Beef is muscle tissue obtained from bovines,
especially domestic cattle. Beef is one of the principal meats used in European
cuisine and cuisine of the Americas, and is important in Africa, East Asia, and
Southeast Asia as well. In the Middle East, lamb is the usual meat preferred
over beef. Beef is taboo to Hindus and its consumption is discouraged among
some Buddhists.
Beef can be cut into steaks,
pot roasts or short ribs, or it can be ground. Several Asian and European
nationalities include the blood in their cuisine as well—it is used in some
varieties of blood sausage. Other beef variety meats include the tongue, which
is usually sliced for sandwiches in Western cooking; tripe from the stomach;
various glands—particularly the pancreas and thyroid—referred to as sweetbreads;
the heart, the brain, the liver, the kidneys; and the tender testicles of the
bull commonly known as "calf fries", "prairie oysters", or
"Rocky Mountain oysters." Beef bones are essential for making soup
stock.
The better cuts are usually
obtained from the steer, as the heifer tends to be kept for breeding. Older
animals are used for beef when they are past their reproductive prime. The meat
from older cows and bulls is generally tougher, so it is frequently used for ground
beef US/ mince UK. Cattle raised for beef may be allowed to roam free on grasslands,
or may be confined at some stage in pens as part of a large feeding operation
called a feedlot, where they are usually fed grain.
The United States, Brazil,
the European Union, Japan and the People's Republic of China are the world's
five largest producers of beef. Beef production is also important to the economies
of Nicaragua, Argentina, Russia, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.
A cut of
beef.
Sliced
beef.
Cattle have genetic
ancestry dating back to Europe and the other Old World continents with the
exception of bison (buffalo) hybrids. Cattle are not native to the American
continents and come from such less obvious origins as Wagyu from Japan, Ankole-Watusi
from Egypt, and longhorn Zebu from Pakistan and India. [3] Cattle were widely
used for meat across the Old World except in religious or draft uses. Some
breeds were specifically bred to increase meat yield or texture like the Angus
or Wagyu.
In the United States, the USDA
operates a voluntary beef grading program. The meat processor pays for the
presence of a highly trained USDA meat grader at the abattoir who grades the
whole carcass prior to fabrication. The carcass grade is stamped on each primal
cut (six stamps) and applied with roller stamp to each side as well. Traces of
the USDA grading stamp are sometimes visible on boxed primal cuts.
The grades are based on two
main criteria, the degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef rib eye
and the age of the animal prior to slaughter. Some meat scientists object to
the current scheme of USDA grading since it does not take tenderness into
account. Most other countries' beef grading systems mirror the US model. Most
beef offered for sale in supermarkets is graded choice or select.
Prime beef is sold to hotels and upscale restaurants. Beef that would rate as Standard
or leaner is almost never offered for grading.
Inspected
carcasses tagged by the USDA
Traditionally, beef sold in
steakhouses and supermarkets has been advertised by its USDA grading; however,
many restaurants and retailers have recently begun advertising beef on the
strength of brand names and the reputation of a specific breed of cattle, such
as black angus [1] [2].
Beef is first divided into primal
cuts. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are
cut.When looking at a diagrams such as the ones below, note that the closer to
the middle back, the more tender the meat is. Since the animal's legs and neck
muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes progressively
more tender as distance from "hoof and horn" increases. There are
different systems of naming for cuts in America, Britain and France.
See the external links
section below for links to more beef cut charts and diagrams.
American
cuts of beef.
The following is a list of
the American primal cuts, ordered front to back, then top to bottom. The short
loin and the sirloin are sometimes considered as one section.
British
cuts of beef.
Beef is typically aged
between slaughter and market to allow natural enzymes to break down fibers and
tenderize the meat. Until World War II, most beef was processed through dry
aging, a costly process that imparts a distinctive beefy tang. Modern beef is
more commonly wet aged in cryovac bags; this process makes for less waste, but
creates a blander end product.
Spain;Carne
de Ávila, Carne de Cantabria, Carne de la Sierra de Guadarrama, Carne de
Morucha de Salamanca, Carne de Vacuno del País o Euskal Okela
France;
Taureau de Camargue, Boeuf charolais du Bourbonnais, Boeuf de Chalosse, Boeuf
du Maine
Portugal;Carnalentejana
,Carne rouquesa, Carne Barrosã, Carne Cachena da Peneda, Carne da Charneca,
Carne de Bovino Cruzado dos Lameiros do Barroso,Carne dos Açores, Carne
Marinhoa, Carne Maronesa, Carne Mertolenga, Carne Mirandesa
United Kingdom; Orkney Beef, Scotch
Beef, Welsh Beef
Wikipedia