Self-Taught Lesson #13: Ok, I actually know nothing about beef cuts...what are they??
We talk about the different cuts of a cow and what to look for when you're shopping.
Beef feels socially prickly. It tastes delicious, and we societally hold it in the highest regards. From steakhouse restaurants to wedding caterers, you celebrate with steak.
But there’s also no other animal like cows that are connotatively connected with climate change. What other creature has their farts running through the news? (I hope the cows never find out or learn shame.)
This makes the approach to Beef Week a little tricky. Should we really be trying to cook every cut of beef? Is it too much to cook so much beef at once?
For my lifestyle, I’m not cooking beef that much because, the third thing…it’s expensive! A natural supply and demand weed-out for me!
That said, it does feel important to know what I buy. Still fresh from my Fish Week butterflying trauma, it’s important to me to use whatever I cook and use it well. Yes, the creature is already dead when you buy it, but there’s something terrible about wasting the meat because you don’t know how to prepare it correctly.
If I buy beef once a month or every few months, buying the right cut is a level of responsibility to make sure that cow is cooked well. Finding the cuts of beef that are smaller but still good is important to know. Seeking sauce, stew, and braise recipes that include beef but also incorporate other ingredients to stretch your beef across the meal are also good to know.
So that’s my take on this as we approach the biggest climate scapegoat, cows.
If you’re interested on more reading on consuming meat sustainably, I found this article from Smithsonian Magazine to be a really interesting debate on a sustainable world with a reoriented livestock feeding system—but obviously, there’s a difference between hypothetical arguments and real protocols. It starts with being conscious of your own fridge as the smallest, today step.
With all of that, let’s get into talking beef.
What should I look for on the label when I’m shopping for beef?
When we talk about Wagyu or Angus beef, these reference specific cattle originally bred in Japan (for Wagyu) and Scotland (for Angus) that genetically are fattier and therefore have more marbling in their cuts.
Piedmontese cattle is bred for its low-fat, tender cuts, opposite of what you’d look for in a Wagyu or Angus burger.
Grass-fed cattle are considered leaner than grain-fed or grain-finished cattle, but the USDA doesn’t oversee these labels to determine what exactly “grass-fed” means. Just because we know what the cattle ate doesn’t mean we know how it lived, so keep that in mind.
USDA grades of beef are prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canner.
Prime grade, the best quality meat and approximately 2% of all cuts, goes to restaurants. This cut is forgiving to cook, if you get your hands on it, and it will stay juicy and moist even if slightly overcooked due to the high-fat content.
Choice is high quality with less marbling than prime, but it is the best option available at grocery stores. Keep an eye on these cuts, especially leaner ones, as you cook them because they can quickly move from well-cooked to well-done.
Select grade beef is leaner with even less fat, but still a good option if prepared correctly. These are best used either in a quick heat method like a stir-fry or in a heavily sauced or liquid dish where they can soak and marinate like a braise or stew.
Standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canner are the lowest quality of meat with the little marbling and a coarse texture. These often become ground or processed meats.
Note that all of these USDA grades are voluntary, meaning that the distributor chooses whether or not the USDA gives them a grade. Some meat at the grocery store might not have a grade on it, so observe carefully for marbling and texture.
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