We Asked Beef Experts to Rank Every Steak Cut: What Truly Deserves the Hype
By James H. Sterling
Quality beef relies on genetics, feed management, and the beef marbling score assigned during processing. In the United States, inspectors evaluate the ribeye surface between the 12th and 13th ribs to award federal quality grades.
USDA Select represents lean beef with minimal flecking. It dries out rapidly and requires moist-heat cooking or aggressive tenderizing to remain palatable.
USDA Choice occupies the middle ground, representing the bulk of retail supermarket inventory. High-Choice grades offer sufficient marbling for weeknight grilling, though they lack the dense white networks found in specialty steaks.
USDA Prime accounts for less than 9% of all graded American commercial beef. Prime beef features dense, intricate webs of intramuscular fat evenly scattered across the entire muscle grain.
Under the international Beef Marbling Score (BMS) system used for Wagyu, USDA Prime sits around BMS 4 to 5. Higher grades, scaling up to BMS 12, feature such an extreme concentration of unsaturated oleic fatty acids that the fat liquifies below human body temperature.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
