Product Information: General

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

Processing & Selecting Beef

4 major tissues: Muscle Fat Bone Connective tissue

Muscle is major component of meat

Meat Composition

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.

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

Grade Types

First stage of fabrication = primals 4 major primals account for >75%

Fabricating Primals

Subprimals = primals broken down into smaller portions Excess fat, bone removed; bone-in also available May be purchased for further fabrication in the kitchen

Fabricating Subprimals

example:Ribeye Roast

example:Strip Steak

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

Fabricating Oven-Ready, Portion-Control 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 

Muscle Profiling Study = New Steak Cuts

Muscle Profiling Study = New Steak Cuts

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

Beef Packaging

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

Ordering Beef

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

Summary

Product Information General: QUIZ1. Which of the following is not a major tissue? (See slide 3)

A. Muscle

B. Myogloben

C. Fat

D. Connective Tissue

2. The USDA meat grading program indicates which of the following about graded meat?

A. Palatability characteristics, like tenderness, juiciness and flavor

B. Meat protein content

C. Levels of pathogenic bacteria

D. The meat’s origin

3. True or false: Quality grading is voluntary.

4. Which of the following USDA grades is the best choice for leanness and minimal marbling?

A. Select

B. Choice

C. Grass-fed

D. Prime

5. True or false: Portion control cuts can be ordered by weight and thickness

Product Information General: QUIZ

Product Information General: QUIZ KEY1. B. Myogloben (See slide 3)

2. A. Palatability characteristics, like tenderness, juiciness and flavor (See slide 4)

3. True (See slide 4)

4. A. Select (See slide 5)

5. False (See slide 9)

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

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