Today’s supermarkets offer a huge variety of meat and poultry — fresh, frozen and further processed. But if you want to make certain your meat and poultry purchases are consistently high quality and great-tasting, just look for the Tyson label!
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Price: Since the most tender cuts make up only a small proportion of a beef carcass, they are in greatest demand and usually command a higher price than other cuts. |
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Roasts and steaks should be firm, not soft or squishy feeling. |
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Be certain that the package tray doesn't contain excess moisture. This moisture could mean that the product has been above 38 to 40 degrees for a period of time, and will usually not taste as good as meat that has been well chilled. |
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Be sure that the package has not been damaged and that the meat is cold and wrapped securely. |
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Always check the "sell-by" date on the label and only purchase on or before that date.
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What are Grades?
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Regardless of their quality grade, some cuts of meat are naturally more tender than others. Cuts from the less-used muscles along the back of the animal — the rib and loin sections — will always be more tender than those from the more active muscles such as the shoulder, flank, and leg. |
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USDA beef grading system: Each USDA beef quality grade is a measure of a distinct level of quality, and it takes eight grades to span the range. They are USDA Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. |
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Grade details: USDA Prime, Choice, Select, and Standard grades come from younger beef. The highest grade, USDA Prime, is used mostly by hotels and restaurants, but a small amount is sold at retail markets. The grade most widely sold at retail is USDA Choice. However, consumer preference for leaner beef has increased the popularity of the Select grade of beef. Select grade can now be found at most meat counters. |
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Standard and Commercial grade beef frequently is sold as ungraded or as "brand name" meat. |
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The three lower grades — USDA Utility, Cutter, and Canner — are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and manufactured meat items such as frankfurters.
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Fresh Beef Cuts
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Brisket: Cuts of beef from the chest region; these cuts are used to make corned beef or smoked for barbecue. |
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Chuck: Cuts of beef from the shoulder region or front end; usually used in cooking roasts and commonly referred to as pot roasts. |
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Flank: Cuts of beef usually found as steaks; this is the cut most often used to make London Broil. |
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Loin: Cuts of beef from the back region; cuts are very tender; most of the steak cuts like strips, t-bones and porterhouses come from this region. |
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Round: Cuts of beef from the back end region; usually used in cooking roasts and commonly referred to as rump roasts. |
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Sirloin: Cuts of beef from the small back region; sirloin cuts are very versatile and can be found as steaks and roasts.
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