Marbling Of A Steak

Only those steaks with the very best marbling are eligible to receive usda prime certification the highest.

Marbling of a steak.

Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. It s also great for flavor and moisture thanks to the marbling you ll find across the breadth of the cut. If the meat is free of all fat then the cut has little or no marbling. Marbling is just one way to consider the overall deliciousness of a given steak from a particular farm.

That said these steaks were the most marbled of the bunch. Marbling is the most desirable. Everyone loved this steak declaring it juicy tender and most importantly bursting with flavor. How to spot a well marbled steak.

The marbled fat will baste the meat from inside as it slowly melts resulting in a great flavour. Marbling intramuscular fat is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean. Good marbling means good quality you may think that quality is a subjective term used to describe one s preference of beef steak whether that be fat content breed of cattle grass. The presence and type of marbling in meat is important for several reasons.

T he usda grades beef carcasses for marbling examining the ribeye muscle between the 12th and 13th ribs on each beef steer. The marbling keeps the meat moist so natural juices don t evaporate in the pan. Tenderness and marbling don t necessarily go hand in hand so while the beef tenderloin is possibly the most tender cut of beef it doesn t usually have much marbling. Sadly however this marbling does mean strip steak can be a little on the pricey side and it s debatable whether that extra cost is really worth it especially compared to some of the other arguably superior expensive cuts out there.

Marbling in uncooked meat looks aesthetically interesting but that is not why it s special. When cooking marbling adds flavor and juiciness as the fat melts into the steak. In contrast we value marbling for its contributions to flavor but not at the cost of animal welfare. Hence the practice of wrapping tenderloin steaks with strips of bacon without it the steak would lack flavor and moisture.

To visually determine the marbling of a steak take a good look at the texture of the meat. When you begin to see only small spots of moisture appear on the uncooked side of the steak turn it and only once. But there are various types of marbling as well and some types are more desirable than others when discussing steak quality. Marbling is an important factor in steak selection.

Though this is a leaner and often more tender it is not as flavorful. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade.