Labels on-pack help Canadians select the perfect cut of beef

Always full of flavor, Canadian beef has loads of culinary opportunities. Beef cuts each have distinct and unique characteristics so they can be used for different types of meals. Do you want to cook low and slow for a fork tender stew or grill quickly for a tender steak-house experience? For either meal, you'll need a different cut of beef for the job.

“Blade Steak is perfect for a stew” for example, “but if it is grilled like a Rib Steak you'll be disappointed – to say the least” explains Joyce Parslow, home economist with Canada Beef. “Buying the right cut and cooking it right is the key”.

To simplify buying and cooking beef, many savvy grocers have adopted a naming system that helps. They group beef cuts into basic Cooking Categories. The Cooking Category phrase is incorporated right into the name of the beef.

Check it out next time you're at the meat counter. Like most people's names, beef cuts are given a first, middle and last name: The first name designates the cut of beef such as a Strip Loin or Inside Round. The second name designates the Cooking Category – the ideal cooking method for the cut. The last name refers to cut shape such as a steak or roast. For example, a Strip Loin Steak would bear the name: Strip Loin Grilling Steak.

Dan Ferguson is a Canadian cattle farmer happy about Canadian beef's labeling system at grocery stores. “It's a helpful way for consumers to select the perfect cut of meat,” explains Dan.

It also helps consumers understand they can interchange cuts of meat within a suggested Cooking Category and still get great results. So if your favourite Rib Eye Grilling Steak is not available, you can switch over to another Grilling Steak like Strip Loin Grilling Steak.

Name-calling takes on a whole new light when it comes down to shopping for beef.

For more information visit www.beefinfo.org

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