Post by BBQ Butcher on Feb 2, 2007 19:36:58 GMT -5
Question on Beef color...
The 'ideal' color for a steak is a bright cherry red.
However, due to various conditions and factors, it's tough to find one like that. When steak is first cut, it's sorta pinkish and bland looking. Once it's been exposed to the air for awhile, it more or less "blooms". All that means is that the oxygen is getting to the meat and the blood is rising towards the surface, giving it a somewhat different shade of color. Now, how long the steak stays in the meat case is another factor....the longer is stays in the light, more color changes appear, usually darker red until it starts to turn grayish or brown. Also, a bloody steak in the meat case can mean one of three things..1) it's been there awhile (few days) 2) there is no pad under the meat to soak up the blood and 3) there may be a refrigeration problem.
The grade of meat also determines color. A lower grade of Choice and Select will be dark red (or even brownish red) with no marbling. A higher grade of Choice and Prime grades will be a tad lighter..hopefully the 'bright cherry red' with a good amount of marbling.
Don't forget...most of the steaks from the Round (Top Round, Bottom Round, Eye Round, Sirloin Tip, etc) will have less marbling than their counterparts from the Loin and Chuck.
Hope this answers your question?
Hi, I’m confused. In terms of the color of raw steak, should I be choosing a pink one, or a deep red and bloody one? I figured out the answers about marbling, but I’m still not sure about the color.
The 'ideal' color for a steak is a bright cherry red.
However, due to various conditions and factors, it's tough to find one like that. When steak is first cut, it's sorta pinkish and bland looking. Once it's been exposed to the air for awhile, it more or less "blooms". All that means is that the oxygen is getting to the meat and the blood is rising towards the surface, giving it a somewhat different shade of color. Now, how long the steak stays in the meat case is another factor....the longer is stays in the light, more color changes appear, usually darker red until it starts to turn grayish or brown. Also, a bloody steak in the meat case can mean one of three things..1) it's been there awhile (few days) 2) there is no pad under the meat to soak up the blood and 3) there may be a refrigeration problem.
The grade of meat also determines color. A lower grade of Choice and Select will be dark red (or even brownish red) with no marbling. A higher grade of Choice and Prime grades will be a tad lighter..hopefully the 'bright cherry red' with a good amount of marbling.
Don't forget...most of the steaks from the Round (Top Round, Bottom Round, Eye Round, Sirloin Tip, etc) will have less marbling than their counterparts from the Loin and Chuck.
Hope this answers your question?