 
P: 573.817.0899
F: 573.817.0889 john@mobeef.com Missouri Beef Industry Council 2306 Bluff Creek Drive, #200 Columbia, MO 65201 |
Beef Basics Cooking SeriesLesson 1: The BasicsThere are eight grades of beef, but only the top three—prime, choice, and select—are identified when meat is sold at retail. Prime is the highest grade. It’s produced in limited quantities and most often found at fine restaurants and specialty butcher shops. Choice and select are the the grades of beef typically available, respectively, in the service and self-service meat case at the grocery. There are more than five dozen different beef cuts available today, and many of them have multiple names (Kansas City Steak and New York Strip are both Top Loin Steaks). Newer cuts of beef like Flat Iron Steak and Ranch Steaks are from cuts of meat that were usually part of a beef roast. When shopping for beef, keep your serving size in line with the MyPyramid guidelines. Three cooked ounces is a serving, and it’s the size of a deck of standard playing cards. Your best choices are from the 29 Lean Cuts that meet the USDA guidelines for what is constitutes lean. |
