Category: Meat Retailing

There are six grades of cow beef: No. 1 or Choice, No. 2 or Good, No. 3 or Medium, No. 4 or Common, No. 5 or Cutter, and No. 6 or Low Cutter. There are no Prime cow carcasses. No. 1, or Choice, Cow Beef No. 1, or Choice, cow beef is rare. It generally […]

There are six grades of bull beef : No. 1 or Choice No. 2 or Good, No. 3 or Medium, No. 4 or Common, No. 5 or Cutter, and No. 6 or Low Cutter.’ No. 1, or Choice, Bull Beef No. 1, or Choice, bull beef has the excellent conformation and depth of flesh characteristic […]

There are six grades of stag beef : No. 1 or Choice, No. 2 or Good, No. 3 or Medium, No. 4 or Common, No. 5 or Cutter, and No. 6 or Low Cutter. There are fewer stags than bulls, and they are graded by virtually the same standard. Young stags are more desirable than […]

There was a time when the old time butcher had reasons to be proud of his profession. He prided himself on his skill in dressing cattle, calves and other livestock. He took great pride in being an expert butcher with a thorough knowledge of all phases of the business. While the old time butcher had […]

United States Department of Agriculture Department Bulletin No. 1246 By W. C. Davis, Investigator in Marketing Livestock and Meats, and C. V. Whalin, Specialist in Marketing Livestock and Meats, Bureau of Agricultural Economics. DEFINITION OF CLASSIFYING AND GRADING Classifying and grading a commodity consists merely in dividing it into lots or groups which have similar […]

All beef carcasses are divided, or split, into sides of nearly equal weight, as a part of the dressing operation, and are sent to the refrigerating rooms, which are known as “chill” rooms, “boxes,” or “coolers.” The right side of the carcass is known as the “closed side,” because the suet around the kidney is […]

What are the chief requisites for a standard system of classifying and grading beef, and what should be the basis of such a system? First of all, the system should be logical and workable. It should fit the needs of the trade. Arbitrary action is sometimes necessary to uproot certain evils and inconsistencies which creep […]

Although the absence of standard classes and grades for beef carcasses has been a source of confusion to the trade and to others interested, there is still further complication when the carcass is divided into the customary wholesale cuts. Apparently following along lines of least resistance, many in the trade have adopted numbers to designate […]

Beef is a very difficult commodity to grade. Absolute exactness is impossible. This is due partly to the fact that each individual carcass differs somewhat from every other carcass ; hence no given carcass can be taken as a sample exactly typical of a large number. Furthermore, meat is extremely perishable, which makes both quick […]

Under the Chicago method of cutting, a beef round represents about 24 per cent of the side, and includes the round or buttock, rump, and shank. The buttock is the round proper, and is especially economical for the average consumer because of the large amount of lean meat and the relatively small percentage of fat […]