USDA Choice is the second highest graded beef. It has less fat marbling than Prime. Choice is a quality steak particularly if it is a cut that is derived from the loin and rib areas of the beef such as a tenderloin filet or rib steak.
100% USDA Inspected
Meat that gets retailed has been processed at a USDA inspected facility by certified USDA inspectors.
100% corn-fed beef
Cattle in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are typically fed corn, soy and other types of feed that can include "by-product feedstuff". As a high-starch, high-energy food, corn decreases the time to fatten cattle and increases yield from dairy cattle. These cattle are called corn-fed.
100% grass-fed all natural cheese
Cheese that is certified 100% natural cheese that comes from cows raised naturally on an entirely grass-fed diet, which makes all the difference in the world in fighting and preventing illness, increasing your energy, and prolonging your life because the cheese is high in the healthy omega-3 fats so severely lacking in most people's diets.
80% beef trim
The traditional hamburger sold for retail by most grocery stores and supermarkets.
85% lean ground beef
Ground beef made from the leaner cuts of chuck and rump roasts for a healthier dish.
Cheese that has ripened for weeks, months, or even years. The aging process reduces the moisture content, hardens the cheese, and develops its flavor.
All-Natural or Natural foods
Typically refers to foods that are minimally processed and do not contain any hormones, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, food colors, or flavorings.
Is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef; which is finely chopped meat and/or sausage, seasoned with a special blend of spices with the addition of home-cured and smoked bacon and cheddar cheese.
Beef Grades
The grades are based on two main criteria: the degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef, and the maturity (estimated age of the animal at slaughter).
U.S. Prime
Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. The fat in Prime beef is also distributed evenly (also known as "marbling"). Prime typically has a higher fat content than Choice.
U.S. Choice
High quality, widely available in foodservice industry and retail markets. The difference between Choice and Prime is largely due to the fat content in the beef.
U.S. Select (formerly Good)
Lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality but less juicy and tender due to leanness.
Beef Jerky
Dried, salted, smoked beef
Beef Rump roast
Cut from the bottom round. When the bone is left in, it is called a standing rump roast.
Beef Stew Meat (soups)
Beef for stew may be cut from chuck, brisket, rib, or plate. It usually consists of meaty pieces, cut into one-inch or two-inch squares and containing various amounts of fat. Beef for stew is usually prepared by braising or by cooking in liquid.
Beef Sticks
Beef Sticks are made from beef trim and seasoned with a mild spicy blend of pepperoni seasonings. Stuffed into a 3/8 inch casing and hickory smoked for a wonderful treat.
Beef aging
The aging of beef is normally thought of as the time, in days, from slaughter until the carcass is broken down into retail cuts.
Beef flat bottom rounds
The largest muscle running through the rump of the beef, traditionally used for cutting rump roasts and minute steaks.
Beef juiciness
How flavorful and juicy meat is
Beef muscle meat cuts
Beef muscle meat can be cut into steak, roasts or short ribs. Some cuts are processed (corned beef or beef jerky), and trimmings, usually mixed with meat from older, leaner cattle, are ground, minced or used in sausages.
Beef ring bologna
An all beef version, it is usually more of a red color than its mixed-meat counterpart and tied into a ring shape.
Beef stock
Cattle kept or raised on a farm or ranch.
Beef tenderization
Make (meat) more tender by beating or slow cooking.
Beef tenderness
Tough meat will be real chewy and difficult to eat where a piece of Tenderloin will be almost like butter sometimes. You can break it apart by just pulling it with a fork as opposed to cutting with a knife.
Beer Cooked Brats
Is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef; which is finely chopped meat and/or sausage with the addition of beer.
Bologna
Constitutionally much the same as hot dogs, although larger and sliced.
Boneless Pork Butterfly Chops
Pork loin butterfly chops are a double chop, about two inches thick, which comes from the boneless loin eye muscle. It is sliced in half to form two sides resembling a butterfly. Butterfly chops are usually prepared by braising, broiling, grilling, pan-broiling, or pan-frying.
