MEAT CUTS AND GRADES

1. MEAT CUTS AND GRADES Muhammad Sajid CVAS, Jhang

2. Meat cuts and grades Meat cuts • Major meat cuts • Cuts of forequarter • Cuts of hindquarter Meat grades • Quality grades • Yield grades

4. 4 major wholesale cuts: Round Loin Rib Chuck

5. Meat cutsForequarter Chuck: chuck steaks and roasts Rib: short ribs, prime ribs, rib eye steak Brisket: mostly used for barbecue, corned beef Shank: for stews and soaps Plate: short ribs etc.

6. Meat cutsHindquarter Loin: short loin ---T-bone and porterhouse steaks, strip steak sirloin--- top sirloin and bottom sirloin tenderloin--- T-bone and porterhouse steak Round: more lean, less marbling round steak, eye of round, top round, bottom round steak Flank: long flank steak, flat flank steak mostly for grinding

7. Meat Grading • Carcasses are graded according to USDA standards • United states, Feb 10, 1925 • Tentative standards for beef in 1916 • Grade specifications improved • Officially started for beef in 1927 • Standard for mutton and pork in 1931 • Administered by L/S division of AMS

8. Meat Grading • Evaluation of beef quality and composition is important to cattle producers, meat packers and retailers, and consumers. • Consumers desire cuts of beef that are lean, nutritious, and possess desirable eating characteristics.

9. Meat researchers have developed reliable methods for measuring the factors that influence eating characteristics and factors affecting yield of lean cuts. • Using these evaluation techniques, producers and packers can produce and sell carcasses that meet consumer demand.

10. Grading • Based on quality and quantity Quality grades Guide to eating quality guide to preparation Yield grades expected yield of salable meat • Inspection wholesomeness

11. Eating quality • Palatability indicating characteristics of lean Tenderness Juiciness Flavour

12. Yield Quality • Percentage of trimmed, boneless, major retail cuts yield grades yield of salable meat not provide guidelines for eating quality AMS --- Grades for beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, poultry and rabbits

13. Carcass class Males Steer Bullocks bulls Female Heifers cow

14. Beef quality gradessteer and heifer • Prime • Choice • Select • Standard • Commercial • Utility • Cutter • canner

15. Beef quality grades Cow • Choice • Select • Standard • Commercial • Utility • Cutter • canner Bullocks • Prime • Choice • Select • Standard • Utility

16. These grades are determined by balancing Maturity and Degree of Marbling • Marbling has a strong correlation with the juiciness and flavor of beef. • Final quality grades are arrived at by a composite evaluation of maturity and marbling

17. Prime

18. Prime grade beef is the ultimate in tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. It has abundant marbling -- flecks of fat within the lean -- which enhances both flavor and juiciness.

19. Choice

20. Choice • Choice grade beef has less marbling than Prime, but is of very high quality. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender and juicy.  

21. Select

22. Select Select grade beef is very uniform in quality and somewhat leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades

23. Standard

24. For further reading • The Meat We Eat chapter 12 (page # 347) and (page # 496-498)