How to Buy Beef
Beef is an excellent protein that has been around for a very long time and has reached plates in many countries. There are over 90 different breeds of cattle raised primarily for beef. Here is a guide to the edible cow.
Grades
The USDA has eight grades to beef, the first three are usually cuts found from any butcher. The remaining five are seen in canned goods ranging from soup to dog food. The grades in decending quality:
- Prime
- Choice
- Select
- Standard
- Commercial
- Utility
- Cutter
- Canning
Aging
Aging is a process where the beef sets to let the tissue relax and gain more flavor. There are two different processes for this.
Dry aging – Dry aging is harder to find from butchers, only the finest quality is dry aged, which is usually prime. The meat rests in dry air for 3 weeks or longer in temperatures from 34º- 38º F.
Wet aging – This process is much more common because it is much cheaper. Here the beef is aged in vacuum packed in plastic bags for 1 week to 1 month at temperatures from 34º- 38 º F. There is less flavor development in wet aging than dry aging.
When choosing a cut, look for deep red color and no surface discoloration. Find out how the meat is aged from your butcher, and what grade it is.
Here is a good video that describes the cuts well and what they look like.
