the meat grades. Select is the leanest and most common grade in America. It is the industry standard and what you will find in every supermarket, but it is at the bottom of the grade chart. Go with caution when choosing Select Beef. USDA Choice Beef is the middle Grade & far superior to select in marbling and tenderness. Choice Beef was the industry standard some 20 years ago. Choice is now normally only sold as Certified Angus Beef or other regional distributors selling upscale beef, it can be found in smaller quantities in most supermarkets and butcher shops. The cost will normally be 30-50% higher than select, buy choice with confidence. USDA Prime Steaks are the cream, only about 2% of American Beef is graded as prime beef cuts. The production cost is much greater, the demand is far less, but the quality and flavor are unstoppable. Prime Beef is fed longer and aged longer after processing to insure tenderness. The interior marbling within the tissue is far superior to even choice beef. USDA Prime Beef can be found in upscale Grocery outlets with service meat operations and from speciality beef farms. You can also Buy Organic Beef in Prime Grade. Several top American farms grow and distribute Grass Fed Organic Beef nationwide and have their beef for sale online. Many of these select Beef ranches raise beef the right way with ethical practices and your health in mind. The end result is the most flavorful and tender beef you can imagine. Sure it does come at a greater cost than what you could buy in your local supermarket. You get what you pay for!

Beyond buying top grade of beef there premier brands of beef, they are select because of their particular breed. One such breed id Wagyu Beef, or American Kobe Beef as it is referred to in America. The is no need for engineering with this beef, Wagyu beef is supreme quality and extreme marbling. The juciest and most tender beef available.

The term cool is not slang in this case, it is the government standard for the country of originof meat product. You need to know that your meat is American produced, otherwise don't buy it. Your meat outlet should be able to display on packaging and specifically tell you the origin of your beef.

 Selecting beef by eye is not outdated, if it looks like an old shoe ; it probably is. A good fresh cut of meat will be bright red after it is exposed to cool air when cut. This is actually the time when the bacteria begin to grow more hurriedly; from this point on the cut begins to grey in color with each day. Trust your good eye!

This is where the lines in beef selection turn grey, people like lean meat but not all really lean meat is good for every cooking process, and not all really lean meat is good at all. A piece of meat this void of fat content is a poor cut and possibly a sub standard cut such as a packer grade. Even select beef will have some marbling, you should understand that a cut that has no fat will require you to use certain cooking techniques that make up for the lack of fat, moisture content and connective structure of the cut. Know when you need fat!

 The texture of a piece of meat is important; don't go poking holes in meat but give it a gentle poke to see if it is fairly firm. A mushy cut of meat means several things and none of them are good. Firmness points to the freshness and stability of the connective tissue in the meat and will give you a leg up in Beef selection.

A cut is a cut is a cut. To make it simple cuts that are 1 suitable for grilling , broiling, oven roasting and stir fry are rib eye, t-bone,sirloin & tenderloin. (these cuts can be cooked at a higher temperature and retain tenderness). 2 Cuts that are suitable for pan frying, oven roasting, braising, (grilling when marinated) are round steak, swiss steak, rump roast, tip steak or roast, skirt steak, flank steak. (these cuts have a lower moisture content and they will actually get tough if cooked to slowly) 3 Cuts that are suitable for Slow cooking, barbecue,slow roasting, braising and stewing, are chuck, shoulder, ribs, shank, and brisket.

 If you use the beef selection rules mentioned in # 6 this one is a no brainer. A sirloin tip steak is not a true grilling steak, even if it is labeled so. A sirloin steak is a grilling steak. If you are grilling buy a cut suited to make you a star with your grill. If you are making an oven roast, try a nice rump roast cooked at 425 degrees to  an interior temperature of 155 degrees will be right. When you have a taste for fried steak try a tenderized round steak, or pound it yourself just for the fun of it. In choosing the cut that fits your desired cooking method you will make your end product and the experience a lot more rewarding.

Selecting Beef Cuts that Save you $.

