Steak Grading Facts
Under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), inspectors oversee the
processing of all meat to insure sanitation and safety is maintained. The USDA
inspection process insures that the meat is safe and processed under sanitary
conditions but does not insure the taste and tenderness, qualities that are also
important to you in your meat purchasing. For taste and tenderness, the USDA
established a voluntary grading system to standardize the ranking of quality of
meats. Beef has the highest number of grades - 8, while only 3 of these grades
are of interest to most consumers.
Most people have heard of the prime grade. This is the grade of beef that you
see at steakhouse-type restaurants. The prime grade is awarded to a very small
(less than 2%) and select amount of meat from cattle raised specifically for
prime meat. Prime meat is tender with a high degree of marbling (small amounts
of fat evenly distributed through the muscle), fine texture and well flavored.
Prime beef is also dry-aged, a very expensive process. With prime meat being
quite expensive and with limited availability, consumers rarely even see this
grade of meat for sale.
The grade of beef just below prime is choice. Choice meat is much less
frequently seen today as most supermarkets have shifted to select meat. Choice
grade beef is well marbled and has good flavor and texture. Rather than being
dry-aged, choice beef will be wet-aged, a less expensive method of aging that
still results in the meat becoming more tender through aging.
Select grade beef has less marbling and less juiciness than prime or choice
beef. This is the grade of meat that most supermarkets carry--sometimes even in
their fancy meat service counter--so, pay careful attention to what you are
buying. With less marbling, there is a greater risk of dryness, if the meat is
overcooked. If you are careful with your cooking, you will end up with an
average steak or roast.
All the other grades are less frequently seen and include in descending order:
standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canning. Most of the time, these
grades end up in canned soups, dog food, and of course hot dogs. Sometimes you
will see these other grades of meat in the supermarket. These grades will have
no marbling and a coarser texture. They can be a good choice of meat, on a
limited budget or for certain uses such as tenderized steaks and hamburger but
should be value priced. As with everything, you get what you pay for.