... and you are gonna like it!

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Mmm... Beef it's what you're eating

• ... and you are gonna like it!

Introduction to Beef Quality Grading
By James Berry
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Grading vs. Tasting Why?

• Of all BBQs you have, you could not possibly
  taste every animal!
• What if the product is not consumable?
• Tasting is too time consuming and subjective

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What is the purpose beef carcass grading?

• To allow beef producers, packers, and retailers
  to be paid for the level of quality product they
  distribute.
• The USDA implemented meat grading to ensure that
  the product is of the right quality that
  consumers want.
• To create a basis for comparison and data in the
  beef industry.
• It is NOT mandatory for beef producers to use
• But many markets such as Safeway and Kroger
  require it.

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How do beef grades affect me?

• They guarantee a grade of meat that we can trust
  at the quality level of the product you are
  buying.
• They increase the chance that we will be
  satisfied with our product.

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What are the two types of grades?

• Quality Grade Qualitative
• Yield Grade - Quantitative

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Quality Grades
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What are the 8 types of quality grades?

• Three for purchase at the store
• Prime (very rare)
• Choice Starting to be the standard at stores
• Select used to be the standard
• Others consumed by people in different ways
• Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner

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What is the purpose of Quality Grades?

• Reflects the differences in the eating quality of
  meat based on
• Marbling scores - the amount of fat interspersed
  in the muscle.
• Maturity scores - reflects the age of the animal
  at slaughter.

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Factors influencing Quality Grade

• Direct
• Marbling
• Maturity
• Indirect
• Texture
• Firmness
• Color

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No fat is good right? ...Not always.
Odds of poor steak

• Prime 1 in 26
• Upper 2/3 of Choice 1 in 19
• Lower 1/3 of Choice 1 in 7
• Select 1 in 5
• Standard 1 in 2

• Prime 1 in 26
• Upper 2/3 of Choice 1 in 19
• Lower 1/3 of Choice 1 in 7
• Select 1 in 5
• Standard 1 in 2

Quality Grade
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Prime

• This carcass has superior marbling, proper
  carcass conformation, and adequate maturity.
• Found in fine restaurants and gourmet stores.
• Not economical for meat packers
• The cattle are required to get very fat to obtain
  enough marbling
• A small percentage of cattle meet the
  conformation standards.

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Choice

• This is the most economical and most desirable
  carcass grade.
• Adequate marbling and carcass conformation are
  required.

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Select

• (Used to be called "Good") This beef may be
  referred to as "no-roll" since it isn't stamped
  with the USDA grade.
• Must have slight marbling.
• This meat is inspected but not marked with a
  stamp as Prime and Choice.

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Standard

• Usually older animals and thin animals.
• Minimum marbling or below average carcass
  conformation fits into this category.

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Commercial

• Includes the designations of
• Cutter
• Canner
• Utility.
• This meat is usually processed into lunch meats,
  soup, and canned meat products.

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Cull

• Not acceptable for human consumption.
• Often times put into animal consumption or used
  to make other products.
• No longer used as animal consumption products
• BSE

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Tenderness
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Quality of Taste
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Notice the visual difference in marbling
(intramuscular fat) at each quality Grade
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Modest Choiceo
Moderately Abundant Primeo
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Modest Choiceo
Slightly Abundant Prime-
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Moderate Choice
Modest Choiceo
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Modest Choiceo
Small Choice-
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Modest Choiceo
Slight Select
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Mini Review
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Based on marbling, what would you grade the cut
on the left?
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Based on marbling, what would you grade the cut
on the left?
Prime
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So what do we take from this?

• Why do we need to know this information?
• Do we go and buy the highest quality?
• How does beef grading affect how we eat?

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Lets get Grilling!
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Sources

• Most information, slides and pictures provided by
  
• Dr. Jon Beckett, Cal Poly, SLO
• USDA
• National Cattlemens Beef Association
• Slides 25 26 - www.ag.auburn.edu/
  sschmidt/meats/sld011.htm