In my book, “Cook Live Learn”, I included a lengthy Glossary.  The idea is to provide expanded information on all manner of  topics without cluttering up the recipes themselves.  So, if the reader wants to know more about “How to blanch vegetables”, for example, the Glossary is the place!

To give you an idea about the sort of information available there, I’m providing a reprint here of but one of the covered topics:  Beef.  From the Glossary of “Cook Live Learn”…

Beef.  There are various breeds of cattle, which exhibit different characteristics.  For example, meat from Brahman cattle is, as ranchers call it, double muscled (lending itself to toughness).  However, this breed is heat resistant and can tolerate periods without water.  Angus and Hereford provide top quality meat.  Other than special growth programs, such as Certified Angus Beef (CAB), I have been told by many ranchers that the best beef, from a breed perspective, comes from “Black-White Face” steers.  To translate, these are a breeding cross of an Angus and a Hereford, where the resultant offspring is black, except for a white face.  There is an exception to this pronouncement.  Wagyu cattle, which have made their way to the U.S. from Japan, provide superior meat (at a super-superior price).  FYI, Kobe beef is the result of special treatment given Wagyu cattle while raising them, particularly as originated in the Japanese town of Kobe.

In addition to the breed offering hints as to quality, beef is graded under rules promulgated by The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  From the highest to the lowest grade, they are:  Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner.  Prime is the sort of beef served in high end restaurants.  Few grocers keep it in inventory due to cost versus demand.  Choice and Select grades are readily available.  There are a lot of factors that go into grading, but tenderness and flavor increase along with the grade.  For your information, CAB products are graded between Prime and Choice, making them very high quality, indeed.

How to Select Beef.  It is not possible to thoroughly cover this topic here, because to do so would require a cut-by-cut explanation.  For example, the selection criteria for chuck roasts are different from those for T-bone steaks.  Generally, unless you are buying custom aged beef (not likely), the meat should be bright red (vacuum-packed meat will be maroon because it is not exposed to oxygen) and the fat well-trimmed.  Be sure to check the Sell By/Use By Date on the package.  What makes beef tender?  Simply put, fat.  Take a look at a meaty part of the cut being considered.  Are there small, spider web-like areas in the meat?  This is fat that will melt away during cooking, providing tenderness and flavor.  These “spider webs” are called “marbling” and the higher the grade, the more marbled the beef will be.  Also, another condition to look for is gristle, which is chewy tissue in meat, such as cartilage and sinew.  Gristle running around a nice spot of meat is fine; however, when it meanders into the “good part”, diners will have to wrestle with it.  Please keep in mind; the visual difference between marbling and gristle is size.  A wide white/cream colored strip is gristle; marbling is small and vein-like.  Gristle matters a lot in steaks, but not so much in cuts that will be braised because the good meat will be cooked away from it.  Finally, make sure to check all purchased beef for grade.  A sale-priced “good deal” may simply be a drop in grade.

 How to Select Ground Beef.  Naturally, when selecting ground beef, tenderness is not at issue!  However, flavor still matters and higher graded product will taste better and be free of foreign particles, such as specs of bone (double Yuk!).  Foremost, ground beef purchase choices should be made on fat content.  The label should indicate the content of lean meat vs. fat.  Generally, 80% Lean (20% fat; made from Chuck), 85% Lean (15% fat; made from Round), 90% Lean (10% fat; made from Sirloin), 94% Lean (6% fat; cuts used unspecified).  Cost will increase with the Lean percentage.  For hamburgers and grilling, consider 85% and 90% lean; a little fat provides flavor and juiciness.  For recipes where the meat will be fully cooked and the fat rendered (melted and cooked out of the meat), such as meat loaf, let your budget guide your choice of 80% – 85% Lean.  For recipes where the meat will simmer in a sauce (even when precooked), choose 90% – 94% lean to limit the amount of fat you will eat later.  Finally, please see comments in the topic immediately above as many apply to ground beef as well.

 Grass-fed vs. Grain-fed Beef.  Grass-fed beef simply provides better nutrition than grain-fed.  It has an increased level of Omega-3 and healthier types of saturated fats, among other benefits.  It is more expensive, however.  Please do additional research if this topic is of interest to you.

 How to Handle Beef Safely.  Store beef in the refrigerator under 40 degrees; up to 5 days for unground and up to 3 days for ground.  Freeze steaks and roasts for up to 6 months and ground up to 3 months; freezer bags will provide extra protection from freezer burn.  Wash hands often when preparing.  Wash utensils and surfaces that touched the beef before using them with other food stuffs.  It is acceptable to thaw frozen beef in the refrigerator, microwave or water.  In the case of thawing in water, leave it in the original package if it is in tact; or, put it in a water-tight plastic bag and change water every 30 minutes.  In all cases, cook the meat when it has thawed.

Credits:  Picture Courtesy of the Beef Checkoff Program.