Boneless Pork loin roast
A roast cut from the loin, or back of a pig; which is most often netted to prevent the roast from falling apart, and usually weighs around 3-4 pounds.
Bovines
Of or pertaining to the subfamily Bovinae, which includes cattle, buffalo, and kudus; oxlike; cowlike.
Bratwurst
Is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef; which is finely chopped meat and/or sausage.
Breakfast links
Breakfast sausage is not cured or smoked. It is essentially highly seasoned ground meat, so it does not keep and should be stored and handled appropriately. Breakfast sausage also comes in links of various lengths and diameters.
Breakfast sausage
Is a type of fresh pork sausage usually served at breakfast.
Brine cured
Wet-curing is mostly commonly used for pork that is going to be used for making hams, but it does also make pretty good bacon. It involves immersing the raw meat in a brine solution for a number of days at a low temperature.
Brisket
Is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest; the cut overlies the sternum, ribs and connecting costal cartilages.
Brown sugar
A mixture of white sugar and molasses that comes in light or dark color.
Butcher
A person who prepares and cuts meat in preparation for sale. Local grocers and meat markets employ butchers. Before preparing beef jerky, consider consulting a butcher to help you select the best cut of meat for your recipe.
Are spices that are spicy and hot, but have great flavor.
Canning meat
Beef cut one inch by one inch squares, generally cut from either the chuck or rump roast.
Casing
The material that contains and encloses the filling of a sausage.
Cattle
Any of various chiefly domesticated mammals of the genus Bos, including cows, steers, bulls, and oxen, often raised for meat and dairy products.
Certified Angus beef
Implies that the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Agriculture Marketing Service have officially evaluated a meat product for class, grade, or other quality characteristics (e.g., "Certified Angus Beef").
Cheddar Cheese
The most widely purchased and eaten cheese in the world. Fully cured Cheddar is a hard, natural cheese. Normally, the color of Cheddar ranges from white to pale yellow. Some Cheddars, however, have a color added, giving the cheese a yellow-orange color. Cheddar is always made from cow's milk and has a slightly crumbly texture if properly cured. Cheddar gets a sharper taste the longer it matures. It is generally matured between 9 and 24 months.
Cheddar sharpness
Aging is the only difference between mild and sharp cheddar. The longer cheese is aged naturally, the sharper and more pronounced the cheddar flavor becomes.
Chorizo
Chorizo can be a fresh sausage, in which case it must be cooked, but in Europe it is more frequently a fermented cured smoked sausage, in which case it is usually sliced and eaten without cooking. Chorizo can be eaten as is (sliced or in a sandwich), barbecued, fried, or simmered in apple cider or other strong alcoholic beverage such as Aguardiente. It also can be used as a partial replacement for ground beef or pork.
Chuck
The cut of beef between the neck and the shoulder blade.
Colby Jack
A cheese produced from a mixture of Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses. It is generally sold in a full-moon or a half-moon shape when it is still young and mild in flavor.[1] The cheese has a semi-hard texture. The flavor of Colby-Jack is mild to mellow.[2] The cheese is high in calcium and high in saturated fat.
Cooking beef
Grilling
Is cooking the beef over or under a high radiant heat source, generally in excess of 650 °F (343 °C). This leads to searing of the surface of the beef, which creates a flavorful crust.
Broiling
Is similar to grilling, but specifically with the heat source above the meat.
Roasting
Is a way of cooking meat in a hot oven, producing roast beef. Liquid is not usually added; the beef may be basted by fat on the top, or by spooning hot fat from the oven pan over the top. Gravy may be made from the cooking juices, after skimming off excess fat.
Stirfrying
Is a typically Chinese and Asian way of cooking. Cooking oil with flavorings such as garlic, ginger and onions are put in a very hot wok. Then slices of meat are added, followed by ingredients which cook quicker: mixed vegetables, etc.
