Home of Today's Common Sense

Submitted to Brownsville Herald on 4/27/2005
for Publication on May 1, 2005
By Fred Drew and Michael Fritz
What happened to the juicy, tasty and flavorful steak, I seem to remember from other places and times. It seems that unless you soak it in all manner of marinades, and cover it with sauces and flavor enhancers that make it taste like something else, eating such a steak reminds me of cardboard.
Alone one evening without anyone to regulate my fat intake, I remembered back a few years, how wonderful a thick chuck steak tasted when grilled on the barbecue, and went to the supermarket and bought a chuck roast; (the steaks were much too thin).
I cooked it to perfection, a bit on the rare side of medium rare, so it would be juicy and tasty.
Wrong! It was dry and tasted like paper! It even made the salsa taste dull.
Knowing that I could not be at fault, I dug through the trash and pulled out the label. It said Chuck ‘seven’ roast – USDA Grade Select.
Like many others, I haven’t read the labels for a long time and had no idea what “Select” meant. I only remember Grades like Prime – Choice – Good – Standard and so on. Most markets I remember only put beef marked USDA Choice in the meat cases. What happened? Is it just different here in South Texas, where beef comes from?
Thinking that I had the beginnings of an expose to rival, the use of rendered beef fat in cooking french fries by McDonalds; (They taste great and if the oil is clean and hot, I really wonder just how much fat stays in a fresh cut potato)
I determined to find all the meaty secrets.
According to the U.S.D.A. Standards for Beef, the official grading standards were revised in 1987 to change the name of “Good” to “Select”.
“Beef Facts” from The National Cattleman’s Beef Association says that this quality grading “refers to the expected eating characteristics (tenderness, juiciness and flavor) of the cooked product. They also indicate that based on studies USDA Select is the lowest grade “likely to be acceptable in eating quality for most consumers”.
Prime is expected to be the most tender and juicy, and the best tasting. This is primarily because of the amount of fat or marbling in the meat and its age. Standard would be “practically devoid of marbling”, Select would have “traces or slight” amounts, Choice would have “modest” to “moderate” amounts and Prime has “slightly abundant” marbling.
Eating habits have made fat content an issue in what we eat and certainly meat graded “Select” would have less fat than “Prime” and more desirable in that regard. Further, the cut of meat has a lot to do with the amount of fat in the meat with Loin and Rib cuts having more and as a result are more tasty than Sirloin and Round.
Armed with all this great information, I decided to see how the beef in the meat cases of comparable markets in Brownsville compared to the Newark, New Jersey area where some of the cultural eating habits are similar.
All supermarkets were visited on the same day.
The focus was on Shell Steaks, Strip Steaks, Rib Steaks, Round Steaks and roasts, and most importantly my Chuck Roast.
When Wal-Mart was visited it was noted that the meat cases contained packaged meat that was not labeled with a grade and most was labeled as “enhanced with up to 10% solution”.
At H.E.B. nearly all the meat in the cases were labeled USDA Select and none were shown to have any enhancing solution added. USDA Choice graded meat was available at the butcher area of the store on Paredes Line Rd.
When I went to Sams, I was surprised to note that there was only USDA Choice graded beef in the meat case and there was no indication of any enhancer added.
In examining the prices I noted that on average the Choice Beef in New Jersey was about the same as the price for the Select grade meat here in the valley. In comparing Choice with Choice most cuts were more expensive in the Valley than similar cuts there.
When I checked the “Livestock Marketing Information Center” for the most recent “comparison of average retail prices from nationwide supermarket scanner data” I found that the Choice Round Roast sold on average for between $3.00 – $4.06 per pound during the month, and that the Round Roast graded at less than choice $3.36 – $4.01. A choice sirloin roast sold on average $4.76 – $5.99. A sirloin steak graded less than choice sold at $4.68 – $5.21.
My survey was certainly not a complete scientific one and should not be used to make an analysis of the state of the beef market. There are many fluctuations in the prices at the markets even from day to day.
However, this anecdotal look at “Where’s the beef” does add some support to the assertion by many transplanted Texans and of many my visitors from the north that better quality meat is available in the north for less than the basic quality here in cattle country. However the prices do not seem to reflect in the higher quality, as some Select cuts are the same price on average throughout the U.S. as Choice is. As reflected above.
The look also raised some questions as to why there is an enhancing fluid in the meat at Wal-Mart, and What is the chemical; as well as why did prices not relate to quality and location. They should be lower where the beef comes from.
In order to seek some answers, I contacted the Public Affairs folks at both Wal-Mart and HEB and asked about the grades of beef in the regular meat cases, the price comparability, and the presence of enhancers in the meat.
At Wal-Mart I spoke to Kenneth Schrantz, who requested that I send my questions to him by e-mail. I did so and after more than six weeks I have not received a response.
When I contacted HEB I received a quick response and was given an appointment to speak to Lewis Swatek, a chief meat buyer for HEB. Mr. Swatek was immediately available when I called and answered my questions in a forthright and unhurried manner.
He quickly pointed out that HEB did not enhance their meat with any additives and generally described their buying and marketing methods. Mr. Swatek seemed to take pride in pointing out that they purchased much if not all of their USDA Choice and Prime beef in Texas and in particular Corpus Christi. In response to questions about grades, Mr. Swatek pointed out that it was perceived that the Valley has predominantly preferred to buy USDA Select graded beef for a number of years and that the cuts of beef that were most popular such as fajitas, brisket and the “beef shoulder ribs” (costillas cargada de res) had adequate fat to make them very tasty even though they were from a “Select” beef side. When I asked about prices, Mr. Swatek responded that they bought the beef in the national market place and only accounted for the prices based on the increased demand for specific cuts of meat. The information I have seen bears this out.
This review of “Where’s the beef?” did indicate that as was always suspected beef prices in beef country are higher than up north and the national averages for “Choice” beef. Is it because most of the large slaughter houses are there or something else, such as a demand for certain kinds of meat?
Also is there a real demand for lower graded beef in the valley because of health or some other reason; or are the demographics that are used by the markets to order beef out of date in consideration of the growth of the area; are also questions to be considered.
My answer is that I am going to Sams to buy the USDA Choice Chuck Roast and put it on the grill, and then consider this and all the other problems under the umbrella on my patio. The steak was great!

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