The beefy basics, part II

May was Beef Month. May 28 was National Hamburger Day. Today is the second day of June. So why, you ask, is today the day I share the second episode of The Beefy Basics?

Well, quite frankly because I've been a terrible blogger lately. I've barely blogged more than once a week this whole month. I have so much to share right now my head is nearly exploding, but it turns out when I'm actually having a life, there is less time to write about it than times when I'm living in my PJ's talking to Stones more than human people on a regular basis.

You might remember, I started with blog with the intention pressuring myself into having a life and being an educational outlet for all the seemingly useless knowledge that jumbles around in my hear. Lately, it's been more of a personal gossip column. Sorry about that. Unless you are a reader who prefers senseless and sometimes pointless ramblings about my fabulous life -- In that case, sorry about the fact I'm about to cram more educational and important knowledge into your eye holes.

Remember last time I explained the basics of beef grading? I hope you read that one. I know, it was long and involved numbers and graphs instead of pithy jokes and fun pictures, but I swear it was a post full of valuable information. Today, I want to share the second part of the BEEF 509 course I took earlier this spring: the basics of beef cuts.

Here's a video from the American Meat Institute that pretty much sums it all up:

It's a little dry, but that video just summed up about three pages of writing in less than three minutes of simple video. You're welcome.

Why is this important? Well, when you're standing in front of the meat case dumbfounded by all the options, names and shapes, just image the sub-primal cuts and how those names are reflected in the individual cut names. Think through it logically and imagine this picture:

Beef that comes from the middle of the animal (rib and loin) are more tender and can be quickly cooked -- think grilling, broiling, etc. Those muscles don't get much exercise, so they are nice and tender (like me). Cuts that have names from the front and back of the animal (chuck, round and others) work a lot more. They are more muscular (like the Hulk) and do better in a slow cooker or as a roast. In short, I'm perfect just the way I am. The Hulk might need a little time or marination to tolerate.

Yes, that was a legitimate analogy.

In all seriousness, here are the points about beef cuts I want you to remember:

• The most tender cut of beef is the tenderloin. We cattle people are not trying to trick you, folks. 
• For the leanest cuts, look for the words round or loin in the name.
• There are 29 cuts of beef that are considered lean by the USDA. Yes!
• Remember in the beef grading basics blog when I described the standards for beef that meets the Certified Angus Beef(R) brand? Well, there are 24 cuts of CAB you can enjoy while staying lean, too. Yes! (fist pump) Yes!
• If you are looking for something with a more robust flavor, go with something like a ribeye (my favorite).
• Don't be afraid to ask the meat manager, butcher or chef if you don't recognize the name of a piece of beef. While we're not trying to trick you, sometimes marketers try to get jazzy and make simple terms fancy. Fancy = confusing. That's why they call PR "the dark side." Ask questions, because knowing what kind of cut you have is going to have a big impact on how you should prepare it and ultimately how much you enjoy that tasty little packet of protein.
• OR, check out this website: http://consumer.certifiedangusbeef.com/cuts/Default.aspx. It's a great starting place to help you understand the different cuts and cooking methods.  

Most importantly: if you are ever in a situation when you have the chance to learn about beef cuts first hand and break down a sub-primal, do it. It's a very cool thing to learn and do. But do not; I repeat: do NOT, think being this hot will prevent you from being clumsy with a very sharp knife:

Despite the hairnet, wrist guard, hard apron, cut resistant gloves and XXL frock, it is still possible to mistake your finger for a rib. If you mistakenly cut your finger instead of a rib steak, it bleeds a lot.

Sometimes, doing that will make you realize all the blood that is rushing out of your finger is coming directly from your brain. When all of your brain blood is gushing from your finger, this may lead you to faint in a meat lab. Sometimes it even takes a few minutes to wake up and remember where and who you are. Sometimes, you'll be one of only three girls in a class of 30 men and suddenly find yourself being viewed as the most stereotypical drama queen in the world.

Sometimes, a wound like that will make your finger swell and turn green and spurt blood for three days.

Sometimes, a camera phone photo with no flash doesn't do justice to how dramatic an injury really is.

That's all I have to say on that very hypothetical subject.

