If you’re like me and are familiar with and attached to the traditional cuts of beef sold in American grocery stores, the Wall Street Journal ($$$) has important news for you. From a story about the beef industries attempt to adapt to the new economy:
In recent months, Cargill Inc., which owns one of the nation’s biggest meatpacking companies, has begun trying to make some low-value beef cuts sound more appetizing. Thus, a piece that butchers have long called “flap meat” is being recast as “Cordelico Sirloin,” while “ball tip” has been rechristened “Cabrosa Steak.”
I’m a fan of flap meat, but if I see something labeled “sirloin” – “Cordelico” or no – and it looks like flap meat, I’m going to be very suspicious of my butcher.
But now as consumers scour delis and supermarkets for deals, the industry is trying to spotlight cheaper muscle cuts like round and chuck that have tended to be less tender and contain more muscle fiber. The industry says new cutting techniques have made the cuts more palatable.
The new Denver Cut, a steak from the “chuck roll,” near the cow’s ribs, is currently being tested in restaurants. Another cut, Boneless Country-Style Beef Chuck Ribs, is being tested in some grocery stores.
The Journal has this nifty diagram – which I hope you poor non-subscribers can see – showing where these new cuts are coming from. I’m interested in the Denver Cut; I’ve long thought that portion of the chuck was tender enough to make a steak out of, that it was a shame such a tender piece of meat was being thrown into stews, and that a tender piece of chuck should be more flavorful than most other steaks. So yay for “new cutting techniques”! I hope it means they’re using lasers to cut my steak, as that would be cool.
Though I hope they market the “Western Griller” mostly to people who haven’t seen this diagram. “I’ll have the cow’s ass steak, please.”
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