Beef Grades

The United States Department of Agriculture or USDA categorizes beef into eight different grades

The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, separates beef into eight different grades: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. Most restaurants serve Prime or Choice beef and only about two percent of all beef graded by the USDA qualifies for Prime distinction.

USDA beef grades refer primarily to the amount of fat marbling in the muscle

Another grading program is Certified Angus Beef, a designation awarded by Wooster, Ohio-based Certified Angus Beef LLC. The mark applies to approximately eight percent of all USDA-graded beef that derives from Angus stock and meets certain quality criteria. A cow that provides Angus certified meat must have Angus parentage and a coat that is at least 51 per cent black.

Only about two percent of all beef graded by the USDA qualifies for Prime distinction

Warning: Do not confuse Prime beef with the prime rib — the prime rib refers to the location from where the meat is cut, not the graded quality of the beef. The grades refer primarily to the amount of fat marbling in the muscle; Prime beef must contain no less than 8 per cent intramuscular fat. And you wondered why it tasted so good.