Beef Quality Grading
Braveheart Black Angus Beef provides only the highest quality beef from the USDA’s highest quality grades. Beef quality refers to the expected eating characteristics (tenderness, juiciness and flavor) of the cooked product. USDA Quality Grades are used to reflect differences in expected eating quality among slaughter cattle and their carcasses.
Grading is based on the amount of intramuscular fat, or marbling, visible in a pre-determined area of the beef cattle carcass. Visual evaluations of marbling in the ribeye (at the 12th rib cross-section) are related to differences in eating quality of beef. Beef cuts with high levels of marbling are more likely to be tender, juicy and flavorful than cuts with low levels of marbling.
Eating quality generally is most desirable for “Prime beef” and less desirable for “Select beef”. Of the eight USDA Quality Grades for beef, the top three (and primarily the top two) are relevant to Braveheart Black Angus Beef.
Because of beef input factors such as cattle selection, feed, and quality processing, Braveheart Black Angus beef offers an unusually high ratio of the best beef grades. Because of this ratio, Braveheart is available in Prime, Upper 2/3 Choice, Choice, and Select grades.
Superior breeding, feeding and processing earn Braveheart Beef better grading marks than commodity. A vast majority (77% vs. 53% for commodity beef) of Braveheart Black Angus Beef cattle grade USDA Choice and higher, with nearly four times more prime beef than in commodity cattle.