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Swift tried to solve the problem in the 70's by introducing Pro-Tend beef which was low quality beef injected with Papan while still alive. It broke down the muscle tissue and made it tender but it outraged animal rights activists and they pulled it from the market. I never witnessed what it did to them but i'm guessing they lost muscle function.
It didn't work. For us and many, MANY, neighbors(sw ks). We got out in 85, but that was just the start of "the big get bigger, the small get out". Late 70's- early 80's was a tough time, for many(not just farmers).
I was just a punk then, but I remember enough to know. Ok, does the song "glory days" by "the boss" ring a bell w/me and my bs. enough, I'll quit.
lol...yes
Really it was just a temporary fix, prices always go up and you can't keep dropping standards that were only enacted to help consumers get consistant results in the first place without the knowledge it takes to properly grade beef. It really was stupid.
Japan recognized the quality of US beef in its hay day and trade was good, if you were a broker in the 70's you got rich. As with the Auto business Japan Modeled Kobe beef after our Prime with their own unique take on things and is now the highest quality Beef in the world. On a personal level I have a hard time understanding how we have let this happen, eating crap and saying thank you. Its like saying pressboard furniture is high quality because it doesn't warp or split like solid wood does.
I am not sure about your statement.
Yes, the grading system has been modified....with more laws and regulations standards attached (that I know of.)
In all actuality did the consumers become more aware and demanding, concerning the quality of the meat.
"Select" grading is pretty much the lowest grading out there, passed for human consumption.
If anything, the government has become more selective and crucial in the actual selection process of the cattle and meat, as well as the quality inspection process.
(Recalls of all variations tell the story )
Did you also know, that in the US itself we do have Midwestern Kobe Beef available ?
Also, if someone doesn't like the wet aged process of the beef, they can always resort to the dry-aged method (for which prime is being used mainly and formost), and is still available.
I can honestly say, that in the duration of time, the beef, and the meat in general, have become more lean....in comparison to years ago (due to health concerns and customer/ consumer demand)
And, looking at the meat consumption overall and the population's health, this is not a "bad" thing by any means, IMHO.
I am aware of midwestern Kobe beef, very good stuff and at $40-$50 a lb for a NY strip it almost makes me not want to brush my teeth to savor the moment...lol
Aging beef only enhances the quality it has to start with. Besides USDA grading standards cattle are also graded by Yield Grades one through five which has mostly to do with fat coverage, One being the leanest. As you said most beef is lean today and not a candidate for dry aging. Dry aging is done with beef with the bone still intact, either in the quarter or side but most often reserved just for the steak sections, Loin and Rib which can also be broken down into Top Butt, Bone in Strip "fillet removed" and Rib. When aging is done the bone is either discarded or trimmed on the bandsaw and excess fat removed plus the ends now black from aging are trimmed off. If you were to try and dry age lean beef you would lose at least an inch of beef because it does not have the protection the fat provides plus it would still be tough.
Wet aging is just beef in plastic or "KryoVac" which is how grocery stores receive it. It ages naturally minus the air. The longer the beef ages the more blood bleeds out into the bag. Great for the company selling it because they get paid for total weight, bad for the store receiving it because they take the loss and bad for the consumer because of built up gasses, bad smell and taste. I beleive beef is dated 1 month while in KryoVac but once removed only 3 days....I wonder why?
I'm getting way off track here, tender beef is achieved through corn feeding, you can not feed beef grass and get tender meat.
I'm sure people in third world countries are thankful for some tougher than shoe leather piece of beef if and when they get it, if I made $600 - $800 a year I would be thankful too.
Rcm, I could learn alot from you, and I'd appreciate the lessons. Dry aging can be done w/primals even if it is lean, right? Cause your wanting to rid it of water and make the taste more intense. Yes, you'll have to carve off the "mold", and you loose matter, but what you gain is taste.
Am I wrong w/the above? Let me know as that is how I learned it.
Aren't certain cuts going to be tough no matter what the grade is? Prime steers still walk as do choice steers. Closer to the hoof would still be tough, even if compare'n loin to chuck/round/anyway closer to the "work".
Just check'n and curious as to what you know as to what I've know'n, and it's been a while sence I've been "schooled".
Interesting thread now. Wish I could have paid more attention in school.
