Meat Confusion

As I watch grocery store adds on TV and read them in the newspaper I am continually amazed at all the various names the retailers come up with to make their meat sound better than the next guy's.  Last night I saw an add for choice reserve beef.  That is a made up marketing label.  The one that really gets me is Black Angus Certified as if the type of steer makes any difference as to the quality of the meat.

Here is the real lowdown on meat inspection and quality grading in the United States.  Most of this content comes directly from the USDA Website or the NOAA website when we talk about seafood. In this context we will talk about meat being beef, lamb and pork.  We will also talk a bit about poultry and seafood.  By law, all meat (beef, lamb and pork) sold in the United States is inspected by the federal government for safety.  The same is true for poultry.  This includes meat produced outside of the US.  These inspections are done by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture.  These inspections insure that the meat or poultry products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.  Since these inspections are required by law, they are paid for by the Federal Government.

The USDA also offers quality grading for meat and poultry.  Quality grading takes place after the Federal inspection for safety and is done by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. This grading for quality is voluntary and is therefore paid for by the meat or poultry producer/processor.  It is fair to say that almost all meat and poultry sold at retail outlets goes through this quality grading process. Here are the quality grading systems for each type of meat and poultry:

Beef
Beef is graded as a whole carcass in two ways.  There is a yield grade which tells the processer the percent of usable lean meat on the carcass.  The yield grading is pretty much irrelevant to the consumer.  The quality grades which indicate tenderness, juiciness and flavor are what is important to understand.  For beef the key indicator of quality is the fat marbling in the meat.  The grading system is as follows, going from best to worst in terms of quality.  There are eight grades of quality for beef.

Prime:  Is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle.  It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels, though it can be found in some retail stores.  Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking like grilling, roasting or broiling.  Prime represents a very small percentage of all beef produced.

Choice:  Is high quality but has less marbling than prime.  Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are, like prime, suited to dry-heat cooking.  Many of the less tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and chuck, can also be cooked with dry heat if they are not overcooked.  These cuts will be most tender though if braised - meaning cooked with a small amount of liquid in a pan with a tight fitting lid.  This is the most common grade of beef found in the average retail store. 

Select:  Is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades.  It is fairly tender, but because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades.  Only tender cuts like the loin, rib and sirloin should be cooked with dry heat.  Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or braised to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.  You may find select grade in retail outlets, but I do not buy it. 

 Standard and Commercial Grades:  Are frequently sold as ungraded or store brand meat.  Avoid them.

Utility, Cutter and Canner grades:  Are seldom sold at retail, but are typically used to make ground beef or other processed products.

If you go to a retail store meat counter and ask them for choice quality beef and they do not know what you are talking about, go somewhere else. I have actually run into "butchers" at some chain grocery stores who don't have a clue about the quality grades of meat.  They are basically there to sell and wrap what is in the counter. 

Veal:
There are five grades of veal.  They are Prime, Choice, Good, Standard and Utility.  Prime and Choice are more flavorful than the lower grades.  Because of the young age of the animals, the meat will be a light grayish-pink, fairly firm, and velvety.  The bones are small, soft and quite red.  Cuts such as chops can be cooked by the dry heat method. 

Lamb:
There are five grades for lamb,  Normally only two grades are found at retail- Prime and Choice.  Lower grades of lamb- Good, Utility and Cull are seldom marked with the grade.  Lamb is produced from animals that are less than a year old.  Since the quality of lamb varies according to the age of the animal it is advisable to buy lamb that has been USDA graded as either Prime or Choice.  Prime is very high in tenderness, juiciness and flavor.  Choice has slightly less marbling than prime, but is still very high quality meat. 

Pork:
Pork is not quality graded by the USDA as it is generally produced from young animals that have been fed  to produce more uniformly tender meat.  Appearance is important in buying fresh pork.  Look for cuts that have a relatively small amount of fat over the outside and with meat that is firm and pink in color. 

Poultry:
The USDA quality grades for poultry are A, B and C.  Grade A is the highest quality and is the only grade likely to be seen at retail outlets.  This grade indicates that the poultry is virtually free from defects such as bruises, discolorations, and feathers.  Bone-in products have no broken bones.  For whole birds and parts with the skin on there are no tears in the skin or exposed flesh that could dry out during cooking.  There should also be a good covering of fat under the skin. 
Grades B and C are generally used in products that are processed further such as being chopped or ground.

Seafood:
Unlike meat and poultry, seafood is not required to be inspected by the Federal government.  Seafood is still largely wild caught and as such would be difficult to regulate.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversees fisheries management in the United States and the EPA and the USDA also have authority to limit the sale of fish from  waters that are deemed to be hazardous, such as in the event of an oil spill.  NOAA does offer a voluntary quality inspection program for seafood and as with meat and poultry it is paid for by the producer/processor.  The top quality grade for seafood is U.S. Grade A. If you can find a retailer who has graded seafood then use them.  There is more variety in seafood and it is the most difficult to transport and maintain of all the meat products, so to some extent you are on your own when buying seafood. 

Here are some simple guidelines from the NOAA website.  They recommend that you not decide what seafood to buy until you get to the seafood counter.  Try to select what appears to be the freshest thing in the counter and then plan your menu around that type of seafood.  Here is how to tell if seafood is fresh:

1. When purchasing whole fish or fillets, look for firm flesh.  If you press the fish with your finger and it leaves an indentation, it is not the highest quality.  Also look for shiny flesh.  Dull flesh may mean that the fish is old.

2.  Check to make sure there is no darkening around the edges of the fish or brown or yellowish discoloration, especially if these areas appear dry or mushy.  If you are still uncertain about how fresh the fish is, ask to have it rinsed under cold water and then smell it.  Fresh fish should have no fishy or ammonia smell.

3.  Live clams, oysters and mussels may have slightly gaping shells and should close tightly when tapped.  If not, the shellfish may be dead and should be discarded.  Live crabs and lobsters should show leg movement. Refrigeration may slow down movement, but there should still be some.
  
Use any fresh seafood within two days of bringing it home.  If you elect to use frozen seafood always thaw it in the fridge.  Thawing at temperatures above 40 degrees causes excessive drip loss and adversely affects taste, texture and aroma.

I hope this has been helpful in sorting through all of the marketing and adds when it comes to buying meat and seafood.  Ask questions and go to another place to buy if you don't get good answers.  You will be happier in the long run.