Beef Buying: Know the USDA Grades
You Can Taste the Difference Between Select, Choice and Prime
Choosing the right cut of beef is easy if you know what to look for. Learn the USDA Beef Grades. A little knowledge goes a long way towards the perfect steak or burger.
Beef buying is a daunting and sometimes challenging task for many shoppers. It doesn't have to be. Selecting the right cut of beef can be simple by following the grading scale, officially known as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grades of Beef.
My local grocery stores advertise "USDA Select" beef and "USDA Inspected" beef. A more upscale store in a nearby metropolitan area touts USDA Choice and USDA Prime beef. What's the difference? Quality, plain and simple.
After beef is harvested, it is inspected by USDA graders. They rate the beef on several factors that affect the palatability (taste, tenderness and juiciness) of beef. The age of the carcass, firmness, texture and color of the product, and the amount of marbling are key factors that influence overall quality.
One of the most important grading factors is easy for consumers to spot in the meat case: marbling. Marbling is key to flavor. Most folks in the know can tell you marbling is a nickname for the white flecks of fat in the beef. Don't worry, it turns into tantalizing and tender juices during cooking. The higher the amount of marbling, the higher the quality of beef.
Know The Grading Scale
USDA Prime beef is the best grade of beef available. These beef cuts promise to be tasty and tender. They're more forgiving during cooking, too, so if you forget about the T-bone on the grill, chances are all is not lost. Thank the high amounts of marbling for adding those extra juices that save your steak from transforming into charbroiled shoe leather. Incidentally, "prime rib" has nothing to do with the Prime grade of beef. It's simply a name for that particular cut. If a prime rib is indeed, USDA Prime, it will say "USDA Prime" on the label next to prime rib roast.
USDA Choice beef is below Prime on the scale. There is high Choice beef and low Choice, but the fact is, USDA Choice is the "every man" grade. It's not always feasible to spend money on USDA Prime cuts of beef, save your pennies for a special occasion. When you desire a great steak, a tasty pot roast or a juicy burger, look for USDA Choice beef on the label. It has lots of marbling and will still offer great flavor and be relatively tender and juicy.
USDA Select is one of the lower quality grades. With a name like "select" it's a bit confusing, but USDA Select beef tastes nothing like Choice and Prime cuts. It doesn't have the flavor or texture of the higher grades. USDA Select beef has very little marbling, and if you remember, that's what makes beef taste great. Select beef is a lot tougher than Choice and Prime.
Buyer Beware
If your grocer's beef doesn't have USDA Select, Choice or Prime on the label, it's going to be … bad. Anything below Choice, but especially below the Select grade, doesn't have enough marbling to taste good. To someone who doesn't understand the USDA Beef Grades, "USDA Inspected" on the label sounds dandy. The fact is, all beef must be inspected, but that doesn't mean it tastes good. If the meat department doesn't put Select, Choice or Prime on the sticker, it usually means the product received a Standard grade.
Standard Grade beef has only traces of marbling or is practically devoid of marbling. Translation: practically devoid of flavor and tenderness. Unknowing consumers don't know the difference until they taste it, and some retailers may count on that confusion to work in their favor. Cheap beef may seem economical, but that doesn't mean it will look good on your plate or taste good in your mouth.
Here's some advice from one beef-eating, grocery getter to another ... know the grading scale. Buy Choice beef on principle. Choose Prime for special occasions. Steer clear of Select or lower grades. Beef should be full of flavor and naturally tender. Cardboard-flavored strip steaks are not cool.
