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It's a dumb question but I was curious. And I am not talking about taking the normally tough cuts and make them tender. I buy certain cuts of meats for their natural tenderness. For an example, local fresh pork tenderloin is one of my favorite roasts. I noticed if I buy it at a store that I normally don't get it from, and using the exact same method of roasting/marinating etc, it's tough! Well I should say, firm. Same thing with other cuts of meats. Is the cow/pig old or extra skinny or something?
Main factors are: age, the older the animal and more tough will be the meat. Furthermore, the fat amount between its muscular fibers could also affect the toughness.
Three things really: genetics, marble (not just fat content but where and how that fat is spread through the cut), age and a psuedo forth, the way you cook it.
As I was driving past a couple of the Tyson pants in Nebraska and Iowa last week, I had a couple questions about beef grading.
First, at what point is the beef actually graded? At the live auction or when it is broken down to the carcass?
Also. when an operation buys live steer, how do they know what they are getting before kill? If there some contingency with the sellers?
I worked from 63-82, but I doubt much has changed.
The USDA grader would stop in the morning and grade the chilled carcass from the previous day's kill,
The cattle had to be ribbed( exposed rib eye steak )
There are 2 ways packing plants buy cattle................grade and yield .... or live weight.
On grade and yield the owner gets paid for the dressed carcass weight and what grade it ends up
In live weight buying...............the company employs buyers who are VERY SKILLED in looking at a live animal and knowing what the carcass weight will be ( dress out percentage) and knowing what grade it will be.
The owner gets paid when the LIVE animal crosses the scales.
There is a packing plant 24 miles from my former dairy farm ( son owns the farm now )
As your cattle are run across the scale the buyer at the packing plant asks...........live weight or grade and yield. He then quotes you a live weight price.
My son usually sells his older dairy cows that are heading to slaughter on live weight. ( says he like check in the hand before heading for home )
That packing plant kills about 1500 head per day and they all are older cull cows that are boned out for hamburger meat.
teddy is right, they cut in the 7th rib, and judge its grade- now is computerized/scanning
the top three grades of beef are
prime
choice
select
not all beef is graded- it can be sold as no-roll/ungraded
prime is of course the tenderest beef-abundant marbling (white specs of fat in the muscle)
pork is graded
number 1, 2, 3
most beef critters are 16-24 months old (western beef) none older than 30 months- over 30 months increases risk of certain diseases-
hogs are usually around 6 -8 months old, when processed
age, feed, genetics are primary factors of quality-(also, stress on the animal, how its processed)
i know a nearby store will have pork tenderloin on sale for 2.99lb,,,these are great- but sometimes, they are on sale for 1.99lb, and the are a bit lower in quality, and a bit tougher
same with beef- the nearby store sells a choice beef tenderloin for 12.99lb
but he also sells a lower grade- for 6.99lb, and that is tougher
I was always told that if you cook the meat slow, using moist heat, it will be tender. If you cook the meat too quickly it can turn tough.
20yrsinBranson
This is so true. An old fashioned pressure cooker can cook almost any cut into a tender delight :-)
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