Beef Processing and Selection: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Product Information: General

2. Processing & Selecting Beef • Large, complex business • Harvesting • Average animal age = 18 to 22 months • Average animal weight = 1,300 lbs • Average carcass weight = 825 lbs • Begins 1 to 2 hours after arrival at plant • 48 to 72 hours for whole process

3. Meat Composition • 4 major tissues: • Muscle • Fat • Bone • Connective tissue • Muscle is major component of meat

4. Meat Grading • The meat grading program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Beef quality grades indicate palatability characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness and flavor. • Inspection • By law, all meat must be inspected and passed for wholesomeness by the USDA • Grading • Quality grading is voluntary. Prime, Choice and Select are the most common quality grades consumers see.

5. Grade Types • Prime • Has the most marbling • It usually is sold to high-end restaurants, although some specialty meat markets and supermarkets may carry it • Choice • Tends to have a little less marbling • The most widely available grade in the market • Select • Has the least amount of marbling • It’s leaner and a little less juicy and flavorful than the other two grades

6. Grade Types

7. Fabricating Primals • First stage of fabrication = primals • 4 major primals account for >75%

8. Fabricating Subprimals • Subprimals = primals broken down into smaller portions • Excess fat, bone removed; bone-in also available • May be purchased for further fabrication in the kitchen example: Ribeye Roast example: Strip Steak

9. Fabricating Oven-Ready, Portion-Control Cuts • Increasingly popular • Advantages • Less labor • Uniformity and consistency • More time for creative preparation and presentation • Used as needed to reduce product waste • Safer and more efficient handling and storage • Limitations • Can be ordered by weight or by thickness, not both, due to variations in carcass size

10. Muscle Profiling Study = New Steak Cuts • 1998 – New research uncovered several tender and flavorful muscles in the underutilized Chuck and Round • Traditionally used for roast and ground beef - these muscles could be extracted and turned into new steak cuts • Led to development of 13 new beef cuts, also known as beef value-added cuts • Gives consumers more options for favorite cooking methods, while helping meat processors, manufacturers, retailers, foodservice operators improve overall profitability • Easy to prepare and often moderately priced

11. Muscle Profiling Study = New Steak Cuts

12. Beef Packaging • At home, consumers are buying more case-ready beef, thanks to advancements in packaging • Case-ready beef accounted for 51% of all beef packages sold at retail in 2010, up from 31% in 2007

13. Ordering Beef • Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) • North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) • Both designed to facilitate buyer-supplier communications in meat product transactions • Meat Buyer’s Guide • Produced by NAMP with industry groups • Depicts each IMPS item with color photograph and written description • Ensures “apple-to-apple” comparison

14. Summary • Processing and selecting beef is a big and complex business • Meat must by inspected and passed for wholesomeness by the USDA, but quality grading is voluntary • Meat can be purchased as: • Primal • Subprimal • Oven-Ready and Portion-Controlled • Muscle profiling research led to introduction of newer steak cuts • Ordering beef streamlined with Meat Buyer’s Guide

15. Product Information General: QUIZ • Which of the following is not a major tissue? (See slide 3) • Muscle • Myogloben • Fat • Connective Tissue • The USDA meat grading program indicates which of the following about graded meat? • Palatability characteristics, like tenderness, juiciness and flavor • Meat protein content • Levels of pathogenic bacteria • The meat’s origin

16. Product Information General: QUIZ • True or false: Quality grading is voluntary. • Which of the following USDA grades is the best choice for leanness and minimal marbling? • Select • Choice • Grass-fed • Prime • True or false: Portion control cuts can be ordered by weight and thickness

17. Product Information General: QUIZ KEY • B. Myogloben (See slide 3) • A. Palatability characteristics, like tenderness, juiciness and flavor (See slide 4) • True (See slide 4) • A. Select (See slide 5) • False (See slide 9)

18. Resources • Beef cut finder http://www.BeefRetail.org/ImagesRecipes.aspx http://www.beeffoodservice.com/cutsearch.aspx • Recipes and images http://www.BeefRetail.org/ImagesRecipes.aspx www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com/Recipes.aspx http://www.BeefFoodservice.com/recipesearch.aspx • Beef cut charts http://beefretail.org/beefcutcharts.aspx • Beef Culinary Innovation Center http://www.culinaryinnovationcenter.com/ • Beef Product & Market Research www.BeefResearch.org

19. Resources • NAMP Meat Buyer’s Guide www.MeatBuyersGuide.com • Beef Innovations Group – New Cuts http://www.beefinnovationsgroup.com/newcutstechnical.aspx http://www.beefinnovationsgroup.com/cutsanimationandresources.aspx