Top Of The Table

Christopher De Voss

Jan. 15, 2002

It is good to have a general knowledge of the menu you serve, we all know that, but all the extra information you can garner will only help you make those sales even higher.

This time let's talk about beef.

You will find most menus will have a beef item, or two, or twenty. It's a very popular choice for the dinning public, and a lot of restaurants specialize in burgers, steaks, and prime rib. Here is some general information on beef in case you get a question from your guest.

People seem to have the most problem with doneness. Your guest usually orders temperatures to color as opposed to meat temperature. That is understandable, but make sure to inform then exactly how that steak or rib is going to look at medium for your restaurant. Their idea of medium and the chef's idea of medium may not be the same. Also when dealing with prime rib remember that it's slow roasted and tends to be more "red" than a grilled steak. Generally most chefs consider Medium Rare around 145F, Medium at 160F, and Well at about 170F regardless of color. Pass that along to the guests and you may have less bring backs.

Grade of beef maybe a concern for your guest also. The top three choices that most restaurants use are; Prime, Choice and Select. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for determining the grade of the beef, which is based on the animal's age and the marbling of the meat. Marbling is the amount of flecks in fat within the lean. The fat determines characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. When you get that guest who is upset over the amount of fat on their steak or prime rib, well guess what, that is what gives the steak some of it's flavor. Prime has the most marbling. It's top dollar and a high entrée selection. Choice falls between Prime and Select. Select has the least amount of marbling, making it leaner but often not as tender, and juicy.

The parts of the cow are of course divided, and that is where we get the different types of steaks. Chuck is around the shoulder of the cow. Generally this is the type of beef used in pot roasts and variations of pot roasts. Next to the shoulder is where you get your prime rib and prime rib steaks. Then next come the short loin selection, which contains the T-Bone, Porterhouse, filets, New York Strips, and various Tenderloins. Then next is the Sirloin area and the finally the butt has the Round selections. Underneath these areas is where you find the Shank and Brisket cuts, and your Flank steaks. Some quick safety tips for preparation used by restaurants that you can also use at home. Always wash your hands and cutting boards. Make sure you only defrost food in the refrigerator or in the microwave. If you use a marinate, make sure you leave it in the refrigerator. If you use a thermometer to check for doneness, check at the thickest part of the meat. Finally, keep raw and cooked foods serperated. This is just an overview, if you really want to get specific ask your chef or do some research. There are lots of charts available and the beef council has a web site at, believe it or not, beef.org.