New Cuts Provide Affordable Grilling Alternatives
US - As we wind our way through summer and into fall tailgating season, family life often centers around the family grill, writes Ryan Cox, a meats specialist with University of Minnesota Extension. The financial challenge of fulfilling the protein portion of the plate, coupled with increased focus on high quality food, creates a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of the innovative strides made by beef researchers.
4 August 2010
2 minute read
Of most noted success is the flatiron steak. This highly marbled cut has been shown to be very tender and suited to grilling. Data from the Beef Innovations Group, a part of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association aiming to help the industry increase the value and demand for beef, confirms this. Sales of the flatiron cut increased by 96 per cent to an estimated 92 million pounds for a one-year span ending in August of 2006. Additionally, it was estimated that the number of retailers offering such value cuts increased nine-fold in the same time period.
Flavourful and tender cuts, taken from portions of beef previously viewed as roasts, provide the opportunity for processors to offer the consumer a lower priced, convenient steak while maintaining a tenderness and quality similar to the middle meats. The flatiron steak, the petite tender chuck eye steak, the Denver cut and the ranch steak are dynamic ways to cut and shape the beef chuck. The sirloin tip side steak, the western griller and the western tip are novel approaches to the beef round. Additionally, these cuts are typically smaller in portion and more likely to be consumed more frequently than larger loin cuts.
The Beef Checkoff, funded by a per-head assessment on beef animal sales, has recently begun to provide the Beef Alternative Merchandising programme (BAM). This alternative approach to merchandising of beef middle meats may provide the consumer with an alternative to the larger portioned steaks. This approach considers individual muscles for market as smaller portioned steaks and provides for variety in retail steak offerings.