The Heart of our Country

This book is amazing. Seriously. While reading it, I laughed out loud, teared up a little and got goose-bumpy shivers about every other page. Sometimes all those things at once... in the middle of a downtown Kansas City Panera Bread. Awkward, but worth it.

Paul Mobley, the photographer of "American Farmer," spoke at the National Agri-Marketing Association on Friday. He had so many incredible stories to share with his photographs. To me, the most interesting story was his. He immersed himself in the world of farmers and ranchers for three years, travelling across the nation to capture the spirit of agriculturalists in print.

Guess what happened after those three years? ...he became one of agriculture's biggest fans! How could he not? We're kind of a lovable group.  

"I embarked on this project as a photographer in search of artistic evolution, and I found it. But the exquisite and unexpected discovery was of a kinder and gentler world and way of life than any I had known before. The agricultural communities of America are made up of modest, hardworking men and women who prize their families, their land, and their heritage above all else," Mobley said.

He captured the stories and hearts of Wyoming cattle ranchers, California avocado farmers, Southern fruit growers, mechanics, cotton pickers, horse whisperers, beet farmers and everything in between.

And by in between, I mean everything in between. I loved that he captured more than just farmers and ranchers farming and ranching. Mobley shared several stories about families who took him outside of stereotypes. "He'd say, 'Oh, let's not talk about farming. I talk about farming all day. Let's talk about motorcycles."

Side note: please don't mind those big blobs of white leg meat
propping up the book. I don't know who those belong to.

Mobley's photographs and Katrina Fried's writing tell so many captivating, unique, personal stories. Yet the book as a whole tells one common story I wish everyone in the world would hear.

"Like so many of us, I doubted the existence of this kind of goodness in the world. You look around at the ways we treat -- or mistreat -- one another, and it's gotten so out of hand. You want something you can believe in. You ask yourself, where have all the good people gone? Well, I can tell you. Drive up to any farmhouse in this country. You'll find them. They're there."

In short, I really just love this book. Every coffee table should proudly display this book. This book makes me wish I had a coffee table. I'm going to work on that.

Oh, and thinking of photography... my cute baby calf photo made the top ten finalists in the Beef Daily photo contest! I would love, love, love for you to stop by the Beef Daily blog and vote for my picture (it's #5) so I can win another wonderful photography book to share with you! Tomorrow (Thursday) is the last day to vote, so head over there and vote now!

But even more than that, I would love for you to sign up to receive news updates from Beef Daily. It is a news source that keeps a great pulse on what is going on in the cattle industry, whether you are a beef producer, consumer or someone who just like cows. 

Go here to vote: http://blog.beefmagazine.com/beef_daily/2010/04/26/baby-calf-photo-finalists-vote-today/. Then go buy Paul Mobley's book. Then make me an ice cream sundae. With crunchy sprinkles. Please and thank you.

Hey, it was worth a try while I was handing out demands, right?

Celebrating Earth Day

There was a time in my life where I thought "environmentalist" was a nasty word. It conjured up a lot of images of granola-eating hippies who were all about being at peace with nature and saving the rain forest. And women who didn't shave their legs. Those all seemed like weird/bad things to a young teenager.

Then I found out granola was pretty tasty. Hippies were cool in the '60s, and the '60s produced some pretty good hippie tunes. Since moving east, I realized I could use a little more peace with nature. And after watching the show "Life" on the Discovery channel, I want to save rain forests, too... as long as they keep filming all those incredible little creatures for my entertainment. Basically, I came to the conclusion many years ago that a lot of my stereotypes about environmentalists were unfounded and misguided.

But what really turned my thoughts around on the topic of environmentalists was the realization that even those descriptions weren't accurate. Environmentalists are simply people who care about the land, the animals that live off it, and being sustainable so future generations can enjoy our world and natural resources.

Guess who best fits that description of an environmentalist? Farmers and ranchers, of course! Agriculturalists were the original stewards of the land, and they are still working hard every day to care for this Earth and all the life that depends on it.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I'd like to share this video from Pasture to Plate's YouTube channel. Enjoy!



For more information about the original environmentalists, visit www.explorebeef.org.

The beefy basics, part 1

These next couple posts will break down the basics of beef buying and talk about actually breaking down a beef carcass. Get your thinking cap on – there will be quizzes!

