ALL ABOUT BEEF

The approximately $400 billion US retail grocery industry includes about 40,000 companies that operate about 70,000 chain and independent grocery stores, not including convenience stores.
The large national and regional chains like Kroger hold between 60% and 70% of the market.
Quality meat is a driving force behind every successful supermarket.

Chuck | Round | Flank | Brisket | Shortloin | Plate | Sirloin | Rib

Domestic cattle dating to 6,500 B.C. have been found in Turkey and other sites in the Near East approach this age also. 

The domestication of cattle started as early as 10,000 years ago.

Regardless of the time frame it is generally accepted that the domestication of cattle followed sheep, goats, pigs and dogs.

Modern domestic cattle evolved from a single early ancestor, the aurochs. In addition to prehistoric painting that help us identify the appearance of the auroch the species actually survived until relatively modern times.
 

It is believed the last surviving member of the species was killed by a poacher in 1627 on a hunting reserve near Warsaw, Poland. The species may have survived in small number in other parts of the world until a later date but there is no evidence to support this theory.

Early cattle served a triple-purpose. They provided meat, milk and labor to their owners. Eventually their draft purposes were largely replaced by horses and much later by machinery so they were selected more for single or in some cases dual purposes.
 

For a complete guide and information about cattles breeds ( Over 250 different breeds)
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• General Shopping Tips for Beef.
• Select beef last when shopping to ensure that beef stays cold as long as possible until you get home
• Choose beef with a bright cherry-red color, without any grayish or brown blotches. A darker purplish-red color is typical of vacuum-packaged beef. Once exposed to oxygen, beef will turn from a darker red to bright red.
• Fresh ground beef does go through a number of color changes during its shelf life. These color changes are normal, and the ground beef remains perfectly wholesome and safe to eat if purchased by the "sell by" date on the package label.
• A package of ground beef may appear bright red on the surface, where it is exposed to oxygen through the permeable plastic wrapping, while the interior, where oxygen is absent, remains purplish-red. With extended exposure to oxygen, beef's cherry-red color will take on a brown color.
• Choose packages that are cold, tightly wrapped and have no tears or punctures. Be sure the packages do not contain excessive liquid, an indication of temperature abuse or excessive storage. For vacuum-packaged beef, be sure that the seal has not been broken and that the package is not leaking.
• Choose steaks, roasts and pot roasts that are firm to the touch, not soft.
• Purchase before or on the "sell by" date printed on the package label.
   

  APPROXIMATE BEEF COOKING TIMES (°F)

  TYPE OF BEEF	SIZE	COOKING METHOD	COOKING TIME	INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
  Rib Roast, bone in	4 to 6 lbs.	Roast 325°	23-25 min./lb. 27-30 min./lb. 32-34 min./lb.	Medium rare 145° Medium 160° Well done 170°
  Rib Roast, boneless rolled	4 to 6 lbs.	Roast 325°	Add 5-8 min./lb. to times above	Same as above
  Chuck Roast, Brisket	3 to 4 lbs.	*Braise 325°	2 to 3 hours	Medium 160°
  Round or Rump Roast	2½ to 4 lbs.	Roast 325°	30-35 min./lb. 35-40 min./lb.	Medium rare 145° Medium 160°
  Tenderloin, whole half	4 to 6 lbs. 2 to 3 lbs.	Roast 425°	45-60 min. total 35-45 min. total	Medium rare 145° Medium 160°
  Steaks	¾" thick	Broil/Grill	4-5 min. per side 6-7 min. per side	Medium rare 145° Medium 160°
  Stew or Shank Cross Cuts	1 to 1½"thick	Cover with liquid; simmer	2 to 3 hours	Medium 160°
  Short Ribs	4" long and 2" thick	*Braise 325°	1½ to 2 ½ hours	Medium160°

Most people know that cattle provide us with a healthy food -- beef. But few people know what other important products cattle supply.

Beef by-products enable us to use 99 percent of every beef animal, according to the National Cattle Women's Association. The primary raw commodities by volume are hides, fat and bone, blood and meat meal.

The use of beef by-products as animal feeds is the most significant single application (other than hides) on a volume basis. Since fats and proteins are the primary products of rendering, high energy and high protein animal feeds compose a large segment of the by-product market.

It's estimated that by-products contribute approximately 10 percent to the value of livestock. That means, 10 percent of the money a rancher receives when selling cattle is based on the value of edible and inedible by-products.

In a 1996 survey by Colorado State University, the nation's eight largest packers and 106 rendering plants were interviewed regarding the uses of beef by-products. The following table summaries the uses for various items.