Corned Beef
A cut of beef cured or pickled in a seasoned brine. The corn in corned beef refers to the grains of coarse salts (known as corns) used to cure it.
Cured Pork Ham Steaks
A steak cut from a cured ham after being smoked and cured, normally with bone-in and outer fat left on.
Cured or smoked beef
Is a method of preparing red meat, to preserve these protein-rich foods, which would otherwise spoil quickly, for long periods.
The process of thawing frozen meat by increasing its temperature. Meat needs to be defrosted, but not cooked prior to dehydrating it for jerky. Never defrost frozen game on the counter. Instead, use water, the microwave or the refrigerator.
Dehydrating
The method used to preserve meat, which creates jerky.
Dill Cheese
Cheese with the unique flavor of wild dill
Dill flavor
The taste of dill leaves resembles that of caraway, while the seeds are pungent and aromatic. Freshly cut, chopped leaves enhance the flavor of dips, herb butter, soups, salads, fish dishes, and salads.
Dry Rub
Technique for spicing meat in cooking
Dry spices
A dried seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavour, colour, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth.
Meat, in terms of jerky products, that is not beef or turkey. Ostrich, buffalo, and even venison are considered exotic. Keep in mind, however, that exotic is not the same as wild game.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (F.S.I.S) is the public health agency of the U.S Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe to consume and accurately labeled. Any food containing more than 6-7% meat product goes through this agency's inspection process.
Farm-raised
Animals raised for sale and/or consumption under state regulations are usually farm-raised. Exotic animals can also be farm-raised.
Farmer's Cheese
A type of soft white cheese which is made all over the world. Goats, sheep, and cattle all provide milk for farmer cheese.
Feedlot
A Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), which primarily functions as finishing livestock before slaughter. Prior to entering a feedlot, cattle spend most of their life grazing on rangeland or green wheat pasture. Once at the feedlot, cattle are fed a specialized diet made up of hay, corn, sorghum, various other grains and by-products of food processing in order to create desirable fat in the cow. This fat, in turn, results in the "juiciness" of the meat. Because these lots may contain thousands of animals in various pens, most feedlots require a governmental permit to begin operations.
Fillet Mignon Steak
Is a steak cut of beef taken from the tenderloin of the steer or heifer; If the small forward end of the tenderloin is cut into portions before cooking, that portion is known as filet mignon, or the fillet, from the French boneless meat (mignon meaning "small" as true mignons are cut from the smaller tail end of the tenderloin). The fillet is the most tender cut of beef, and is the most expensive.
Flank
A cut of meat from the belly muscles of the cow. It is generally long and flat, but remains tougher than the loin and rib steak cuts of meat. Because it is tougher, many flank recipes use tenderizing marinades or moist cooking methods to soften the meat. Flank is considered one of the more economical cuts of beef.
Food Preservation
The process of treating food in a way that preserves its edibility and nutrition value for a longer time period than expected. Food preservation will stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent food borne illnesses.
Fresh side pork
Fresh side pork is the same cut as slab bacon but it is fresh. It is taken from the section of side that remains after the loin and spareribs are removed. The layered lean from fat is generally used as a seasoning. Fresh side pork is usually prepared by cooking in liquid.
The pungent flavor of garlic is caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when the garlic cells are broken. The flavor is most intense shortly after cutting or chopping. This chemical reaction cannot occur after garlic is cooked, which is why roasted garlic is sweet rather than pungent.
Garlic granules
A dried form of garlic that has been ground into granules rather than powder. Granulated garlic can be used much the same as garlic powder, but has about half the flavoring power as the same measure of garlic powder and like powder, the granules lack in providing the garlic texture of a fresh garlic.
Garlic seasoned bratwurst
Is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef; which is finely chopped meat and/or sausage with the addition of both garlic granules and minced garlic.