What??? Stop your groaning! I can’t just endlessly entertain you with stories about my travels, photography, cooking, nonsense and my naturally charming sense of humor. There must be education every once and a while, people. But you’re going to like it, I promise.

I had a pretty abrupt education on beef buying about five years ago, and I want to spare you from the same traumatic experience. I thought I was a fairly worldly college freshman – I traveled a lot with the National Beef Ambassador Program, promoting the beef industry and sharing the cattle production story. That was easy. The problem was, I had a hard time connecting with consumers’ stories.

 

Beef had always magically appeared in my freezer, straight from Nelson Farms. It showed up wrapped in crisp, white butcher paper with a red stamp that told us we were the only people allowed to pay for this product. An accompanying blue stamp described simple things: GROUND BEEF. STEAK. ROAST. BONELESS STEW. STEW BONES. PUT ME IN HAMBERGER HELPER. You see, I like simple things.

 Then one day, I ran out of beef from Nelson Farms. I had to go to the grocery store and venture into the meat case, just like 98% of our population does. I was completely and totally dumbfounded. I didn’t even know where to start. All the things my high school ag teacher tried explain in our meat evaluation segment jumbled around in this big ol’ blond head as I stood at the meat counter…. hmmmm…. quality grades… cutability… yield grades… USDA inspections…. marbling… oh, if only I had spent more time paying attention in ag class and less time talking boys into doing projects for me! I knew that was going to backfire eventually. I just knew it. They were just so gullible...

I resorted to the only thing I knew to do at the time – I called my mom. She walked me through it, explaining that yes, this beef looks a little different. Yes, that is OK. No, Select is not an instruction to pick that one... buy at least Choice. Yes, that ground beef looks kind of like worms, but it will taste the same. No, I will not reimburse you for this expense. You're a big kid now. Ugh.

Since then, I’ve made sure to truly educate myself on the beef industry, not just the cattle industry. That turned out to be a pretty good thing to understand, since making those connections pays my bills these days. I got a great refresher course on these concepts last weekend at the BEEF 509 course, which reminded me how confusing the meat case can be to consumers and cattlemen.

So this is where the education starts. I’m going to define a couple terms that we’ll need to differentiate here.

First, inspection. All beef sold in a retail store must be inspected through a branch of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) called the FSIS (Food Safely and Inspection Service). This process ensures the wholesomeness of the product. The FSIS works very hard to make sure your beef is safe to eat. They’re nice like that.

Second, grading. Beef grading determines value (as in, price and enjoyment). A grade from the USDA is different than an inspection approval from the USDA. An inspection only determines it is a safe, wholesome product. A grade determines varying levels of quality in that product, which then helps determine its value. This is governed by the USDA’s AMS (Agriculture Marketing Service). This is not mandatory, although nearly all beef product sold in retail stores is graded.

Get the different between USDA inspected and a USDA grade? Good. If you don’t, read those two paragraphs a couple more times. Or persuade someone else to explain it to you. This is getting lengthy and I have a short attention span.

Now… about beef grading. There are two types of "grades." 

Quality grade predicts the eating experience of said "graded" beef. It’s a system that categorizes the predictability of that piece of meat’s tenderness, juiciness and flavor. In essence, quality grade is all about palatability. This is what most people want to focus on when buying beef. We'll address that more in a bit.

Yield grade shows a comparison of meat and fat on a carcass. This helps retailers predict how much meat they will have to actually sell when they buy meat compared to how much will be considered “trim.” This is called cutability. YG is a somewhat complicated calculation that doesn’t really have a lot of applications to the everyday consumer – the jest of it is this: a YG1 has more meat, less exterior fat; a YG5 has less meat compared to more exterior fat. YG2, YG3 and YG4 are in between. If you really want to know how to calculate YG, be my guest. Here's the formula:

Ya, that's what I thought. Stick to this mental picture of what the different YG numbers mean:

See the difference between the amount of muscle and exterior fat? I love being a visual learner. So in review:

Quality grade = palatability.

Yield grade = cutability.

Still with me??? Good. There’s more. Let’s dig a little deeper into quality grade. Quality grade is determined by two things: maturity and marbling.

