Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 53 



much fat? 3. How does he want these two substances arranged with 

 regard to each other? 



These questions bring up the demands of consumers of meats, for 

 the butcher is guided by what the consumer of beef wants and will 

 pay for. You and I are consumers of meat, and what we Hke, or dis- 

 Hke, together with the size of our pocketbook, guides the butcher who 

 buys our cattle. Now what do we want? We want meat that is (1) 

 nutritious, (2) tender, (3) juicy, (4) of good flavor, (5) attractive in 

 appearance, and (6) moderate in amount of outside fat. Provided 

 beef is well ripened in the cooler and well cooked, there is not much 

 variation in its nutritive or food value. The tenderness depends upon 

 the work the muscle has done and upon the amount of marbling it 

 carries. Meat free from fat shrivels and drys up when roasted, be- 

 coming dry and tough. Ageing or ripening in the cooler helps to make 

 meat tender. Juiciness results from the presence of fat and manner of 

 cooking. The flavor depends mostly upon fatness and upon proper 

 ripening of the carcass. The cuts of beef which are most attractive in 

 appearance are those with bright, rich, red lean, snow-white fat, and a 

 high degree of marbling. The consumer desires a maximum of lean 

 meat well marbled, and a minimum of bone and outside fat in the cuts 

 of beef. FoUpwing is a discussion of the qualifications of a high-class 

 carcass: \/ l-^^-"] /^ ji- '-^" 



1. Weight of carcass. — The heaviest carcasses seldom exceed 

 1,050 pounds, and the minimum is about 250 pounds. ^ No definite 

 line as to weight can be drawn between carcasses of beef and veal, 

 because many factors determine the character of the flesh. The 

 greatest demand is for carcasses from 1,100- to 1,300-pound steers, and 

 most of the cattle coming to market are of about these weights. Such 

 carcasses yield retail cuts of a size to suit the average family. There 

 is also a demand for heavy carcasses to supply hotels, restaurants, and 

 dining cars, which use large cuts. 



2. Shape of carcass. — The ideal carcass of beef is compact, plump, 

 ,and has good width in proportion to length, short shanks and neck, 

 and full rounds, loins, and ribs. Such a carcass is more thickly fleshed 

 and is usually better finished in all cuts than one that is long, narrow, 

 and loosely coupled. 



3. Thickness of fleshing. — There is a clear distinction between 

 thickness due to fatness and thickness due to muscular flesh. Only 

 the knife can completely reveal the thickness of a side and the relative 

 thickness of fat and lean ; even expert dealers are often mistaken as to 

 the actual thickness of flesh in an uncut side. 



iFor many of the specifications included in this chapter the writer is indebted 

 to Illinois Bulletin 147, Market Classes and Grades of Meat, by Louis D. Hall. 



