Cuts Of Meat

USDA grading is based on uniform Federal quality standards as inspected and applied by experienced USDA graders. These are the shield-shaped purple marks stamped on the carcass. Supermarket trimming removes most of these stamps, but supermarket retailers put stickers with the USDA's grade shield on meat packages along with descriptive terms describing the meat contained within.

Some supermarkets retail meat processed by private vendors, but the products always have, or should have, labels specifying fat content and quality. Regardless of quality, some cuts are more tender than others. Rib and loin cuts from the back of the animal will always be more tender than those from the shoulder, flank, and leg. Tender cuts are in demand but carcasses contain smaller amounts of these in proportin to other cuts comprising the bulk of the animal. Tender cuts command higher prices because of enhanced taste and tenderness.

Here are the USDA grading standards you should look for:

• USDA Prime: Prime grade beef, tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Has abundant marbling which enhances flavor and juiciness. Great for roasting and broiling.

• USDA Choice: Contains less marbling than Prime, but still is very high quality. Loin and rib cuts will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful. The less tender cuts: rump, round, and blade chuck, can be roasted and broiled.

• USDA Select: Uniform quality beef found at most meat counters. Somewhat leaner than the higher grades and fairly tender, but not as juicy and flavorful, because it contains less marbling.

The better lamb cuts are produced from younger animals six months to a year old. Quality varies according with age.

• USDA Prime: Very tender, juicy, and flavorful. Contains moderate marbling. Prime chops and roasts can be broiled or roasted

• USDA Choice: Contains less marbling than Prime, but quality remains high. Chops and roasts are tender, juicy, and flavorful. Lower quality grades are seldom marked with grade labels when sold at retail supermarkets. Shoulder cuts can be roasted, broiled, or pan broiled. A leg of lamb should be roasted.

Less tender cuts like breasts, riblets, neck, and shanks are best slowly braised. Older sheep meat is called yearling mutton or mutton with grades the same as for lamb, except that mutton does not qualify as Prime grade.

Pork is produced from young animals and has less tenderness variability than beef, not only because of age, but because producers have changed their methods of feeding and management. Genetic changes of breeding stock to produce leaner carcasses have also been done and more visible fat is trimmed at processing plants. Because fresh pork products are consistent, USDA grades for pork have just two quality grades: Acceptable and Unacceptable.

When you buy pork, look for cuts with small amounts of fat on the outside, with firm grayish pink meat with a small amount of marbling.

Large cuts of meat will keep in the refrigerator four to five days, so the rest must be frozen as quickly a possible. There are two methods,. You can buy several retail meat packages or you can purchase carcasses, sides, or wholesale cuts of meat from specialty meat vendors. You can quickly figure savings by comparing prices between meat vendor and supermarket offerings per pound, but cost isn't the only factor to consider. Quality, preparation and yields are others.

Preparation costs for sides of beef, pork carcasses or other bulk cuts include cutting, wrapping, and quick-freezing, al of which can quickly increase prices per pound. Carcass or wholesale cut yields can vary regardless of grade caused by the varying amounts of fat on the carcass's exterior.

Leave the job of cutting ,wrapping and initial freezing to the pros. Quick freezing done in commercial freezers causes less damage to meat fibers, while the slower freezing processes in home freezers causes more meat cells to rupture, due to ice crystal formation which also loses more meat juices when thawed.

Proper wrapping is important and requires moisture-proof heavy aluminum foil, and heavy-duty waxed freezer paper. Use a double layer of foil to wrap the meat cut and store these items in a plastic freezer bag that you can label with the item description and date. Eliminate all air from the bag as possible. Use double waxed paper sheets placed between chops and steaks to prevent them from sticking together.

Use these items in a reverse chronological order with the older packages used first. Any package not properly wrapped will create freezer burn when air gets in the package and draws moisture out from the meat, rendering it dry, less flavorful and sometimes unusable.

MyButcher.com steaks, roasts, ribs, chops, veal, lamb and pork.

Stock Yards offers beef, lamb, pork and hams.

Omaha Steaks cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal.

• Poultry
• Fish And Seafood
• Steak Online
• Online Grocery Shopping
• Buying Wine