Maturity, like YG, probably isn't something the average shopper needs to concern herself with. Just know that the nice graders from the USDA look at bone characteristics, cartilage ossification and color and texture of the ribeye muscle to determine the physiological, not chronological, maturity of the beef animal. That basically means it doesn't matter how many birthday candles were on the last cake, it's all about how well (or poorly) your little (or big) behind metabolized it. Depending on those things, the graders assign the carcass a maturity designation of A (youngest) through E (oldest).

That maturity ranking is only half of the quality grade equation. The other half is the marbling score. The marbling score indicates.... this is a tough one... the marbling of that carcass. Marbling is the little flecks of fat spread throughout the meat. This intramuscular fat is what gives beef its great flavor and juiciness. Marbling is also considered "good fat," which makes it a homerun in my book. You can see the differernce in marbling between these two cuts:

Once the graders have determined how much marbling is in the beef, they do another calculation that combines the maturity rank and marbling score and sha-bam! A quality grade is born. This is where that stamp that says USDA Prime, Choice or Select comes from. There are more classifications, but these are the only ones you should ever even consider eating. Trust me on this one.

Prime has the most marbling and youngest maturity classifications. Only about two percent of beef grades Prime. It's super tasty and delicious.
Choice is what the majority of beef grades. It can vary from really good (upper Choice, which is closer to Prime) to just OK (lower Choice, which is closer to Select).
Select has slight traces of marbling, which means you're going to have to do some digging to find those little flecks of flavor. Some folks like Select beef because it tends to be a little leaner. Personally, I want a really tender, juicy steak and am willing to sacrifice a couple extra calories for it. That's just me -- you don't have to agree. However, if you've read this far into my babble, it seems like you might just care about my opinion, so there you have it.  

Now just for good measure, let's review this all one more time.

• Beef inspection determines wholesomeness. ALL beef is inspected and equally wholesome and safe. 
• Beef grading determines value. Beef grading determines value by using two indicators:
• Yield grade, which determines cutability.   
• Quality grade, which determines palatability.
• Quality grade determines palatability by looking at two items: maturity and marbling.
• Based on these items, beef is graded into these important categories:
• Prime = Yum, every time.
• Choice = Yummy, but can be inconsistant in its marbling. Hence the advent of branded beef programs like the Certified Angus Beef brand to bring a little more quality consistancy to the table. Oh come on... like you didn't know that plug was going to show up eventually.
• Select = eh, if that's what you're in to. It's a wholesome, nutritious product -- just a little different flavor profile than what this girl likes.  
• Everything else (Standard, Commercial, Utility) = never, ever buy for human consumption. Ever.

Got all that? Excellent! Now it's time for the quiz. I warned you about this!!!

Q1.) Who is my No. 1 blog follower from California?
Q2.) Who gave birth to my wonderfully charming and sweet roomate?
Q3.) Who is celebrating a birthday today?

A1.) Kathy; A2.) Kathy; A3.) Kathy
Happy Birthday, Kathy!!!

Just checking to see if anyone is really playing attention out there.

But really -- I hope this was a useful little lesson on beef basics. I know it was lengthy, and I'm exhausted from writing it. But this is important, people. The process of getting food on the world's table is a long and complicated, but it has safety, wholesomeness and consumer satisfaction in mind all the time. That needs to be understood. I want you to always enjoy your beef eating experience, and an educated consumer is a happy consumer. So holla if I missed something or you are dying to learn more!

Big Kitchen calling...

Those words are music to my ears, especially on a Friday afternoon.

Let me share with you one of the many joys of working for the company I do. On the other side of my cubicle wall, there live two professional chefs. In the basement right below my cubicle, there lives a big kitchen. On really, really happy days, the two get together.

So on mornings like today when I wake up late, forget breakfast, stumble into the office without my first cup of coffee and then realize I forgot to put socks on, a call from Big Kitchen is truly a blessing. The afternoon went something like this:

At 1:30 my tummy was grumbling, but I had become completely engulfed in digging through our writing archives to find the perfect stories to include in an upcoming publication. I got completely sucked in. I could get lost reading our archives for days. Seriously, check it out.

My phone rings. Caller ID reads "Big Kitchen." Hhmmmmm... I wonder who's down in the basement and wants to talk to me?

