Marbled meat

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Marbled Kobe beef 4 Kobe Beef, Kobe Japan.jpg
Marbled Kobe beef
Extensive fat marbling in slices of high-grade Wagyu beef Wagyu beef marbling detail.jpg
Extensive fat marbling in slices of high-grade Wagyu beef
Marbled entrecote from Angus cattle, a rib eye cut Angus Organic Entrecote.jpg
Marbled entrecôte from Angus cattle, a rib eye cut

Marbled meat is meat that contains various amounts of intramuscular fat, giving it an appearance similar to marble. The term is principally applied to red meat.

Contents


Key terms

Beef quality grades - are based on a composite evaluation of the degrees of (1) marbling and (2) maturity. [1] These designations reflect carcass firmness, texture, and color of lean, and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. High grades represent high projected levels of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.

Marbling - is the intermingling or dispersion of intramuscular fat within the lean. Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade. [1]

Maturity - refers to the physiological age of the animal rather than the chronological age. Because the chronological age is virtually never known, physiological maturity is used; the indicators are bone characteristics, ossification of cartilage, and the color and texture of ribeye muscle. Cartilage becomes bone, lean color darkens and texture becomes coarser with increasing age. Cartilage and bone maturity receives more emphasis because lean color and texture can be affected by other postmortem factors. [1]

Beef yield grades - estimate the amount of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts from the high-value parts of the carcass–the round, loin, rib, and chuck. However, they also show differences in the total yield of retail cuts. A YG 1 designation indicates a carcass having the highest percentage of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts, or higher cutability, while a YG 5 carcass would have the lowest of each.

The USDA Yield Grades are rated numerically from 1 to 5, with 1 denoting the highest yielding carcass and 5 the lowest. [1]

United States grading system

The USDA's grading system, which has been designed to reward marbling, has eight different grades (listed in descending order):

Prime is the premium grade, has the highest marbling content, and fetches the highest prices at restaurants and supermarkets. Choice is most commonly sold in retail outlets, and Select is sold as a cheaper option in many stores.

Prime, Choice, Select and Standard grades commonly come from younger cattle (under 42 months of age); Commercial, Utility, Canner and Cutter are applied to older cattle carcasses which are not marketed as wholesale beef sides or blocks, and are used in ground products and for cheaper steaks in family chain restaurants. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef</span> Meat from cattle

Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle. Beef can be prepared in various ways; cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often ground or minced, as found in most hamburgers. Beef contains protein, iron, and vitamin B12. Along with other kinds of red meat, high consumption is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and coronary heart disease, especially when processed. Beef has a high environmental impact, being a primary driver of deforestation with the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any agricultural product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beefsteak</span> Flat cut of beef

A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from 120 to 600 grams. Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-bone steak</span> Beefsteak cut from the short loin, including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side

The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin. Both steaks include a T-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and thus include more tenderloin steak, along with a large strip steak. T-bone steaks are cut closer to the front, and contain a smaller section of tenderloin. The smaller portion of a T-bone, when sold alone, is known as a filet mignon, especially if cut from the small forward end of the tenderloin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisket</span> Cut of beef

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing or moving cattle. This requires a significant amount of connective tissue, so the resulting meat must be cooked correctly to tenderise it. According to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, the term derives from the Middle English brusket which comes from the earlier Old Norse brjósk, meaning cartilage. The cut overlies the sternum, ribs, and connecting costal cartilages.

Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder, mincer or mincing machine. It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, meatballs, and kofta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef aging</span> Process of preparing beef for consumption

Beef aging or ageing is a process of preparing beef for consumption by aging it, in order to break down the connective tissue within the meat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagyu</span> Japanese cattle breed

Wagyu is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury steak</span> American beef dish

Salisbury steak is a dish originating in the United States and made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients, being considered a version of Hamburg steak. Today, Salisbury steak is usually served with a gravy similar in texture to brown sauce, along with various side dishes, such as mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables. It is a common menu item served by diners and is frequently available as a TV dinner in supermarket frozen food sections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rib eye steak</span> Beefsteak from the rib area

The rib eye or ribeye is a boneless rib steak from the rib section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skirt steak</span> Beef steak cut from lower forequarter

Skirt steak is the US name for a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is distinct from hanger steak (US), called skirt or onglet in Britain, a generally similar adjacent cut also from the plate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck steak</span> Cut of beef

Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the sub-prime cut known as the chuck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standing rib roast</span> Cut of steak

A standing rib roast, also known as prime rib, is a cut of beef from the primal rib, one of the primal cuts of beef. While the entire rib section comprises ribs six through 12, a standing rib roast may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fillet (cut)</span> Cut or slice of boneless meat or fish

A fillet or filet is a boneless cut or slice of meat or fish. The fillet is often a prime ingredient in many cuisines, and many dishes call for a specific type of fillet as one of the ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut of beef</span> Sections of cattle

During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes more tender as distance from hoof and horn increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rib steak</span> Cut of beef with rib bone attached

A rib steak is a beefsteak sliced from the rib primal of a beef animal, with rib bone attached. In the United States, the term rib eye steak is used for a rib steak with the bone removed; however, in some areas, and outside the US, the terms are often used interchangeably. The "rib eye" or "ribeye" was originally, the central portion of the rib steak, without the bone, resembling an eye. The rib steak can also be prepared as a tomahawk steak which requires the butcher to leave the rib bone intact, french trim the bone and leave it at least five inches long. The tomahawk steak resembles the Native American tomahawk axe from which it gets its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7-bone roast</span> Cut of beef

The 7-bone roast or 7-bone steak is from the chuck section of the steer or heifer and it includes a cross cut of the shoulder blade. The bone is shaped like the numeral "7", which gives these cuts their name. The steak differs from the 7-bone roast only in thickness: 7-bone steaks are cut 12- to 34-inch thick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Charbray</span> Breed of cattle

The Australian Charbray is an Australian breed of cattle derived from a cross between the French Charolais cattle and American Brahman cattle. The charbray breed was first conceived in the United States of America in the 1930s and later introduced into Australia in 1969. In Australia, Australian charbray breeders are concentrated in the tropical Northern regions of Queensland. As of 1977, the official breeder society of Charbray cattle in Australia and New Zealand is the Charbray Society of Australia Limited, responsible for recording Charbray cattle in herd books, fostering improvement, enhancement and sales of Charbray cattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meat on the bone</span> Non-filleted meat in culinary context

Meat on the bone or bone-in meat is meat that is sold with some or all of the bones included in the cut or portion, i.e. meat that has not been filleted. The phrase "on the bone" can also be applied to specific types of meat, most commonly ham on the bone, and to fish. Meat or fish on the bone may be cooked and served with the bones still included or the bones may be removed at some stage in the preparation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak</span> Flat cut of meat

A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patties, such as hamburgers.

Countries regulate the marketing and sale of beef by observing criteria of cattle carcasses at the abattoir (slaughterhouse) and classifying the carcasses. This classification, sometimes optional, can suggest a market demand for a particular animal's attributes and therefore the price owed to the producer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "USDA Beef Quality and Yield Grades". Meat Science.
  2. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, ARS, USDA (September 9, 1994). "Effect of Marbling Degree on Beef Palatability in Bos taurus and Bos indicus Cattle" (PDF). USDA.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)