We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Food

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is USDA Prime?

By Brendan McGuigan
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 18,837
Share

USDA Prime is a grade of beef, as graded in the United States. It is considered the highest grade of domestic beef by the USDA scale, and as such tends to be the most expensive. Beef grade is only one way to label beef, and in recent years there has been a shift from labels such as USDA Prime to labels that designate a particular breed of cattle, a particular style of raising, or a particular locale where the cattle was raised.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) doesn’t require that any meat manufacturers have their beef graded for labeling. It is an entirely voluntary system, and as such tends to only be undertaken in cases where the meat will likely rate fairly high on the scale. Producers who choose to have their meat graded pay for a certified grader to come in and grade entire carcasses, which are then tagged according to their grade. The company can then label the graded meat in a number of ways, including stamping directly on the cuts, a USDA shield, or a label on the container or package itself.

There are eight different grades of meat in the USDA system, with USDA Prime being the highest. They are graded on two different metrics: the maturity of the cattle at slaughter, and the amount of marbling in the meat. Some people have critiqued this system, as it does not actually directly measure the tenderness of the meat, although both of these metrics are generally factors in tenderness. Some groups have suggested an alternative grading that directly measures meat tenderness. Nonetheless, the USDA system is widely appreciated, and similar systems exist in most major beef producing nations.

The USDA Prime carcasses have the absolute highest amount of marbling, or intramuscular fat, of all the carcasses in the United States, and are generally considered to be the best of the best. Directly below USDA Prime is USDA Choice, which is considered a very high quality. Below that is USDA Select, which was previously known as USDA Good, and this type of carcass tends to be fairly lean, and therefore less tender than both USDA Choice and USDA Prime.

Below USDA Select comes USDA Standard, then USDA Commercial, then USDA Utility, Cutter, and Canner. Little of these lower grades actually makes its way into food service, with USDA Select being the most commonly used type of affordable beef. USDA Standard may be used in massive, low-grade kitchens, and USDA Commercial may be used in extremely cheap operations, but the three bottom grades are usually only seen in heavily processed products, never as actual cuts of meat.

The system is fairly exacting, and only around 2% of all carcasses fall into the USDA Prime grade. Because of the cost associated with grading, few carcasses that would fall below USDA Select are ever actually graded, and even USDA Select may often just remain unlabeled. Although USDA Prime continues to have a great deal of name recognition and strength, and many cuts served in gourmet restaurants or nice hotels may be labeled as such, it is beginning to be supplanted by luxury beefs designated by raising style or breed, such as Black Angus or Kobe beef.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-usda-prime.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.