Why Is Marbling Important In Meat

These cuts are extremely tender and contain thin threads of fat which is known as marbling.

Why is marbling important in meat.

A well marbled steak is a truly beautiful thing and there s a reason why we re willing to pay top dollar to get it. Well we ll tell you marbling simply refers to the fat found within a cut of meat and between the muscle fibers themselves. Marbling is so named because the streaks of fat resemble a marble pattern. When beef graders yes there are people who grade beef for a living are grading beef they specifically look at amount of marbling in the ribeye muscle between the 12 th and 13 th ribs.

Important terms defined beef quality grades a quality grade is a composite evaluation of factors that affect palatability of meat tenderness juiciness and flavor. Also called intramuscular fat marbling adds flavor and is one of the main criteria for judging the quality of cuts of meat. The marbling keeps the meat moist so natural juices don t evaporate in the pan. Serious eat s guide to grilling steak says marbling is a more important quality to look.

When cooking marbling adds flavor and juiciness as the fat melts into the steak. In this post i am going to explain why both tenderness and marbling are so important when choosing a piece of meat. What exactly is marbling and why is it so desirable. Why do we want marbling.

A high quality steak will have a lot of marbling while a lean cut will have very little or no. The best steakhouses around the world serve high quality cuts of meat such as the new york strip and wagyu beef. In the culinary arts the word marbling refers to white flecks and streaks of fat within the lean sections of meat. Because marbling is so important to the positive taste and quality of beef it is one of the critical factors of beef grading scales around the world.

These factors include carcass maturity firmness texture and color of lean and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean. Because marbling is added fat between the muscle not the kind that you cut off the edge it impacts your steak s juicy flavors. Prime beef has the most marbling interspersed throughout the lean meat. The presence and type of marbling in meat is important for several reasons.

In fact the temperature at which marbling melts is not far above room temperature. Overcooking is marbling s worst nightmare since it renders all the fat out of the meat leaving. Marbling melts while the meat cooks carrying flavor throughout the meat and while keeping it tender and juicy. If you want the juiciest most flavourful steak you can cook look for plenty of fat throughout the meat.

Why is marbling important. Marbling in uncooked meat looks aesthetically interesting but that is not why it s special. When you have heavy marbling and it s the right kind of marbling you have a superior steak on.