{"id":5612,"date":"2025-07-24T22:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T04:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/bbq\/?p=5612"},"modified":"2025-08-18T09:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T15:03:08","slug":"how-is-beef-graded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/bbq\/how-is-beef-graded\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the Beef Grades?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beef Grades Explained<\/span><\/p>\n

In the United States, beef is graded in two ways:<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality grades<\/strong> for tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yield grades<\/strong> determine the amount of usable lean meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

The beef grade is one of the first things we recommend looking at when buying steak.<\/span><\/p>\n

The USDA grades beef as Prime, Choice, or Select, primarily based on two factors<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Marbling<\/span><\/p>\n

The meat\u2019s degree of intramuscular white fat flecks is called marbling, and it generally makes beef more tender, juicy, and flavorful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Higher marbling also protects beef from overcooking and prevents it from drying out.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Maturity<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The maturity of the carcass, or the estimated age at which the animal was slaughtered, directly affects tenderness. <\/span><\/p>\n

The older the cattle, the less tender the beef is.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are five maturity groupings:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A: 9 to 30 months<\/span>
\nB: 30 to 42 months<\/span>
\nC: 42 to 72 months<\/span>
\nD: 72 to 96 months<\/span>
\nE: more than 96 months<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts determine a beef carcass\u2019s maturity by evaluating its bones, cartilage, and the rib-eye muscle\u2019s color and texture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun facts: In young cattle, there\u2019s a cartilage \u201cbutton\u201d on the top of each backbone.<\/span><\/p>\n

This slowly ossifies and changes to bone during maturation. Young cows also have narrow, oval-shaped, and red ribs. <\/span><\/p>\n

The ribs become greyer, flatter, and broader as they mature.<\/span><\/p>\n

The USDA calls its grades a \u201clanguage\u201d in America\u2019s beef industry to fast-track business transactions and make life easier for consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grading is done by highly trained specialists who use the quality and yield grades mentioned to determine the overall grade.<\/span><\/p>\n

USDA beef grading is a voluntary process through which beef packers pay the Department of Agriculture to apply a subjective grade to their meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

USDA grades of beef explained<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime is the highest grade of US beef, and less than 2% of all beef is graded Prime. It\u2019s known for being extra tender, juicy, and flavorful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prime meat has significant marbling and is composed of around 8 to 13 percent fat.<\/span><\/p>\n

The beef comes from younger, grain-fed cattle, up to a maximum of B-Maturity or 42 months old.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prime beef has long been associated exclusively with high-end restaurants, specialty butchers, and top steakhouses.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as the amount of prime meat on the market has increased, it has trickled down into select supermarkets and online meat delivery suppliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to cook Prime beef<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime roasts and steaks (rib-eye, tenderloin, T-bone, and porterhouse included) are perfect for any type of dry-heat cooking like broiling, roasting, or grilling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choice<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Choice beef still represents high-quality meat but has moderate marbling and a lower fat percentage than Prime (from 4 to 10 percent).<\/span><\/p>\n

It comes from the same maturity range as Prime beef, and sourced from the loin and ribs of young, well-fed cattle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angus beef, a well-regarded breed, is the most common example of Choice grade.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 50% of cattle receive this rating. Choice beef is now widely available in supermarkets at increasingly competitive prices. You\u2019ll also regularly find it at restaurants and local barbecue joints.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to cook Choice beef<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Choice rib-eye and sirloin steaks are slightly less tender than Prime beef cuts. So they benefit from being braised, simmered, and roasted. The result is still deliciously juicy beef at a great price.<\/span><\/p>\n

We frequently cook Choice beef with dry heat. Just know it\u2019s more susceptible to overcooking, so keep a close eye on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Select<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Select beef is commonly found in supermarkets and is the most affordable option. It\u2019s much leaner than the higher grades, which means it doesn\u2019t have the same level of tenderness.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also exhibits slight marbling and contains just 2 to 4 percent fat, so you can expect it to look much more uniform. <\/span><\/p>\n

Select beef has the USDA seal of approval, though, so you know it\u2019s still high quality.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken from young, well-fed A-Maturity cattle (or those under 30 months).<\/span><\/p>\n