"Hello, this is Laura."

"Hello, Laura, This is Big Kitchen calling."

"Well, hello Big Kitchen. What's going on down there?"

"I'm cookin'. Wanna sandwich?"

"YES."

Aren't inter-company calls enthralling?

Chef Michael made me a Certified Angus Beef® Philly cheese steak sandwich. He popped it in this enormous toaster oven they call the salamander. I don't know why they call it that, but this baby could broil a steel post in about two seconds. 

Luckily, it also perfectly toasts steak sandwiches: 

I found this apple in my drawer and thought it would make my little desk-side meal look more complete and healthy. I was pretty sure it had only been in there a few days.

Unfortunately, an apple didn't really sound that appetizing with a tender, juicy steak sandwich. The vending machine downstairs had a much better option:

Life was looking up. With a full belly and renewed strength, things were really hummin' along on my Friday afternoon.

A couple hours later, Ms. M took it to a whole new level. She poked her head around the cubicle wall. "Pssstt. We're making a DQ run. It's almost spring, you know." It snowed this morning, but we're really trying hard to pretend like that didn't happen.

Chocolate cookie dough + Health bar blizzard = summertime in my dreams:

Oh, and that apple I had such good intentions of eating? I ended up using it for more of a stress ball for the rest of the afternoon as I mulled over new story ideas.

Turns out, you can all but smash up some apple sauce without breaking the skin on a hearty, desk-cured Gala apple.

Yes, that is complete mush under the skin. Weird, I know.

Are you wondering what the point of today's post is yet?

Quite frankly, there isn't one. I was just really pleased with how a bad morning turned into a fine afternoon, thanks to one little phone call from "Big Kitchen."

Blackberry + beef recipes = true Love

*That's saying a lot. I've been accused of being averse to the L word a time or two*

But I do love beef recipes delivered directly to my Blackberry phone. I also love lists. Particularly shopping lists. You find me a fella who will look up delicious recipes based on beef cuts within seconds, then organize a shopping list categorized by grocery section... then we might talk.

In the meanwhile, meet Beef For Dinner mobile.

caliAGchick and I were contemplating dinner plans this evening over a nice, brisk walk in the park. We had some pre-cut skirt steak thawing in the fridge: perfect for fajitas. Normally, I would marinate fajita meat overnight, or at least a couple hours before cooking. But we needed fajitas, pronto, and I was not interesting in running home to ask Sandra Lee or the Crook County CowBelles (my two favorite cookbooks) for advice.

Oh, wait... let me introduce you again... this is Beef for Dinner Mobile. He's full of great advice. Just type "beef for dinner" into your mobile web browser, and you'll be BFF in no time.

I typed in fajitas; it gave me ten options. I picked Classic Beef Fajitas with Galic & Lime; it made me a shopping list. It told me what to get in the fresh produce isle, what to look for in bread & baked goods, the condiments section and the meat case. Why, thank you, Beef for Dinner Mobile! I was in and out of the store in ten minutes.

I saved the recipe (for free, of course), to be brought back up once I was home.

Then I used all the muscles I had to squeeze fresh lime juice. Unfortunately, neither my Blackberry nor the Beef for Dinner site was helpful in that. After some strenuous effort, I managed to miss the counter enough times to splash nearly two tablespoons in the dish.

 I poured the lime juice, some fresh minced garlic, and pepper over the steak strips. Then I cheated and dumped my pre-cut peppers and onions in the skillet. I added a fun sprinkle of Chugwater Chili seasoning -- just a little taste of Wyoming, compliments of one of my dearest college roomies.

The beef got a similar dash of Chugwater Chili love and started sizzlin'.

I whipped it all together with some fresh cilantro, and there you have it:

Dinner was done and served just as caliAGchick got home. She suggested I quit my job and become a full-time nanny. I reminded her how slightly irresponsible I've been known to be, and we agreed it was best I stuck to cooking for her.

Topped off with some tortilla strips, cheese and avacado slices, it was the perfect little feast.

I asked caliAGchick if it was odd I've started taking pictures of all my meals before eating lately, and she assured me that was normal... as long as I didn't expect her to wait until the photo session was done to dig in. Deal.