Tips To Tell Whether Your Meat Is Quality

No matter what meat you buy and where you buy it, being able to determine its quality can help you make a better overall purchase. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what to look for. But with the right information, you can quickly turn into an expert. Read on to learn a few tips so that you can tell whether your meat is quality.

Beef

When determining the quality of beef, pay attention to these four factors: smell, color, marbling, and texture. No cut of meat will smell great raw, but some identify the smell of high-quality meat as neutral or even slightly acidic. It should never smell rotten, sour, or overwhelming. Fresh meat will be red and sometimes a deep purple in some spots. It could also be brown if vacuum packaging has deprived it of oxygen. Any other colors, such as greens or blueish greens, are indicators of spoilage. Lastly, the fat of the meat should be evenly distributed (marbled), and the texture should feel dense, not like it’s going to fall apart.

Pork

In contrast to beef, a quality cut of pork won’t have much marbled fat. While it will have some, it should only have a small amount of fat around the outside. The color of the pork should be pink or a pinkish gray. Speckled spots of blood throughout the cut can indicate the animal was stressed when killed, meaning the meat may be tougher. The pork should also be dense and firm to the touch—if it looks like it’s falling apart, it’s not a quality cut. Any sour smell, sliminess, or stickiness means the cut is far from fresh and likely rotting.

Chicken

Chicken can be a bit more complex to identify, but it still comes down to color, fat, texture, and smell. It should always be a vibrant pink rather than pale, and you should avoid cosmetic damage like skin tears or bruises. The meat should also be bouncy and plump yet firm to the touch. The distribution of fat underneath the skin should be even, and while it won’t look marbled, you should avoid large chunks of fat in concentrated areas.

With these few tips, telling whether your meat is quality should be a breeze. Luckily, at Vincent’s Meat Market, you never have to worry about quality. We’ll always send you our best, such as our prime rib roast for sale or any other USDA prime cuts you’ve been looking to get your hands on.