Grain-fed
Refers to the feeding method of a particular animal. Cattle fattened in feedlots are generally grain-fed.
Grass-fed
Refers to the feeding method of a particular animal. Grass-fed is also referred to as pasture-fed. Unless they are being transported to a feedlot, beef cattle are primarily grass-fed.
Green Onion Bratwurst
Is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef; which is finely chopped meat and/or sausage with the addition of Green and white onions.
Grilling
A form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below.
Grilling meat
Is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below. Food to be grilled is cooked on a grill (an open wire grid with a heat source above or below), a grill pan (similar to a frying pan, but with raised ridges to mimic the wires of an open grill), or griddle (a flat plate heated from below).
Ground Pork
Ground pork is unseasoned and ground from wholesale cuts that are generally in limited demand. It is also made from lean trimmings and sold in bulk form.
Ground beef
Ground beef is made generally from lean meat and trimmings from round, chuck, loin, flank, neck, or shank. It is ground mechanically and usually sold according to percentage of lean relative to fat. Ground beef is usually prepared by broiling, pan-broiling, pan-frying, roasting, or baking.
Is a ground meat product, made of beef finely chopped by a meat grinder; or is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat, (usually beef, but occasionally pork, turkey, or a combination of meats) placed in an open, wheat bun or between two slices of bread.
Hand cut
Meat that is cut by hand.
Heifers
A young cow over one year old that has not produced a calf.
Hickory smoked
The tradition of smoking with a hickory wood or wood chips for the ‘Old west days' taste.
Home-cured
The time honored tradition passed down from one generation to the next for curing and smoking pork and beef products.
Horseradish Cheese
Horseradish cheese uses horseradish as its main ingredient. Horseradish cheese can be formed, as in a block of cheese or a softer log used for hors d'oeuvres. Horseradish is known to have some health benefits. It has been used to treat bronchitis, sinus problems and urinary tract infections. It is said that the compounds found in horseradish kill certain bacterial strains. It is higher in vitamin C than oranges or lemons. It stimulates the gastric system and, when infused with wine and because of its diuretic properties, causes you to sweat, sweating out any impurities.
Hot Dogs
A moist sausage of soft, even texture and flavor, often made from advanced meat recovery or meat slurry. Most types are fully cooked, cured or smoked.
Is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef; which is finely chopped meat and/or sausage, but with the added mixture of ground and whole jalapeno's and Pepper Jack cheese.
Jalapeno and Cheese Summer Sausage
Cured sausage, fermented and air-dried that has jalapenos and cheese added to it.
Refers to beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Kobe beef is renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture. Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, sashimi, teppanyaki and more.
Without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin: lean cattle.
Liquid smoke
A substance produced from smoke passed through water. Liquid smoke is used for both food preservation and flavoring.
Longhorn Cheese
Named after the longhorn cow, this cheese is a mild form of cheddar that comes in cylinders and rectangles.
Low Carb
Low-carb jerky products are those containing 3 grams of carbohydrates or less per serving size. The Jerky.com homepage features a section of products that fall into this category.
The U.S.D.A defines natural beef as any meat raised for human consumption that does not contain additives and is minimally processed. The difference between natural beef and certified organic beef is that there is no third-party verification system required by the U.S.D.A for beef that claims to be natural.
New York Strip Steak
Which is from the smaller side (strip loin) contains the tenderloin.
This cheese is a Monterey jack with a mild onion flavor.
Organic Cheese
One of the few foods that contains a perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, a ratio ideal for your health; Very high in "conjugated linoleic acid; Considerably high in beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin E; High in the healthy calcium and protein your body needs; Made from Certified 100% organic milk; and Free of all antibiotics and growth hormones.
Organic beef
To be certified as organic, all cattle should meet the following criteria: born and raised on certified organic pasture, never receive antibiotics, never receive growth-promoting hormones, are fed only certified organic grains and grasses, must have unrestricted outdoor access, and must receive humane treatment.
