Here are some things that you should know
for that fresh meat:
Aged beef, stored three to six weeks at 34 to 38 degrees in
low humidity, undergoes an enzyme change that intensifies its flavor, deepens its color
and softens the connective tissue.
The longer meat is aged, the more quickly it cooks.
Vacuum-packing meat via a method with a vapor and moisture-proof film enables aging to
take place between the slaughterhouse and the dinner table.
Marbling, the flecks of fat distributed throughout the lean
part of the meat, gives beef its flavor and juiciness. Grades, in order of marbling, are
prime, choice and select, with select the leanest and the toughest.
The lean part of the meat should be cherry-red, unless it
has been cured or cured and smoked. Beef, vacuum-packaged cuts included, is a dark,
purplish-red color when first cut.
At the market, choose steaks and roasts with a fat covering
of &1/8 inch or less, or trim the extra fat to & 1/8 inch. Tenderize lean cuts by
cooking slowly with moist heat, cooking in liquid or marinating.
To prepare beef without adding fat, try roasting, broiling,
pan-broiling, grilling or microwaving.
