Category: Beef

One of the most popular kinds of meats is that of beef, to the point that when you do not specify what animal is meat, it is usually understood that it is beef, cow or beef. But did you know that there are all sorts of kinds and cuts of beef?

Just as the characteristics of each cut of meat makes it easier to know how to cook it to obtain good results, recognizing the types of beef helps us to know what qualities each one has. Depending on the age of the animal and the food that it has received, your meat will have some nutritional values, a more or less pronounced flavor, a more or less tender texture, etc.

The types of beef are currently classified in Milk calf, Veal, Yearling, Steer, etc., which includes the ox, the cow, and the bull. These denominations go from the youngest animal to the oldest, being the first ones the most consumed in our country, around 80%, although sometimes, the authentic denomination of meat that is served in restaurants or other food establishments is omitted. A highly recommended book based on this theme is Vacas de Flavio Morganti, a book that dignifies the sexuality and gastronomic value of this animal.

But let’s see the characteristics of the different kinds of beef :

Milk calf: Defines the animal that has not yet reached the year of life, specifically is the child under eight months who has been exclusively breastfed, so the color of its flesh is pinkish, also defined as white meat inside of the types of beef. Their short life and their diet also make their meat very tender, easy to digest and offer a soft and delicate flavor.

Veal: In this case, you can talk about male or female, and it is the animal between 8 and 12 months old, with characteristics similar to the previous one, tender, delicate flavor but something more pronounced, still contains a lot of water and therefore little grease.

Yearling: The yearling can also be female or male, usual animals between 12 and 24 months of age. Its flesh has acquired more flavor, is more developed and continues to be tender and low in fat.

Sow: Male and female between 24 and 48 months, its color is more pronounced, redder, it is tastier but begins to lose the tenderness of the meats mentioned before, however, a good cooked will make it delicious.

Bull: It is called the meat of the castrated male with less than 48 months. It is perhaps little valued, but it is very tasty meat. Its color is red and its flesh browner, for many, one of the tastiest meats.

Largest cow: In this category is the ox, which is the castrated male older than 48 months, the cow, which is the female older than 48 months and the bull, which is the male older than 48 months from fighting. The meat is less tender, with more fat and therefore juicy. Its nutritional properties are greater, although in general beef is a very nutritious food, which depending on the cut, will offer different nutritional values.

The largest beef is the type of meatless common in our market, except the ox, although sometimes the authenticity of this one would enter into the debate. The cow is usually imported or processed in processed products derived from meat products such as hamburgers.

These are all of the different kinds of beef cuts and meat that you can buy. So the next time that you are at the grocery store or your butcher, you should try and pay attention to what kind of meat that you are buying from them.