How to cook Select beef<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Only the most tender Select cuts, such as loin, rib, and sirloin, are good for grilling as is\u2014other Select-graded beef benefits from tenderizing and marinating. I recommend using it for smoking, braising, or stewing to bring moisture back into the beef.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other grades of beef<\/span><\/p>\n

There are 5 lower grades of beef than Select:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Standard<\/strong> is typically sourced from more mature cows and has very little marbling. It\u2019s often sold ungraded in grocery stores or as store-brand products.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find it\u2019s the most affordable option in grocery stores. Tenderize and marinate the Standard beef before cooking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commercial<\/strong> is very similar to Standard, with low marbling and cut from mature cattle. Commercial is often mixed with other beef cuts to make lean ground beef.<\/span><\/p>\n

Utility, Cutter, and Canner are grouped because they\u2019re rarely found in stores.<\/span><\/p>\n

Utility<\/strong> is sometimes used to make ground beef and processed products like frozen meals and canned stews. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cutter<\/strong> and canned are found in products such as pet food.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beef Yield Grade<\/span><\/p>\n

Beef producers use yield grade for marketing purposes. The USDA grades yield during harvesting to determine how much meat they collect from each carcass.<\/span><\/p>\n

The USDA yield grades are a 1 to 5 score that\u2019s judged on these factors:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fat thickness<\/span>
\nRib-eye area<\/span>
\nKidney, pelvic, and heart fat (KPH): The internal fat around the organs usually sits between 1.5 and 4 percent.<\/span>
\nHot carcass weight: The weight of a hot carcass minus the hide, head, and internal organs. It\u2019s typically around 60%.<\/span><\/p>\n

The higher the score, the more fat on the 4 primal cuts: chuck, rib, round, and loin. 1 is primarily red meat (a.k.a. Select), and 5 is extra fatty (or Prime).<\/span><\/p>\n

The problems with the USDA grading system<\/span><\/p>\n

While the USDA system makes it easier to categorize beef quality quickly, it\u2019s not without limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the main issues is the narrow criteria the USDA uses for grading the beef.<\/span><\/p>\n

The system is based on the idea that marbling and maturity are the most crucial factors in meat quality. This approach is now much less widely accepted.<\/span><\/p>\n

USDA beef grades don\u2019t consider the level of nutrients in the meat, the process used to raise the animal, or the animal\u2019s diet. It also doesn\u2019t take animal breeds into account.<\/span><\/p>\n

You could argue this is a marketing tactic to sell lower-grade beef. However, when their farmers have been graded, it has returned as either Prime or Choice Plus.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grading system also doesn\u2019t value other essential factors to consumers. For example, grass-fed beef typically has lower levels of marbling than corn-fed meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it\u2019s often graded lower, despite many people preferring the taste.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grading system also only examines one cut, the rib-eye between the 12th and 13th ribs, to determine the grade of the whole carcass. This narrow grading excludes essential factors like taste, breed, cut, and fat quality.<\/span><\/p>\n

The history of USDA beef grading<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s helpful to understand a little bit about the history behind how beef gets graded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beef grading in the US was developed in 1927 as a form of marketing for the beef industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Farmers were suffering an agricultural recession in the 1920s, and they hoped the implied quality of the higher grades of beef would increase the demand for fatty corn-fed cattle.<\/span><\/p>\n

For around 30 years, most beef graded under this new system came from Angus and Hereford cattle imported from Britain that produced fatty meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the late 1960s, studies linked fat with heart disease. These studies, primarily funded by the sugar industry, led to Americans preferring leaner beef cuts.<\/span><\/p>\n

In reaction, the USDA reduced its marbling requirement for Prime, Choice, and Select-graded beef.<\/span><\/p>\n

These days, beef in the US generally comes from cattle that are 15 to 24 months old and have been \u201cfinished\u201d with a grain diet during the last 8 months of their life to increase the fat level.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you know, this high-fat finishing and the animal\u2019s age are significant factors in USDA grading.<\/span><\/p>\n

The USDA grades of beef are a helpful guideline on the beef\u2019s marbling and maturity.<\/span><\/p>\n

But remember, the USDA system doesn\u2019t cover what cut you\u2019re buying, what the animal was fed, and how it was raised. <\/span><\/p>\n

100% grass-fed, older, and more flavorsome beef doesn\u2019t fit neatly into the system.<\/span><\/p>\n

When considering these factors, ignoring the USDA rating entirely is perfectly okay.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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