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Tastes have changed since the high point of American beef consumption in the 1950s and ‘60s. Beef producers responded to declining beef sales and health concerns over dietary fat by shortening the amount of time that animals were fattened in feed lots, and by breeding leaner and larger European cattle into the American hybrid. Now breeds like Chiangus, a mix of Angus beef and Chianina, the giant cattle of central Italy, have become premium beef in the United States, because they are both very lean and very tender, a sensory combination that could not have been attained a generation ago.

Beef producers categorize cattle by gender and sexual maturity. Male cattle tend to be larger and yield more meat per carcass, but the meat tends to be stringier and tougher than meat from female animals. Female animals yield finer-textured, more tender meat, but their muscle groups are smaller and give a poorer yield per carcass. As you can see, neither male nor female cattle have all of the characteristics the industry wants—tender, fine-textured meat, and large, high-yielding muscles.

In order to raise cattle with both maximum yield and maximum tenderness, male cattle are castrated. Intact males (bulls) tend to be large and aggressive. They run around, fight with other males, and are difficult to fatten in feed lots. But castrate them at a young age, and they will grow in size but their musculature will stay soft and tender—everything one wants in cattle designed for the plate.

The best-quality beef comes from either younger females or castrated males. Mature females are classified as cows, and females that have not yet calved are called heifers. Males are either bulls, steers (castrated bulls), or bullocks (young steers). Bulls are not generally sold as meat, and only steers, bullocks, and heifers produce beef of the highest quality.

There are eight quality grades for beef: prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canner. All of the beef that is sold at retail markets falls within the top three grades.

Prime beef has the highest degree of marbling, but since only about 2 percent of the beef produced in the United States is graded prime, and almost all of that is exported or sold to restaurants, it is unlikely that you will ever see it at your local supermarket. A good butcher may be able to get you prime beef, but usually only loin steaks and roasts. Cheaper cuts don’t sell for enough money to warrant offering them as prime. They’re out there, though. Only whole carcasses can be graded, which means that for every prime rib roast, there is a prime chuck roast and a prime brisket coming from the same steer. Most butchers don’t cut from whole carcasses or sides any longer, but if you can find one who does, you may be able to get a prime brisket or prime short ribs, which should be much juicier than what is usually available.

Sixty-seven percent of the beef that is graded is graded choice. Don’t be led astray by this figure. Remember that most beef is not graded at all, and if it were, the vast amount would receive the select grade. Because choice is such a large grade, it is broken into subcategories, the best-known of which is top choice. Within the choice category, the USDA permits marbling ranging from small (4 percent—hardly any visible marbling) to moderate (8 percent—the lean meat is striated with visible fat). Because prime beef is so hard to come by (and has an average marbling of 9.5 percent), top choice is as close to prime as most of us are able to purchase.

Select grade beef can have as little as 3 percent marbling, which is barely visible, and it dries out easily when overcooked. Since most of the beef you buy would be tagged select if it were graded, it is preferable to cook supermarket steaks and roasts to medium (145°F) or rarer.

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CUTS OF BEEF

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As we discussed earlier, the amount of exercise a particular muscle gets determines the flavor and tenderness of the meat it produces. So knowing where on the cattle your steak