FAQ

The Certified Angus Beef brand ensures incredibly flavorful, tender, and juicy beef due to the high amounts of marbling in every cut. Only the best of the Choice and Prime grades is considered for their premium, label. Then beef must pass the brands 10 science-based specifications for quality. But it’s not up to them to decide whether beef makes the cut: that’s the job of independent, unbiased U.S. Department of Agriculture graders. Only truly exceptional Angus beef earns the distinctive Certified Angus Beef brand label.

1. Modest or higher marbling – for the taste that ensures customer satisfaction

2. Medium or fine marbling texture – the white "flecks of flavor" in the beef that ensure consistent flavor and juiciness in every bite

Maturity

3. Only “A” maturity is accepted, the youngest classification for beef – ensures superior color, texture and tenderness

Consistent Sizing

Three specifications ensure thicker steaks and consistent plate presentations for each customer:

4. 10- to 16-square-inch ribeye area*

5. 1,100-pound hot carcass weight or less

6. 1-inch or less fat thickness

*Up to 19 square inches for ribeye area is acceptable for tenderloin, brisket, thin meat, chuck and round cuts at approved plants. Rib, ribeye, strip loin and short loin are excluded from this option.

Quality Appearance and Tenderness

Four specifications ensure quality appearance and tenderness for each customer:

7. Superior muscling limits light-muscled cattle

8. Practically free of capillary rupture ensures quality appearance

9. No dark cutters ensures consistent appearance and flavor

10. No neck hump exceeding 2 inches safeguards against Brahman cattle-influence which have more variation in tenderness

All beef is inspected for wholesomeness by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)* and is graded for quality and consistency. You’ve heard of Prime, Choice, and Select grades – and Prime tops the grading scale. Marbling plays a big role in quality grades.

We source as much of our meat locally as possible, however, we do look to other countries to ensure that we're sourcing the best products available, such as Wagyu Beef from Japan.

Of course, most of our cuts of meat can be prepared in a large pan, preferably a cast-iron skillet, on high heat. The trick is to season meat appropriately and use the right temperature to achieve that nice crusty sear on the outside.

Ask the experts… your neighborhood Butcher behind the counter! Tell them what you are looking for, explain your budget, your preferences, and the quantity you are feeding, so they can serve you the best steak possible based on your criteria.

Wagyu is simply any of the original breeds of Japanese or Australian cattle. Meat cut from these animals is known for its intense marbling, high quality, and rich flavor. Kobe beef is a very particular strain of Wagyu called Tajima-Gyu that is raised to strict standards in the Hyogo Prefecture. Kobe is the capital city of Hyogo, thus the name.

Grass-fed and corn-fed refer to the type of food that an animal eats in its lifetime. Generally, an animal that only eats grass is not going to develop as high of a grade as an animal that eats a fattier diet. A very lean diet without corn, grain, or wheat will result in a lower grade and very lean meat, which is often not as flavorful. Corn, barley, wheat, and grains tend to be higher in carbohydrates, and as a result, a healthy animal will bulk up and provide more flavorful meat. It’s important to remember that feed is only part of an animal’s upbringing and that farmers typically feed their animals what is most readily available given the seasons.

The recognizable red color of steak is a result of the amount of blood remaining in the cut. If you receive a steak from The Salty Butcher that isn’t as red as you expected, it’s likely that the blood hasn’t come to the surface yet.

Beef grading is a classification system that assesses the various characteristics of an animal to determine the quality (see Certified Angus Beef explanation). Early in the process of breaking down cattle, government graders give that animal a grade based on metrics including marbling, which indicates better flavor, age, size, and the shape of each of the muscles, and the amount of fat that covers the muscle. The highest grade is Prime followed by Choice and Select.

How soon do I need to cook my meat? Can I freeze it?

The majority of orders are cut fresh to order, so we recommend that you cook and consume, or freeze, your meat within five days of receiving it (or within three days, for chicken). Most proteins can be kept frozen for up to a year.