About Beef
Angus Beef Basics
At the processing facility, the beef carcass is divided into 9 main sections called primals, as well as trim for ground beef. Before boxing and shipping, these primals are usually further processed into sub-primals. Based on total carcass weight, 31% of the carcass becomes steaks, 31% roasts and 38% is for ground beef and stew meat. The grocer or foodservice operator receives boxed sub-primals they portion and /or cook them as necessary. Because the muscles that make up beef cattle animal have different functions, they will differ significantly in the way they handle in the kitchen and on the plate. Different muscle functions determine their relative tenderness. So, preparation and cooking methods vary, depending on the character of the muscle tissue of the particular primal.
Primals such as the short loin and rib, known as middle meats , sit along the vertebrae and do very little “work,” especially when compared to the legs of the animal. With a small workload and free of connective tissue, middle meats are very tender to begin with. Thus, these primals perform very favorably in fast, dry cooking processes such as grilling or pan broiling.
“Locomotion” primal muscle groups like the chuck and the round (roughly equivalent to the animal’s shoulders and hips) are heavily used for walking and supporting the animal’s great mass. They also have abundant connective tissue such as collagen. The heavy usage develops firm muscle mass and ultimately a tougher beef. Tougher beef is better suited to slow, moist cooking processes such as stewing - or sent to the grinder for ground beef. To be sure, tougher cuts are less expensive than their middle meat counterparts, but they are indeed no less delicious. They simply require a bit more attention in the cooking process.