Your Beef Selection can be more varied and more economical if you expand your range of cooking techniques. There are several less expensive Beef Cuts that make great meals when prepared by braising. Braising is the technique of seasoning and pan searing your meat cut then use the good sticky or (fond) in the skillet to create a braising liquid which can be flavored with beef or chicken stock and also white and some red wines such as Madeira along with whatever seasoning & herbs you like. Simmer the beef not completely covered with liquid in a covered iron skillet or dutch oven for 2-3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Some cuts may have scared you away in the past but don't turn back now. Some less costly cuts that are great for braising are 1.chuck or shoulder steak 2.Beef short ribs 3 beef stew 4 beef shanks 5 beef brisket 6 beef oxtails 7 Bottom round Swiss steak 8 skirt steak 9 round steak. Remember grandma's gravy steak,well just make you own tradition and they don't have to know it didn't cost the farm. Get Your Braise On

It's almost too simple to mention but many people are reluctant to ask. Just ask your local meat expert what he would suggest for the meal you are planning. It is a good idea to build rapport with an individual, I know from experience, if you show you appreciate honesty they will be honest and work to give you superior service and advice. Its good to know what the butcher would buy.

The name does matter when it come to safe, quality beef. The brand of beef, not a supermarket brand, as most chains try to highlight as quality by giving it a snappy name. If your store does not cut and package beef, like the top grocery chain in America you are limited to what they want you to have. A grocery center with a service meat setup is your best opportunity to find quality beef and someone who knows beef and values your business. The term Certified Angus Beef Steak is a quality standard, it is not manufactured by publicists and it represents quality and a high standard. Demand a higher standard in the beef you buy, consumers drive the quality of the product offered and so the need for information as I am offering. Because the market has drastically changed; you as a consumers have to be dynamic in your approach to living a good life. I hope the ideas I have offered have been of value to you. Thank you for spending some time at my Hub.

Please leave a comment or drop me a line if you have a question or need a suggestion for preparation or serving a group.

Live for Success-Stand for Something & Believe

Jr Edmonson

Now that you're practically a guru on How to Buy Beef, its time to savor the flavor of that perfect Angus beef steak, but hold on just a minute; the perfect steak demands some thoughtful accompaniment. A great steak is even better with some off road grillin partners.

Try some of these on for size. The vegetables can be split or cut into good grilling size and coated with butter or olive oil to get some good grill lines and flavor. It Is also a no brainer to assemble many of these items on skewers and cook them together. Just be sure to separate the vegetable skewers from the fruit skewers.The fruits can be basted with a butter and brown sugar mixture to grill in flavor.

• Zucchini squash-split into halves
• Avocado-Slice an avocado into 1/2 inch thick & brush with olive oil & grill
• Portabella mushrooms
• Grilled green tomatoes-cut medium green tomatoes in halves
• Onions-cut medium yellow onions into 1/8 sections & grill on a skewer.
• Herb seasoned grilled fresh corn-pre boil fresh corn for 20 minutes, grill & baste with herb butter.
• Some large Shrimp or Sea scallops
• Pineapple slices-Carve a fresh pineapple into 1/2 inch thick slices to grill.
• Mango-Carve a fresh mango into 1/2 inch thick slices to grill.

 You've probably heard about Natural Beef or Organic Beef, but is there any difference in these pricy Beef Cuts and the run of the mill chain store stuff. We thats easy, ther is quite a difference if your healt matters. Natural Beef is beef that is raised without hormones or any form of injections to make the animal grow faster or produce bulkier primals. This does not imply that the animal is grass fed, sustainable, humainly  raised, organic or dry aged. Those are specific properties that expain how the animal was treated, what they are fed, and even the processing technique. Basically Natural only applies to the Animal itself.

Organic includes everything from the field the animal grazes to the processing facility, everything in that chain must be natural and not artificially enhanced. Every thing we allow into our lives that has been artificial enhanced affects our bodies and our environment.

Consider Natural or Organic Meats as a healthier alternative to what you might think is good. Supporting Organics is a means to say I know the difference and it matters.

Need to know more check out my hub on Organic Meats.

Another great resource for information on organics and Health conscious life decision making is My Organic Day.