Fresh is the word most often used to describe parsley's taste, but it's also slightly peppery and almost anise-like when used by itself to season dishes.
Pastrami
A popular delicatessen meat made principally from red meat, chiefly brisket. The raw meat is brined, partly dried, seasoned with various herbs and spices, and then smoked.
Pepper Jack cheese
Pepper jack cheese is a derivative of Monterey Jack cheese. Pepper jack cheese is semi-soft and open textured with a slightly tart flavor. As the name says, it includes pepper which makes it spicy in taste.
Pepperoni
A spicy Italian-American variety of salami made from cured pork. However, Halal or Kosher Pepperoni may be made from beef.
Plate
The thin under portion of the forequarter.
Polish Dogs
Made of pork meat with the addition of salt and other spices and herbs. There are three things which determine the taste and quality of Polish Sausages: the quality of pork used, kinds and quantities of spices and the production process (especially how long it is smoked).
Pork Bellies
The meat derived from the belly of a pig. In the United States, bacon is made most often from pork bellies.
Pork Chops
A cut of meat (a meat chop) cut perpendicularly to the spine of the pig and usually containing a rib or part of a vertebra, served as an individual portion.
Pork Trim
Fat that has been taken off of a pig.
Porterhouse
Are steak cuts of beef; Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and contain a much larger section of the tenderloin.
Porterhouse steak
Are cut from the rear end of the short loin and contain a much larger section of the tenderloin.
Pre-Cooked
The product was cooked after it was made, so all you have to do is eat it or warm it up.
Primal Cut
One of eight pieces of meat that are initially separated from the carcass of the cattle during butchering. These cuts can break down even further to make sub-primal cuts.
Ribs of beef, lamb, venison, and pork are a cut of meat. A set of ribs served together (5 or more), is known as a rack (as in a rack of ribs).
Raw
A food item at its most natural, unprocessed state. Raw food is uncooked or not dehydrated at all.
Rib
A cut of meat enclosing one or more rib bones.
Rib-eye Steak
A beef steak from the beef rib. When cut into steaks, the ribeye is one of the most popular, juicy, but quite expensive steaks on the market. Meat from the rib section is more tender and fattier (the meat is said to be "marbled") than most other cuts of beef.
Roasts
Roasted meat or a piece of roasted meat, as a piece of beef or veal of a quantity and shape for slicing into more than one portion.
Round
Is a steak from the round primal cut of a beef carcass; a round steak is the eye (of) round, bottom round, and top round still connected, with or without the "round" bone (femur), and may include the knuckle (sirloin tip), depending on how the round is separated from the loin.
This means no nitrates, chemicals, or salt is added.
Sausage Links
Sausage links are made from ground, fresh meat and with seasonings such as salt, pepper, and sage. These are stuffed into casings and shaped into links. Sausage links are usually prepared by braising, pan-frying, roasting, or baking.
Sausage Patties
Is a food made from ground meat, ground pork fat such as fatback, salt, herbs and spices, in the shape of a patty.
Sausage Rings
Sausage rings are made from ground, fresh meat and with seasonings such as salt, pepper, and sage. These are stuffed into casings and shaped into a ring.
Sausage casing
Is the material that contains and encloses the filling of a sausage.
Seasoned Pork Ribs
Pork and bones from a pig's ribcage are cooked by smoking, grilling, or baking - and seasoned usually with a sauce or spices and then served.
Shank
Is the leg portion of a steer or heifer.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
The sharper the cheddar, the more tangy and complex it will taste. sharp cheddar is simply an aged piece of cheese.
Shish- kabobs
Any kind of meat cooked with a variety of vegetables on a skewer.
Short loin
A cut of beef that comes from the back of the steer or heifer. The short loin contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak like porterhouse, strip steak (Kansas City Strip, New York Strip), and t-bone
Short ribs
Cut of beef containing rib ends near the sternum.
