Beef, carcass, separable lean and fat, select, raw

This entry describes beef as it comes off the carcass at the select grade, the lean muscle together with its attached fat before it's broken down into specific cuts like ground beef, roasts, steaks or stew meat. Because select grade carries less marbling than choice or prime, cuts from it tend to be leaner and benefit from moist-heat cooking methods like braising, stewing or slow roasting, which help keep the meat tender despite the lower fat content within the muscle itself. Cuts from this grade are also commonly ground for everyday ground beef, or cubed for stew meat and pot roasts that cook low and slow until the connective tissue breaks down.

Raw beef should be kept refrigerated and used within a few days, or wrapped tightly and frozen for longer storage, keeping raw meat separate from other foods to avoid cross-contact. Per 100 grams this beef delivers 278 calories, 17.5 grams of protein at 35% of the Daily Value, and 10% of the Daily Value for iron, so it's a solid base for a protein-centered dinner such as a pot roast, stew or ground beef dish where the fat renders out and flavors the rest of the meal. Trimming visible fat before cooking, or skimming it from the pan afterward, lets a cook adjust richness to taste.