{"id":810,"date":"2024-05-15T11:17:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T16:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clovermeadowsbeef.com\/?p=810"},"modified":"2024-05-16T14:01:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T19:01:57","slug":"meat-grading-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clovermeadowsbeef.com\/meat-grading-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Prime vs Choice Beef. Differences Between USDA Meat Grades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you know the difference between Prime, Choice and Select Beef? Here\u2019s what meat grading means (and doesn’t mean), who grades beef, and why it’s important to consumers. <\/strong> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When buying beef, it\u2019s important to know the difference between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) beef grades — prime, choice and select. There is a huge quality, taste and price difference between these meat grades, so being aware of the differences will save you money.<\/p>\n\n\n[feast_advanced_jump_to]\n\n\n

What are\u00a0different grades of beef?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The USDA Grades beef to signify that it\u2019s high-quality beef that is safe to eat. The beef grades also tell you the amount of tenderness and amount of fat marbling to expect in the beef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USDA grade shields are symbols of high-quality American beef.\u00a0The grades of beef are based on uniform quality standards that were developed by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. They created these standards to promote uniformity and product quality in the beef industry. Quality grades are widely used as a \u201clanguage\u201d within the beef industry.<\/p>\n\n\n

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There are eight grades of beef. The beef quality grades in order from best to worst are USDA Prime, USDA Choice, USDA Select, USDA Standard, USDA Commercial, USDA Utility, USDA Cutter and USDA Canner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When buying beef at a steakhouse, you usually only hear about three of these USDA beef grades: Prime, Choice and Select.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is all beef graded?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All beef in the United States is inspected, but not all beef is graded. Beef quality grading is voluntary and administered by the USDA and paid for by beef packers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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USDA Meat Grading Scale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What components make up the meat grading system?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When the USDA grades beef, they look at two main qualities: 1) quality grades for tenderness, juiciness and flavor; and 2) yield grades for the amount of usable lean meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of these two, quality is what consumers are most familiar with because it has to do with the tenderness, juiciness and flavor of the beef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality grade: Marbling <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marbling is also known as intramuscular fat, which is the small threads of fat interspersed within beef between the muscle fibers. The fine white lines running through the steak look somewhat like a marble pattern, hence the name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to note there\u2019s a difference between intramuscular fat and intermuscular fat.\u00a0 Marbling is intramuscular fat, and is the fat content inside the beef.\u00a0 Marbling is not intermuscular fat, which is fat on the outside that you typically trim off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To determine a beef grade, the USDA grader looks specifically at the amount of marbling in the ribeye muscle between the 12th<\/sup> and 13th<\/sup> ribs. Based on that one location of the cow, they can then determine if the beef in the entire cow is Prime, Choice or Select. The reason this works is be marbelization is responsible for giving beef its tenderness and added flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality grade: Maturity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beef is also graded on the maturity (or age) of the animal. As cattle mature, their meat gets tougher and leaner. Since the tenderness of beef is directly affected by cattle\u2019s age, the USDA considers the animal\u2019s age as they determine the USDA Quality Grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After maturity and marbling are determined, the USDA combines the two factors to determine the quality grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yield grade: Amount of usable meat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to quality of beef, the USDA also looks at the yield grade \u2013 or the amount of usable lean meat on the carcass \u2013 when grading beef. Consumers rarely hear about this portion of the beef grading, but beef processors are very familiar with it. A yield grade ranges from 1-5 and measures the layer of fat covering the meat. For example, a yield grade of 1 would be assigned to a ribeye with 5\/10 of an inch of fat covering it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three highest grades of beef: Prime, Choice and Select<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are eight grades of beef. The beef quality grades in order from best to worst are USDA Prime Beef, USDA Choice Beef, USDA Select Beef, USDA Standard, USDA Commercial, USDA Utility, USDA Cutter and USDA Canner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USDA Prime, Choice and Select are the three highest grades and highest quality beef.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Infographic courtesy of USDA<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Prime Beef<\/strong> comes from well-fed beef cattle and it has abundant marbling<\/a> (i.e. fat within the beef). Cattle that are grain-finished will have more marbling than grass-finished beef. You usually find Prime cuts of beef at high-end restaurants and hotels. It can also be found at a specilialty butcher shop for a special occassion. Prime steaks are known for being full of flavor, and very tender and juicy. Only about 2 percent of today\u2019s beef is of the highest USDA grade, or prime, which, has the highest level of marbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choice\u00a0Grade<\/strong> Beef<\/strong>\u00a0is very\u00a0high quality, but has slightly less marbling than Prime.\u00a0Choice steaks are very\u00a0tender\u00a0and juicy. It is the most widely available\u00a0grade of beef at your local grocery store. About 50 percent of beef is graded choice meat by the USDA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select\u00a0Grade Beef\u00a0<\/strong>is typically leaner than the higher grades.\u00a0 It has less marbling, and also lacks some of the\u00a0juiciness\u00a0and\u00a0flavor\u00a0of the higher graded meat. The\u00a0USDA grades\u00a0about 21 percent of beef with the select grade. When cooking Select beef, it\u2019s generally best to marinate before cooking in order to get the maximum tenderness and flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard and Commercial grades of beef are typically sold as store brand meat.  The final three grades of beef \u2013 Utility, Cutter and Canner \u2013 are rarely sold at retail and are used to make ground beef and processed products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What USDA meat grades do not <\/span>mean<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The USDA does a great job grading beef, and they are always evolving and improving. However, it’s important to note that some factors that many consumers now consider important do not go into the grade. These factors include the animal’s diet (grass fed<\/a> vs. grain finished<\/a>), the cut, the breed (angus beef vs wagyu beef), and how the animal has been raised (pasture raised<\/a> or not).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who grades beef?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All meat for public consumption in the U.S. must be inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In some states, like Missouri, you can also have an inspector from a state inspection agency inspect meat. However, state inspected meat cannot cross state lines for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although all beef is inspected, not all beef is graded. Beef quality grading is voluntary and administered by the USDA and paid for by beef packers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When beef is inspected, USDA inspectors first inspect the live animal to make sure they\u2019re healthy from head to hoof and treated humanely. They also inspect things like the slaughtering process, all of the animal\u2019s parts and organs, the temperature of the meat, and they make sure the carcass stays as clean as possible during the entire process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If beef doesn\u2019t pass inspection, it is removed entirely from the food supply. When beef does pass inspection, it is stamped or labeled with the USDA inspection stamp, and that means it is fit to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USDA\u2019s inspection is all or nothing. There\u2019s no half-way or partially-passed beef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One More Thing!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you want to learn more about beef? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet<\/a> with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook<\/a> about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmers perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few other links you may like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n