Sirloin Steak
Is beef steak cut from the lower portion of the ribs, The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak. The top sirloin is the most prized of these. The bottom sirloin is less tender, much larger, and is typically what is offered when one just buys sirloin steaks instead of steaks specifically marked top sirloin. The bottom sirloin in turn connects to the sirloin tip roast.
Smoked Beef
A seasoned and smoked beef flat bottom round, sliced deli thin or roast beef thick.
Smoked Cheddar Cheese
Cheese that is infused with natural hardwood smoke to produce the distinctive flavor of the delicious cheddar.
Smoked Pork
Seasoned and smoked fresh pork hams sliced deli thin in its own natural juices.
Smoked bacon
Is bacon that has been flavored, cooked and preserved by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials, most often wood, in a smokehouse.
Smoked cheese
Any cheese that has been specially treated by smoke-curing. It typically has a yellowish-brown outer "skin," which is a result of this curing process.
Smokehouse
Structure where meat or fish is cured with smoke.
Smoker
A device used to flavor food by exposing it to the smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials or wood chips.
Smokies
Little smokies are small cocktail sausages sold in pre-packaged bags; generally made of beef and/or pork and have a smoked flavor.
Special blend seasoning
Is the process of imparting flavor to, or improving the flavor of, food with herbs or spices.
Steak
A slice of meat, typically beef, usually cut thick and across the muscle grain and served broiled or fried.
Steers
A male bovine that is castrated before sexual maturity, esp. one raised for beef.
Stir-fry
An umbrella term used to describe two techniques for cooking food in a wok while stirring it.
Summer Sausage
The general term for any sausage that can be kept without the need of refrigeration. Summer sausage is usually a mixture of pork and other meat such as beef and/or venison. Summer sausage can be either dried or smoked, and curing ingredients can vary significantly, although some sort of curing salt is almost always used. Seasonings may include mustard seeds, black pepper, garlic salt, or sugar.
Swiss cheese
Swiss has a firm texture, and is known for being shiny, pale yellow with large holes. Flavor is mild, sweet and nut-like.
A T-shaped bone with meat on each side; T-bone steaks are cut from further forward in the short loin and contain a comparatively smaller section of the tenderloin.
Tailgating
A tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during, sporting events and rock concerts.
Tenderize
The process of breaking down the collagen in meat to make it easier to consume. Methods used to tenderize meat include pounding it with a mallet, applying a meat tenderizer or soaking it in naturally occurring enzymes such as those found in pineapple or papaya juice.
Tenderloin
Cut from the loin of beef; it is the tenderest part of the beef. The tenderloin can either be cut for roasts or for steaks.
Thick cut Bacon
Is a cured meat prepared from the pork belly of a pig and sliced thick. Bacon may be eaten smoked, boiled, fried, baked, or grilled, or used as a minor ingredient to flavor dishes.
Top sirloin
Cut of meat from the primal loin, sub primal sirloin, of a beef carcass. Top sirloin steaks differ from sirloin steaks in that the bone and the tenderloin and bottom round muscles have been removed.
United States Department of Agriculture. The purpose of this governing body is to develop policies on farming, agriculture, and food. The agency aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promotes agricultural trade and production, assures food safety and protects natural resources. All beef jerky products need to be approved by the U.S.D.A. prior to sale and consumption.
Peppercorns have a long history of use as a condiment and a currency during human civilization. Ungrounded pepper makes a good currency because it retains its flavor and thus intrinsic value for a long period of time. Peppercorns were first used as a spice more than 4000 years ago and then later as a type of "currency" to facilitate trade during the middle Ages. Peppercorns are the most widely traded spice in the world with Americans eating an average of over 1/4lb. per person per year.
Windsor Loin
A hickory smoked and cured pork chop generally cut thick and flavored like ham.
