Beef

"How a Beef is Created and Travels to a Dinner Plate"

There is much more that goes into a beef before it makes its way to a dinner plate than one may think. To get a full understanding of how a beef is created and travels to a diner’s plate requires knowledge of the both the farm and the food industry. To begin, we must start with the farm animals raising the cattle and come to the plate that the ultimate meal will be served on.

At the center of this entire process is the cow, the source of the beef. Cattle are ruminant animals that are a part of the bovidae family. While there are numerous types of cows, the two most popular for beef production worldwide is the Angus and Hereford breeds. Breeds like Angus and Hereford are particularly popular due to their superior farming qualities including disease resistance, good temperament and high fertility.

Unlike other animals such as pigs and chickens, cows are not reared in confinement, also known as factory farming. Rather, cows are typically reared outdoors with plenty of grass to graze upon. This type of farming for cattle is known as pastoral farming. In pastoral farming, the idea is to replicate a cow’s natural environment as much as possible. Cows are kept out in an open field where they are free to roam, live and feed.

The pasture that cows are kept in is especially important for the health of the cattle and the final product, meaning the beef. The pasture should be managed well in order to maintain optimal productivity and ensure the cows receive adequate nutrition. Depending on the locality, in some cases specific grasses may be planted, fertilized and grazed upon to maximize the cows’ nutrition.

When raising cows, proper nutrition is especially important since the type and quality of the grass used to feed the cows directly correlates to the taste of the beef. To further optimize the flavor of beef, cattle must be finished off with grain and hay before they are slaughtered. This combination of grain, hay and grass makes up the majority of the cattle’s diet and have a substantial impact on the taste and texture of the beef.

Once the cows’ diet is optimized, they are moved to the slaughterhouse where they are humanely done away with and the beef is divided into cuts. Following slaughter, the beef is placed in cold storage and shipped to wholesalers where it is purchased and taken back to a food processing plant.

At the food processing plant, the beef is inspected for any contaminants or defects and then sent to the meat cutting room where it is cut into specific cuts. This is done through the use of various sharp knives and cutting machines, which ensure all cuts are properly sized and proportioned. Following the cutting and sizing of all the raw beef, it is sent to the packaging room.

In the packaging room, the beef cuts are vacuum-sealed and boxed according to order requirements. Following the packaging process the boxes of cuts are loaded onto trucks and delivered to the different stores that sell beef. At the store, the vacuum-sealed packages are placed in refrigerated cases and carefully monitored to ensure adequate temperatures are maintained.

After the purchase is made, the beef is taken home and placed in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on when the beef will be used. Before the beef can be cooked and served on the dinner plate, there is still one more step. The beef must be thawed and trimmed of any excess gristle or fat, a process known as “trimming”. Once trimming is complete, the beef is ready to cook.

Cooking beef is simple and straightforward, as long as the proper instructions are followed. From pan-frying to slow roasting, there are numerous ways to cook beef; however, the method used should be determined before the cooking process begins, as different methods will yield different results.

After the cooking process is complete, the beef is ready to be served on the dinner plate. The taste and texture of the beef will be determined by a multitude of factors, including the breed of cattle, their diet, cut, aging and cooking method. With the proper procedures and conditions accounted for, the final result of a meal with beef as a star, will be a delicious and rewarding experience.

From ranch to restaurant, the journey of a beef before it reaches a diner’s plate is a long one, fraught with steps and processes unseen by eyes that lack the training and knowledge to uncover the entire chain of events. However, by understanding and appreciating each part of this chain, a diner can savor a meal like never before, knowing that the very same steak served on their plate was raised and cared for like the true masterpiece it is.