When it comes to beef, fat makes for better flavor.
Janeal Yancey — known on social media as Meat Counter Mom — is a meat scientist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, working in the animal science department. She knows beef.
“Beef quality grades are largely based on marbling, which is the little flecks of fat found within the ribeye muscle,” Yancey said. “Technically, all muscles have marbling, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture assesses marbling in the ribeye to determine quality grades like prime and choice.”
Why does marbling matter?
“Marbling is important for the development of palatability,” she said. “When beef is cooked, the fat in marbling melts and creates the flavor that American consumers associate with beef. Carcasses with more marbling are usually more tender and juicier than those with less marbling.”
Yancey also said “marbling also serves to protect tenderness at higher degrees of doneness. I always tell people, if you like a well-done steak, you should splurge on the highly marbled ones.”
There are “dozens of factors in the life of a calf will affect the amount of marbling it has, including genetics, health, nutrition, age, and stress,” she said.
Higher quality grades like USDA choice and prime come from cattle with greater amounts of marbling and those cattle receive a higher price.
“Cattle feeders have this quality grade incentive in mind when they decide when to harvest a finished steer or heifer,” Yancey said. “Currently, the price difference between a carcass that will grade USDA choice and one that grades select is about $18 per 100 pounds, which calculates out to about $177 per carcass.
“Cattle that qualify for Certified Angus Beef and USDA prime are another $5 and $16, respectively,” she said. “Feeders weigh those premiums against the cost of feed and discounts that they may receive if the cattle are too large or too fat.”
PHOTO: Ribeyes await buyers in the grocery store meat case. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)