Yes to all the above, even a prime chuck is still a chuck, flavorfull but not exactly tender. The muscles in the animal that are used the most will never be tender even if you have a 24/7 corn IV going. Lean beef will be slightly more tender because of the natural breaking down of the enzymes that occur with aging.
Yes to all the above, even a prime chuck is still a chuck, flavorfull but not exactly tender. The muscles in the animal that are used the most will never be tender even if you have a 24/7 corn IV going. Lean beef will be slightly more tender because of the natural breaking down of the enzymes that occur with aging.
AAAHHHH! I think I got ya....well....maybe.
Corn doesn't make them more tender, just adds fat/marbleing. Lean beef will also be tougher as there is not as much fat &/or coligen(sp is way off). Brisket is a great example.
Well, I just proved myself wrong didn't I. Corn adds fat, hence more tender. Like I said, maybe, I got ya.
But lean meat will be tougher. Look at ribeyes compared to strips. But then again we can get into cooking method, another quark. brisket cooked low and slow(as in smoked at 225 till internal temp hits 200 or the meat "gives up"). Brisket can be more tender than ribeye, and have more flavor.......then again....matter of opinion. Top sirloin, better taste than ribeye, yet not as tender.....but close.........and once again......opinion.
Who am I debating w/again? Me or you Rcm?
Love the posts, need to get texlady in here. She's in beef country.
Keep me think'n Rcm , I'm enjoy'n this.........and isn't that why everyone is here.......to keep me entertained?
If I were to weigh things now to say 40 years ago I would say it was healthier then. Carcases were delivered and sold off in days, KryoVacing was reserved for Tenderloins because it was the most costly. Wet aging is honestly only adventageous to the industry not the consumer. In effect you are buying a corpse in a bag. The reason sanitation has become such an issue in the first place is because of industry short commings like wet aging. When you open a KryoVac bag of beef that has decomposed in the absence of air its like opening pandora's box, bacteria kicks in in hours. Have you ever bought home some beautiful bright red Burger and found the center is a dull grey. Its unreal
Yes to all the above, even a prime chuck is still a chuck, flavorfull but not exactly tender. The muscles in the animal that are used the most will never be tender even if you have a 24/7 corn IV going. Lean beef will be slightly more tender because of the natural breaking down of the enzymes that occur with aging.
Just pass the rib eyes and I'll be happy. You know the quality cut that doesn't get exercised much. My second job for pay was working behind the old fashioned meat counter where we had to drag a half of beef onto the big wooden cutting table and break each and every part down to it's uses. Quality or grade of beef was USDA good in the little mom & pop market back then. Only the major chains used choice. Even the markets that advertised heavy western beef bought USDA good beef. And for awhile the store owner sold USDA standard as grass fed beef for less money because there was a market for it. Now that same grade of beef advertised as natural sells for a lot more. By the current standard it would be USDA good. That is if it is what I think it is. I can be wrong on the grading system here but if the grass fattened cattle get an exception to the USDA grading standards I'm not aware of it. As the marketing battle rages for sales I ofter wonder what choices my grand children will have when it comes to quality beef.
If I were to weigh things now to say 40 years ago I would say it was healthier then. Carcases were delivered and sold off in days, KryoVacing was reserved for Tenderloins because it was the most costly. Wet aging is honestly only adventageous to the industry not the consumer. In effect you are buying a corpse in a bag. The reason sanitation has become such an issue in the first place is because of industry short commings like wet aging. When you open a KryoVac bag of beef that has decomposed in the absence of air its like opening pandora's box, bacteria kicks in in hours. Have you ever bought home some beautiful bright red Burger and found the center is a dull grey. Its unreal
I can't say that I have. I've had some brisket that was grey on the outside(sale meat), smoked it and it was fine. I grew up w/different standards, though. Meat was well done, and I still like it like that......but I'm try'n the med-well.....even med.
If we butcher a steer we like it to hang 14-18 days, some go 21 days. Most of the loss is water, and I think most of the problem is in our minds.
It is also what your body is used to. If I ate rare steak, then you better have plenty of tp on hand. Demographics, I guess. gotta go, lattter
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For us and many, MANY, neighbors(sw ks). We got out in 85, but that was just the start of "the big get bigger, the small get out". Late 70's- early 80's was a tough time, for many(not just farmers).
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