When it comes to a well-marbled steak, U.S. beef ticks all the right boxes.
Ask any top-notch steakhouse around the world what’s the secret to its success and one of the answers will always be this: premium U.S. beef. It’s no secret that U.S. beef delivers flavour, tenderness and juiciness in a way that is arguably equalled by no other meat. The figures speak for themselves: 25.8 billion pounds of U.S. beef were produced in 2018 alone.
With over 80 purebreds (the three primary categories are Bos Indicus, Bos Taurus Continental, and Bos Taurus British a.k.a. Angus), cattle production takes place in all 50 states of America. Due to their massive pastures, the majority is bred in Texas, Nebraska, Iowa and Winconsin. Calves are raised on a cowcalf farms, where they are weaned at six months. They are then placed in feed yards for a minimum of 4 – 6 months and fed with high quality roughage and feed-grains mainly corn. The best cuts of beef sports a rich marbling of fat throughout, a purple-red hue and yields an enviably tender texture.
Only when the cattle are processed will the grading assessment be done by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified grader. Although the USDA divides beef into eight grades, only the top five ever make it on diners’ plates. The rest are known as processed and canned meats. The top three distinctions – Prime, Choice and Select, in descending order – are graded according to marbling. Only three percent of beef, taken from young, well-fed cattle, make this Prime grade annually.
Not only is U.S. beef scrumptious, it is a nutrient-dense meat that supplies a large share of essential nutrients. Studies have shown that beef contains nine times as much vitamin B-12, over twice as much iron and four times as much zinc as chicken. Plus, the majority of the iron in beef is known as heme iron and is five times more available to the body than iron found in other foods.
President and chief executive officer, Dan Halstrom, sums it up best. “U.S. beef provides a unique and highquality dining experience from a wide range of cuts. So it can be enjoyed in a variety of settings – from in-home preparation to family-style casual dining to very highend steakhouses. There’s something for everyone”.
