... and you are gonna like it!
Introduction to Beef
Quality Grading
By James Berry
Grading vs. Tasting
Why?
• Of all BBQs you have, you could not
possibly taste every animal!
• What if the product is not consumable?
• Tasting is too time consuming and
subjective
What is the purpose beef carcass
grading?
• To allow beef producers, packers, and retailers
to be paid for the level of quality product they
distribute.
• The USDA implemented meat grading to ensure
that the product is of the right quality that
consumers want.
• To create a basis for comparison and data in the
beef industry.
• It is NOT mandatory for beef producers to use
– But many markets such as Safeway and Kroger
require it.
How do beef grades affect me?
• They guarantee a grade of meat that we
can trust at the quality level of the product
you are buying.
• They increase the chance that we will be
satisfied with our product.
What are the two types of grades?
• Quality Grade – Qualitative
• Yield Grade - Quantitative
What are the 8 types of quality
grades?
• Three for purchase at the store:
Prime (very rare)
Choice – Starting to be the standard at stores
Select – used to be the standard
• Others consumed by people in different
ways
Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and
Canner
What is the purpose of Quality
Grades?
• Reflects the differences in the eating
quality of meat based on:
Marbling scores - the amount of fat interspersed
in the muscle.
Maturity scores - reflects the age of the animal
at slaughter.
Factors influencing Quality Grade
1. Direct
• Marbling
• Maturity
2. Indirect
• Texture
• Firmness
• Color
No fat is good right?
...Not always.
Quality Grade
Prime
Upper 2/3 of Choice
Lower 1/3 of Choice
Select
Standard
Odds of
poor steak
1 in 26
1 in 19
1 in 7
1 in 5
1 in 2
Prime
• This carcass has superior marbling, proper
carcass conformation, and adequate
maturity.
– Found in fine restaurants and gourmet stores.
• Not economical for meat packers
– The cattle are required to get very fat to
obtain enough marbling
– A small percentage of cattle meet the
conformation standards.
Choice
• This is the most economical and most
desirable carcass grade.
– Adequate marbling and carcass conformation
are required.
Select
•
(Used to be called "Good") This beef
may be referred to as "no-roll" since it
isn't stamped with the USDA grade.
– Must have slight marbling.
– This meat is inspected but not marked with a
stamp as Prime and Choice.
Standard
• Usually older animals and thin animals.
– Minimum marbling or below average carcass
conformation fits into this category.
Commercial
• Includes the designations of:
Cutter
Canner
Utility.
– This meat is usually processed into lunch
meats, soup, and canned meat products.
Cull
• Not acceptable for human consumption.
– Often times put into animal consumption or
used to make other products.
– No longer used as animal consumption
products
• BSE
Tenderness
Quality of Taste
Notice the visual difference in
marbling (intramuscular fat) at
each quality Grade
Moderately Abundant
Primeo
Modest
Choiceo
Slightly Abundant
Prime-
Modest
Choiceo
Moderate
Choice+
Modest
Choiceo
Small
Choice-
Modest
Choiceo
Slight
Select
Modest
Choiceo
Relationship between Marbling, Maturity, and Carcass Quality Grade1
Degrees of Marbling
A3
Abundant
Prime +
Moderately Abundant
Prime 
Slightly Abundant
Prime -
B
Maturity2
C
D
E
Prime
Moderate
Choice +
Choice
Modest
Choice 
Small
Choice -
Standard
Slight
Select
Standard
Traces
Standard +
Standard
Practically Devoid
Standard
Age
< 30 months 30-42 months 42-72 months 72-96 months
1
Assumes that firmness of lean is comparably developed with the degree of marbling and
that the carcass is not a “dark cutter”.
2
Maturity increases from left to right (A through E).
3
The A maturity portion of the figure is the only portion applicable to bullock carcasses.
>96 months
Based on marbling, what would you
grade the cut on the left?
Based on marbling, what would you
grade the cut on the left?
Prime
So what do we take from this?
• Why do we need to know this information?
• Do we go and buy the highest quality?
• How does beef grading affect how we eat?
Let’s get Grilling!
Sources
• Most information, slides and pictures
provided by
Dr. Jon Beckett, Cal Poly, SLO
• USDA
• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
• Slides 25 & 26 - www.ag.auburn.edu/
~sschmidt/meats/sld011.htm