Beef Meat Marbling

Marbling is the fine flecks of fat that appear within the muscles of beef and lamb also referred to as intramuscular fat.

Beef meat marbling.

An inferior form of marbling it features larger less evenly distributed flecks of fat which can negatively affect the cooking and eating experiences. The fat makes the meat softer and easier to chew as there is simply less muscle fibre and collagen per unit volume of meat. The highest usually given is 12 while certified wagyu beef must have a minimum marble score of 3. In the world of meat especially when it comes to steaks the grade of beef refers to the marbling found within a specific cut or cow.

It sometimes looks like fine white lines running through your steak. Each msa marbling score is divided. Marbling is what gives good beef its desirable silky texture. In the restaurant world the most desirable types like kobe and wagyu beef have a high frequency and even distribution of fine marbling.

Marbling is the last fat to be deposited and hence is the first fat to be used by the animal as an energy store. The exposed rib eye is the assessment site used by the msa accredited grader for marbling ph rib fat and meat colour measurement. It is deposited unevenly throughout the body and is most present in the forequarter cuts. In other words the grade of beef refers to the amount of intramuscular fat for any particular cut of steak.

What is beef marbling. Beef marbling is the small flecks of fat interspersed within beef between the muscle fibers. You ve likely seen it in a raw steak before. It is said that to get a marbling score of 15 is extraordinary.

Morris deputy administrator of the ams livestock poultry and seed. I know you may be thinking that fat is bad and you want a lean steak not fatty. I completely understand that but please remember three things. With a bit of beef knowledge you can avoid that problem and be the king or queen of the barbeque.

Because marbling is so important to the positive taste and quality of beef it is one of the critical factors of beef grading scales around the world. In fact the temperature at which marbling melts is not far above room temperature. Marbling melts while the meat cooks carrying flavor throughout the meat and while keeping it tender and juicy. Marbling is assessed from the 5th to 13th rib on the carcase.

The presence of marbling has an extremely positive effect on the eating quality of beef in terms of tenderness juiciness moisture and flavour. Beef up your knowledge. The lean muscle has a high frequency of thin evenly distributed flecks of fat. Meat marbling 101 with so many choices available at your store and meat counter choosing the best cut of meat for your dish can be overwhelming.

Usda s agricultural marketing service ams employs 200 highly skilled beef graders who sometimes with the help of electronic monitoring evaluate several factors that determine the grade including the amount and distribution of marbling. These fine flecks melt during cooking adding juiciness and tenderness throughout the meat.