Marbled Beef or Beef with Marbling Is Delicious But What Is It?!
Jan 08, 2020
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Beef tenderness is measured by its marbling score. So what exactly is marbling? Let’s take a look.
Beef is a popular ingredient for people worldwide, and each country has different breeds, farming methods and preparation methods to produce different flavors. In addition to paying attention to flavor and texture based on different parts of beef, beef lovers use a characteristic that effectively describes beef quality, and this is its fat content. In beef jargon, this fat is not referred to as “fat”. Rather, it is known as “marbling” from the word “marble”. That’s because the white fatty streaks in the beef appears similar to marble.
So, what is marbling?
When beef is sliced, patterns similar to marbling appear. This marbling or fat in the beef can be created through breeding cattle such as in Angus, Herford, Morray, gray, shorthorn and wagyu cattle in addition to feeding cattle different kinds of grains like corn and barley to transform the color of cattle fat from yellow to white. Fat in cattle fed high quality grass is better and of a higher quality than fat in grain-fed cattle, because the fat accumulates more slowly and tastes different.
Marbling is clearly visible to the naked eye and appears as small white streaks distributed across beef. Marbling throughout beef muscles make the beef tenderer when chewed. Marbling provides lubrication during chewing and swallowing, while promoting increases salivation. As a result, it promotes perceived moisture in the mouth. On the other hand, fatless beef is dry and lacks good flavor.
Beef Marbling Standards
BMS or Beef Marbling Standards rely on marbling to grade beef quality. High-grade beef has a lot of marbling and, therefore, offers superior tenderness, texture and delicious flavor while also bringing a higher price.
Beef marble scores are used to rate beef. In Japan, up to 12 different grades exist for wagyu beef. Grade 1 beef means red beef without any marbling, while Grade 12 means steak beef with extensive and attractive marbling. Premium grade or A5 beef has marbling at Grades 8 and above.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) divides beef into three grades as follows:
Prime or excellent-grade beef is most widely accepted by consumers. In addition to offering great flavor, the beef is obtained from young and well-raised cattle, so premium quality is guaranteed. The beef is well-marbled, tender, moist and delicious.
Choice or good quality beef is in high demand among consumers. Beef of this grade is high-quality, but contains less fat than prime beef. Most beef produced is placed in this grade, and beef in this grade is often used for baking and steaks, especially the loins and ribs, while the hindquarters, neck and shoulders are often stewed and roasted.
Select or medium-grade and ordinary beef contains little fat and has medium quality. Largely, this is red beef that is reasonably tender, but has a rather weak flavor and is less juicy. Beef at this grade is in demand by people who enjoy only red beef or low-fat beef.
In grading beef, in addition to examining marbling, other factors have to be taken into consideration such as the age of the cattle, which impacts tenderness and toughness, along with the firmness of the flanks and firmness of the surface of the beef, color, and appropriate muscle, bone and fat ratios for each part of the carcass.
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