Grass-fed, Local, Prime, Angus, Choice…???
My beef cache was running low and I happen to stumble upon a great deal from FreshDirect. I’ve been eating a lot of excellent rib steaks the past 2 weeks (S Prime, Snake River Farm, Quality Meats) so I figure it’s time to diversify. There is more to the bos primigenius than simply the ribs. I decided to buy a couple of different cuts with different package labeling and marketing terminology. I wanted to share with everyone how to appropriately decipher the jargon, providing a crash course of what is behind the “naming” of steaks. What we resulted in is a melting pot of delicious red meat:
USDA Prime Boneless Sirloin ($10.99/lb)
USDA Choice Hanger Steak ($11.99/lb)
USDA Choice+ Locally raised NY Strip Steak w/o antibiotics ($17.99/lb)
100% Grass-Fed Beef Skirt Steak ($27.99/lb)
One of the first thing I look for is USDA beef grade. The 3 grades Prime, Choice and Select are the ones that consumers are typically familiar with and get exposed to the most. There are in fact a total of 8 USDA beef grades: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. Without getting into details (that’s for another pos) I’ll explain what the normal steak eater needs to know. Grading is based on 2 factors — physiological maturity and marbling. Physiological maturity is the age of the cattle, the younger the more tender, the older the tougher. Marbling is how evenly distributed fat is across the lean meat. Prime grade has the highest marbling as they are from young well fed cows, it accounts for an estimated 1.5 % to 3% of all beef. If you’re eating USDA Prime beef, you are in good fatty company.
My suggestion is that when buying premium cuts (NY Strip, Ribeye, Porterhouse, Filet Mignon) go Prime, the premium is worth it when cooked properly.
What if you’re not buying a premium cut of steak? What if you’re going for hanger, skirt, flank or flatiron steak? (I’m not getting into ground beef, chuck, brisket, short ribs and other none steak cuts of beef) Does USDA grade matter the answer is it depends, but not so much. The main reason is because grades are again based on physiological maturity and marbling. When there is not a lot of fat you’re primarily factoring the natural tenderness of the cut.
To be fair, I am over simplifying all of this. There are many variables that all play a factor in the taste of beef. Environmental attributes such as feed, breed and location are all huge contributors. Animal husbandry is the science of raising livestock and I will go into details around this beautiful science and art in yet, another post.
What this all translates to for everyday consumers in the form of marketing language is if you’re not looking at USDA grade the typical consumer will be confronted with primarily 3 factors 1) Feed, 2) Location 3) Breed.
A good example of feed being a factor for beef is it being 100% grass-fed. What this means is that the cattle only feeds on a pasture (think grassland). “Pasture-raised” is commonly seen on labels but note that this does not mean it is 100% grass-fed. It just mean it was raised on a pasteur but could have eaten grass and/or grain. 100% grass-fed means the cow is eating only grass and when fresh grass is not available, it’s eating hay. It is important to note that only the label 100% grass-fed means that it is 100% grass-fed. The texture of 100% grass fed beef is different from what many of us are used to, many eaters describe it as “gamey” when the initially try it. It’s leaner than grain fed or grain-finished cattle, which is the dominant feed in this corn heavy country.
I should also mention that feed also includes with or without antibiotics. Antibiotics do a lot for the cattle, including cure the sick, prevent it from catching diseases and unsavory illnesses. Another lesser known usage is that antibiotics may help artificially speed up the growth of calves. From a production standpoint, it means the corporate ranches can sell quicker or turn “quote to cash” faster. While this is good for the bottom line, it may not be so good for the quality of beef we eat.
Location is also a popular term on packages. There is no strict definition of what constitutes as local — but the rule of thumb is within 400 miles of where your produce is purchased.
‘‘(I) the locality or region in which the final product is marketed, so that the total distance that the product is transported is less than 400 miles from the origin of the product; or ‘‘(II) the State in which the product is produced.
—Bill Text — 110th Congress (2007–2008) — THOMAS (Library of Congress)
Does eating local affect meat quality? Probably not, unless your locality is known for great cattle and husbandry. Is eating local better for the world and make you a better person, probably yes. Each to their own though.
Lastly we come to breed. A very common breed you come across on packages and label is the mighty Angus. I won’t get into the history of the Black/Red Angus in the United States(yet another post in itself) but just know it probably doesnt mean anything to the consumer. It was a deliberate commercial push to turn a breed of cattle into a brand by the American Angus Association in 1978. The push was to have the “Certified Angus Beed” brand be ubiquitious in American groceries. In 2007 they further defined what it means to be CAB or Certified Angus Breed:
Modest or higher degree of marbling
Medium or fine marbling texture
“A” maturity
10 to 16 square-inch ribeye area
Less than 1,000-pound hot carcass weight
Less than 1-inch fat thickness
Moderately thick or thicker muscling
No hump on the neck exceeding 5 cm (2")
Practically free of capillary rupture
No dark cutting characteristics
Usually black or red in color
Again, this probably doesn’t mean much to the end consumer but the take away here is that when you are eating Angus beef, the cattle’s hump is not exceeding 2 inches, God forbid. (I’m not slighting Angus beef at all — I’m simply poking fun at the “branding” of a breed of cattle. Angus is quite delicious)
Now to apply this primer, bring it back full circle to the steaks I bought:
USDA Prime Boneless Sirloin ($10.99/lb)
I bought prime sirloin because I want it to be well marbled. Sirloin is a little tougher or the “budget” cut of NY Strip. It’s important to me that it’s tender and well marbled. I chose 2.5" thick as it’s much easier to sear and serve a thick steak rare.
USDA Choice Hanger Steak ($11.99/lb)
Hanger steak is often called the “butcher’s cut” as the butcher will often keep it for themselves. The hanger hangs from the plate cut or diaphragm of the cattle. It’s very flavorful, lean and very tender. For this reason I almost never bother looking for a premium grade on this cut. Choice is fine. I will try buying grass-fed next time.
USDA Choice+ Locally raised NY Strip Steak w/o antibiotics ($17.99/lb)
Not all beef is USDA graded and sorted nicely. What Choice+ means is that the cut of NY Strip is at least (and most probably is) a grade of choice. I bought this cut really to try the locally raised beef with no antibiotics. No real expectations here.
100% Grass-Fed Beef Skirt Steak ($27.99/lb)
This is the prize of the haul. I wanted to get my hands on some quality pure grass-fed beef skirt steak. Skirt steak is extremely flavor full and chewy. I wanted a nice lean cut with the natural gamey flavors for a cattle feeding on pasteur. People typically marinate skirt steak but with this one I wanted to eat it as natural as possible. Grass-fed beef is also known to be healthier for you with elevated levels of Omega-3, vitamin E, and beta-carotene to name a few. It’s not easy feeding a cow on grass alone. You need a lot of land and a lot more hay come winter. These are all some of the reasons behind the heavy price tag.
Well, so there you have it, a quick break down and insight into what beef I bought and why for the week. Most people don’t think twice about what types of beef and steak they are eating. I don’t think it’s because they don’t care but rather it is very confusing to sort out. Often the price tag dictates what you buy, what is on sale for the week, and rightfully so with prices of beef being what they are. I hope with a little education, insight and awareness making steak decisions, be it whatever you like to purchase, becomes a little easier.
Best,
Derek K.
