166 Part II: Now You’re Cooking! Healthy and Hearty Dishes
Choosing Beef and Pork You
Can Eat after Surgery
U.S. Department of Agriculture grades are based on nationally uniform
standards, so no matter where in the United States you buy meat, it must
meet the same criteria. Grading of meat for quality is voluntary and the meat
plant must pay for the service of having their products graded.
USDA Beef Grades
The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) designates eight beef grades,
used to classify the meat according to marbling, or the fat running through
the muscle, and age of the beef. The three grades commonly available to
consumers are
✓ Prime: Prime meat is heavily marbled which makes for a tender and
flavorful steak. Only 2 percent of graded beef is prime. Prime meats are
generally served in restaurants and sold in high-end grocery stores.
✓ Choice: The majority of graded beef is graded choice. It’s moderately
marbled and is still tender, but the flavor isn’t as great as prime.
✓ Select: Select beef has very little marbling therefore the cooked meat is
drier, tougher, and has less flavor than prime and choice cuts.
The grade is the quality of the meat when inspected. It doesn’t necessarily
affect tolerance when eaten, although tender meat tends to be better for
weight loss surgery patients than drier, tougher pieces.
Which cuts makes the cut
Not all steaks are created equal. The tenderness of a steak depends on where
the steak is cut from. Beef is a muscle, and the more the muscle is worked,
the leaner and less fatty it will be. Steaks that have less fat are not as tender
and tend to be tough if overcooked. Top round, bottom round, and blade
steaks are examples of leaner steaks. When the muscle is worked less, it gets
more marbling, thin lines of fat throughout, making it more tender. Examples
of tender steaks are fillet mignon, New York strips, and rib-eye.
