size, makes them the most expensive cut (that whole supplyand-demand thing, you know?) Out of these two muscles come a number of different steaks The chart here shows what you’ll find at the typical butcher shop Q: Why would I want to eat steaks from these muscles? The tenderness of a steak is inversely related to the amount of work that the muscle does during the steer’s lifetime So, as relatively unused muscles, the longissimus dorsi (commonly referred to as the loin or backstrap) and the psoas major are extremely tender, making them ideal candidates for steak (and also quite expensive) The former has an advantage over the latter in that it contains a generous amount of fat, both in large swaths around the central eye of meat and, more important, within the muscle itself in a web-like network known as marbling Q: Why is marbling important? Mainly because it lubricates the muscle fibers At room or fridge temperature, the fat is solid, but when cooked, it melts, helping muscle fibers slip around each other more easily as you chew, resulting in more tender, juicier meat Marbling is also important because most of the flavor in red meats comes from the fat Indeed, there are studies in which tasters fed portions of lean beef and lean lamb were unable to identify them correctly but were easily able to do so when given a portion with fat Fatty beef just tastes beefier Grading Q: What do the labels from the government on my beef telling me that it’s “Prime” or “Choice” mean? The USDA grades beef into eight categories: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner The top three are the only ones you are likely to see fresh at the supermarket; the rest are used for packaged foods and other products (if you ever see a steak house advertising “100% Utility-Grade Beef!” run, screaming) Prime-grade boneless rib-eye • Prime-Grade Beef is the USDA’s highest designation It comes from younger cattle (under 42 months of age) and is highly marbled, with firm flesh Less than percent of the beef produced in the United States gets this designation, and the vast majority of it goes to steak houses and fancy hotels If you happen to find some at ... Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner The top three are the only ones you are likely to see fresh at the supermarket; the rest are used for packaged foods and other products (if you ever see a steak house...Q: What do the labels from the government on my beef telling me that it’s “Prime” or “Choice” mean? The USDA grades beef into eight categories: Prime, Choice,... “100% Utility-Grade Beef!” run, screaming) Prime-grade boneless rib-eye • Prime-Grade Beef is the USDA’s highest designation It comes from younger cattle (under 42 months of age) and is highly marbled, with