Growing up on a hog farm, I never had to worry about picking out meat from the grocery store. Step over to one of our three deep freezers, and there was always pork or beef to choose from. But in college, I didn’t always have time to go home and raid my parents’ freezer for meat. And so, I was faced with the daunting task of buying meat from the grocery store.

Thankfully, I was on the 2022 meat judging team at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, so I had the training to know what makes a great steak.

Not everyone has had the chance to be on a meat judging team for a year to learn more about what goes into picking out the perfect steak. So let me help you identify what makes a good cut of meat and how certain cuts should be prepared.

3 aspects of quality

In assessing the quality of a piece of meat, a big misconception is that it all depends on the cut’s marbling. Actually, three components together make for a high-quality piece of meat:

Marbling. This is the amount of fat or flecks of fat within the lean. This is what enhances both the flavor and juiciness of a steak. 

Color. When talking about the color of beef, consumers should make sure that the beef is a bright cherry-red. Most of the time you will see that bright cherry-red color. But if you see a lighter-red color, there is a chance it will dry out faster when cooked. This is because of its lower water-holding capacity.

GROCERY WARRIOR: Keep beef quality in mind when going to the grocery store. Understanding how to identify key aspects of the cut of beef can better the experience when cooking and enjoying that next steak.

If the meat has a dark color, it will still retain moisture after cooking. In the meat science world, we would call these “dark cutters” — because the meat is dark, firm and dry. Cattle will exhibit DFD if they are under a lot of stress premortem.

Because of this, it will not be the same eating experience you would expect of a bright cherry-red steak.

There is one exception. If you are looking in the fresh-meat retail case in a grocery store and find a small amount of brown on the lean, you may be able to get a discount on this otherwise perfectly good steak.

When the meat is exposed to oxygen, as in the fresh-meat case, the meat will start to oxidize and turn a brown color. There is nothing wrong with the meat, and this is a good way to cut a deal with the butchers.

Texture. The texture of the lean itself can also tell you a lot about the quality of the steak. The finer the texture of the lean, the more tender the meat will be.

In short, when looking for the highest quality steak, it is important to look at the marbling, the color and the texture of the steak to make sure that the beef is of a high quality.

CHOOSE CORRECTLY: When choosing your steak, be sure to look for not only marbling, but also color and texture.

Cuts and all things cooking

Unless you are following a recipe, it can be a challenge to decide what cut of meat to use and how to prepare it. Follow these tips:

Low and slow. The rule of thumb I learned in my meat science classes was that if the cut of meat comes from an area of locomotion for the animal, like the round or the chuck, you cook it low and slow.

The locomotion cuts would include roasts, which are better to cook at a low temperature over the course of hours in a crockpot, for instance.

High and fast. If you think about muscles not used intensively for locomotion, like the loin, cooking quickly at a high temperature is appropriate. The most famous of these is the ribeye, or any kind of steak you would prepare.

If you are in a pinch and don’t have a grill available to use — like I don’t living in an apartment — there are other ways you can reach a high temperature and still cook it correctly. Searing the steak on the stovetop works well. If I have a steak that’s cut thinly, I have even used my air fryer to cook it.

GRILL IT RIGHT: When cooking meat from a muscle not used by the animal for locomotion, such as a steak, cook it quickly on a high temperature. But with a cut of muscle used for locomotion, such as a roast, cook it low and slow.

Do not get me wrong: There is nothing better than a steak on the grill. But in a worst-case scenario, get creative. Just remember the steak needs to be cooked at a high temperature in a short time frame.

Keep these points in mind when heading to the grocery store to pick out your perfect steak. I am sure that you can impress your houseguests with this new knowledge of meat.