Become a Beef Expert

Ready to elevate your beef preparation skills? Dive into our expert tips and guidance to discover pointers in selecting, preparing, and serving mouthwatering beef that will impress everyone at your next mealtime.

There are many choices when considering and purchasing beef. Our tips on grass-finished versus grain-finished, beef grades and how processes, such as dry aging and marinades affect flavor when cooking will help you make an informed purchase at the grocery store.

Grass-finished vs. grain-finished beef

You’ve likely seen various labels showing that beef is “natural” or “grass fed.” But what do these labels mean? All cattle spend a majority of their lives eating grass on pastures. But beef can be finished in a variety of ways, giving you choices when at the meat case in your local grocery store or at a restaurant.

What's the difference? Let’s explore various beef choices including grass-finished and grain- finished beef as well as other popular labels. For additional information on the nutrient content of the different beef choices, download this infographic.

grass-finished vs. Grain-finished

Grass-Finished

Did you know? Grass-finished cattle spend their entire lives grazing and eating from pastures. These cattle may also eat forage, hay or silage at the feedyard. As well, grass finished cattle may or may not be given FDA-approved antibiotics to treat, prevent or control disease and/or growth-promoting hormones.

Grain-Finished

Grain-finished cattle, like grass finished, spend the majority of their lives eating grass and forage in pastures. When beef is grain-finished, cattle are free to eat a balanced diet of grain, local feed ingredients, like potato hulls or sugar beets, and hay or forage at the feedyard. Similarly, grain-finished cattle may or may not be given FDA-approved antibiotics to treat, prevent or control disease and/or growth-promoting hormones.

What do grass & grain-finished beef have in common?

Both have an excellent source of 10 essential nutrients to fuel busy, active lifestyles.
Beef is the foundation of a healthy balanced diet.
Both grass or grain-finished beef are rich sources of lean quality protein, with a variety of wholesome beef choices for your lifestyle.

Decoding the label

Decoding the label

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

Certified organic beef, designated by the official label, comes from cattle that have never received any antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones. These cattle may be spend time at the feedyard and can be either grass-finished or grain-finished as long as the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service certifies the feed as 100% organically grown.

NATURALLY RAISED

Naturally raised beef comes from cattle that have never received antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones. This beef may spend time at a feedyard and can be either grain-finished or grass-finished.

Grading Beef

Beef grading sets the standards for the various quality levels of beef. The beef grading program uses highly trained specialists and sometimes grading instruments to determine the official quality grade. Beef quality grading is voluntary and administered by the USDA and paid for by beef packers.

The grade is primarily determined by the degree of marbling — the small flecks of fat within the beef muscle. Marbling provides flavor, tenderness and juiciness to beef and improves overall palatability. Other grading factors include animal age, and color and texture of the muscle.

Let's explore the different beef grades.

Understanding beef grades

Prime

Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed cattle. It has abundant marbling, is produced in smaller quantities than other grades, and is often sold in hotels and restaurants. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for roasting, grilling or broiling.

Choice

Choice beef is high quality and produced in highest quantity, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks, especially from the rib and loin, will be very tender, juicy and flavorful. They are suited for roasting, grilling and broiling. Less tender cuts are perfect for slow-cooking.

Select

Select beef is slightly leaner than Prime and Choice because it has less marbling. It can lack some tenderness, flavor and juiciness as compared to the higher grades. Select grade beef often benefits from slow-cooking or from marination prior to grilling or broiling.

Understanding the Label:

At the supermarket meat case, each beef package label typically identifies the primal cut and the sub-primal cut name. It also includes the weight, price per pound, total price, sell-by date and safe handling instructions. It may also include a grade, nutrition and preparation information and the country of origin.

Ground Beef Label:

Ground Beef packages are labeled according to USDA standards. The information on the labels will be expressed as percent lean to percent fat (80% lean/20% fat, for example).Ground Beef labels may also indicate which primal cut the beef comes from (such as Chuck, Round, or Sirloin).

What to look for:

Select beef with a bright cherry-red color. Beef in a sealed bag typically has a darker purplish-red color. When exposed to the air, it will turn a bright red.
Choose beef that is firm to the touch.
Make sure the package is cold with no holes or tears.
Choose packages without excessive liquid.
Purchase beef on or before the sell-by date.

How beef is aged

Beef aging does not pertain to the age of the cattle but instead refers to the amount of time the meat has been stored and refrigerated after slaughter. Aging beef involves storing meat at refrigerated temperatures to enhance tenderness and flavor.

There are two choices for aging beef, wet and dry aging. Let’s explore the two methods.

Wet Aging

Wet aging includes storing meat in sealed airtight bags under refrigeration (32°F to 34°F) up to 3 weeks. Wet aging results in traditional beef flavor and is the most common aging method.

Dry Aging

Dry aging is less common than wet aging due to the complexity and cost. Beef is stored uncovered in a refrigerated room (32°F to 34°F) under controlled humidity and air flow for up to 4 weeks. Dry aging results in distinctive brown-roasted beefy flavor.