On 4/9/2016 11:11 PM, Roy wrote:
> I was a meat cutter for years before I went into management.
>
> If someone described meat to me as being bad it usually meant spoiled/rotten/inedible.
> ====
>

Here in the States we have specific grading guidelines:

http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/01/28/wha...ice-or-select/

Beef is graded in two ways: quality grades for tenderness, juiciness and
flavor; and yield grades for the amount of usable lean meat on the
carcass. From a consumer standpoint, what do these quality beef grades mean?

Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant
marbling (the amount of fat interspersed with lean meat), and is
generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are
excellent for dry-heat cooking such as broiling, roasting or grilling.

Choice beef 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 suited for dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender
cuts can also be cooked with dry heat if not overcooked. Such cuts will
be most tender if braised, roasted or simmered with a small amount of
liquid in a tightly covered pan.

Select beef 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
the tender cuts should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be
marinated before cooking or braised to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.

Standard and Commercial grades of beef are frequently sold as ungraded
or as store brand meat. Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades of beef are
seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef
and processed products.

Recently, USDA collaborated with the United States Meat Export
Federation and Colorado State University to develop an educational video
about the beef grading process. This video provides a comprehensive
overview of the beef grading system – from farm to table.

So next time you are at a restaurant or grocery store, look for the USDA
grade shield and you will better be able to answer the question, “What’s
your beef?”