Packer and Renderer Response to Survey

Item	Describe uses of various by-products by consumer
Cattle hides	upholstery, leather, shoes, clothing, gelatin, sausage casings, pharmaceutical capsules
Switches	animal feed, meat and bone meal, minimal use for paint brushes
Hooves, horns	animal feed, meat and bone meal, animal chews, soaps
Ears	animal, meat and bone meal
Blood	fertilizer, edible sausages, pharmaceutical, animal feed
Fetal blood	animal feed, medical research, pharmaceuticals, fetal serum
Fetal hides	animal feed, leather, meat and bone meal, fine parchment
Bone	animal feed, fertilizer, gelatin, piano keys, soaps, fatty acids, soup bones
Tendons	Japan (edible), Asia (edible), animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Spinal cord	Mexico (edible), Japan (edible), Asia (edible), soup stock, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Xiphoid cartilage	Japan (edible), animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Fat
Edible	shortening, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, margarine, cooking, oleo chemicals, food products
Technical	animal feed, fatty acids, tallow, Mexico (export), soaps, high-quality hand soap, lubricants
Inedible	soap, animal feed, export, fatty acids, industrial soaps, amines, pet feed, cosmetics (lipstick base, glycerin), waxes and polishes, polymers for synthetic lubricants, oleo chemicals, coatings for steel to prevent rust, lubricant for steel rolling mills, paints, plastics, rubber
Glands
Adrenal	pharmaceutical, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Pancreas	pharmaceutial, insulin, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Thyroid	pharmaceutical, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, sweetbreads
Parathyroid	pharmaceutical, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Ovaries	pharmaceutical, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, hormone extraction research
Pineal	pharmaceutical, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Testicle	animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, Rocky Mountain Oysters
Organs
Livers	pet food, edible (domestic), edible (Egypt), animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Lungs	pharmaceutical (heparin), pet food, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Kidneys	pet food, edible (Egypt), animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Brains	pharmaceutical, edible, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Rumen	export (Poland, Mexico), pet food, meat and bone meal, components used for cheese culturing, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, scalded tripe
Reticulum	edible (domestic), meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, honeycomb tripe
Omasum	export (China), meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Abomasum	export (Korea), meat and bone meal, food processing, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Tongues	export (Japan), meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, edible
Bladders	meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Small intestines	meat and bone meal, medical sutures, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Large intestines	export (Japan), meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Spleen	pet food, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids, edible, pharmaceuticals
Heart	edible, meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Gall stone	export, aphrodisiac, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Gall bladders	meat and bone meal, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Bile	domestic, pharmaceutical, animal feeds, soaps, fatty acids
Paunch content	fertilizer, animal feeds, compost, lawn/garden

What Aging Does

Cooked, unaged beef has been described as lacking in typical beef flavor.
Beef flavor is fully developed after about 11 days of aging. The aged beef flavor increases with increasing aging time.

Aging also increases tenderness. It has been shown that during the aging process certain changes take place in portions of the structure of collagen and muscle fibers
It is thought that enzymatic-caused changes in the structure of muscle fibers are largely responsible for the increase in tenderness. It is known that tenderness decreases immediately after slaughter while rigor mortis takes place  then tenderness increases gradually. Tenderness continues to increase up to 11 days, after which there is no increase in tenderness.

One study showed that maximum tenderness and progress of tenderization during aging varies among muscles and is associated with the color of the carcass lean.  Aging dark-cutting beef beyond seven days did little to increase tenderness. However, in carcasses where lean was lighter in color, tenderness continued to improve during up to 16 days of aging.

The tenderness effects of aging are more evident in carcasses from older animals than in the usually more tender lean from younger animals' carcasses.

Aging also decreases the shelf life of fresh meat products. Ground beef made from trimmings from aged beef carcasses usually has a shorter shelf life in the retail case and in your refrigerator, primarily because of increased microbial growth that occurs on certain parts of the carcass during the aging process.

Some research has demonstrated that as fresh meat ages, the activity of the various enzymes decreases and protective action against oxidation declines, thus increasing susceptibility to oxidation. This suggests that oxidation of fresh raw meat becomes increasingly important the more meat is aged.

During the aging process, one can also expect a loss of weight of the product. Because the leanis approximately 70 percent water, it's easy to see why there is a weight loss. The weight loss is caused by dehydration of the lean and fat. The weight loss occasionally occurs at tremendous proportions depending on relative humidity, amount of air flow and temperature of the aging cooler. During chilling of the hot carcass immediately after slaughter, the carcass will lose 2 to 3 percent of its weight because of moisture loss. Aging the carcass beyond this time will result in additional tissue shrinkage of 1 to 1.5 percent for each seven days. Carcasses with a thin external fat cover will lose more moisture than carcasses with a heavy fat cover. One study observed an 18 percent trim and shrink loss from loins aged 14 days in a 36 degrees F cooler.

How to Age Beef

The beef carcass or side should be aged in sanitary surroundings. Also, the aging area should be free of products such as kerosene, gasoline, paint, onions, and fish, since the carcass will absorb these undesirable odors.
Because meat is a perishable product, it can spoil at temperatures of 40 to 60 degrees F. Therefore, maintain the temperature at 30 to 35 degrees F while the beef carcass is being aged.
Sawdust should not be used on floors because it will contribute to air contamination. Carcasses and wholesale cuts should be properly spaced to allow complete circulation of air around the product.
Freezing the carcass should be avoided.

Recently interest has increased in short-time (12 hours) aging at 60 to 66 degrees F to speed up the aging process. The carcass is then placed in a 32 to 34 degrees F cooler to chill and complete the aging process. This procedure benefits cow beef more than steer or heifer beef, because cow beef is usually less tender. Apparently, carcasses with a thin fat covering would benefit more than fatter carcasses. However, the effect of this short-time, high-temperature aging on bacterial growth on and in the carcass is not understood fully.

Also remember that fat protects the meat from dehydration. Therefore, if you are aging a beef carcass with very little fat, you can expect a higher weight loss during the aging process than would occur normally with a fatter carcass. Maintaining the aging cooler at 85 percent relative humidity will keep weight losses down during prolonged aging. Carcasses with little external fat are more likely to pickup undesirable cooler odors and should thus be aged no more than five days.

Because of the drying process that takes place during aging, molds often grow on the carcass. If this occurs, merely trim off the mold (and accompanying fat or lean) at the time of processing and discard it. Do not use this trimmed-off portion in ground beef.

Some believe that it is possible to age beef in the refrigerator in the unfrozen, retail cut form. Research concerning the effectiveness of this practice is lacking. However, if you try aging beef in the refrigerator, eat it before an off-odor or off-color develops.

BEEF GRADING

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