Marbled meat

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Marbled Kobe beef 4 Kobe Beef, Kobe Japan.jpg
Marbled Kobe beef

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

Contents

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 Angus Organic Entrecote.jpg
Marbled Entrecote from Angus cattle

Important terms defined

Beef quality grades - A quality grade is a composite evaluation of factors that affect palatability of meat (tenderness, juiciness, and flavor). These factors include carcass maturity, firmness, texture, and color of lean, and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. Beef carcass quality grading is based on (1) degree of marbling and (2) degree of maturity. [1]

Marbling - (intramuscular fat) is the intermingling or dispersion of 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 - In 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. We expect a YG 1 carcass to have the highest percentage of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts, or higher cutability, while a YG 5 carcass would have the lowest percentage of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts, or the lowest cutability. The USDA Yield Grades are rated numerically and are 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Yield Grade 1 denotes the highest yielding carcass and Yield Grade 5, the lowest. [1]

United States grading system

The USDA's grading system, which has been designed to reward marbling, has eight different grades; Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. Prime has the highest marbling content when compared to other grades, and is capable of fetching a premium at restaurants and supermarkets. Choice is the grade most commonly sold in retail outlets, and Select is sold as a cheaper option in many stores. Prime, Choice, Select and Standard are commonly used in the younger cattle (under 42 months of age), and Commercial, Utility, Canner and Cutter are used in older cattle carcasses which are not marketed as wholesale beef "block" meat, but as material used in ground products and cheaper steaks for family restaurants. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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

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<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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork ribs</span> Cut of pork

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rib steak</span> Cut of beef sliced from the rib primal of cattle, 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 U.S., 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">Primal cut</span> Piece of meat initially separated during butchering

A primal cut or cut of meat is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef or the ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic for pork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut of pork</span> Piece of pig meat consumed as food by humans

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<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)