 your evening meal ready for the market. And from these steers will come roasts and steaks, juicy and tender. But you'll pay for them not just any price but a ceiling price which is fair to both buyer and seller. And you'll pay points too so everybody can have his share. In the slaughterhouse yards these steers are examined by a veterinarian of the Bureau of Animal Industry Department of Agriculture. In this examination he makes sure that every animal is entirely healthy and free of disease before slaughter. After slaughter the beef is minutely examined for the second time by the veterinarian to give you double protection. When the veterinarian has approved the beef after slaughter his stamp is placed many times on each beef. When you see these round stamps you can be sure that your meat has been fully inspected not once but twice by an expert federal veterinarian. To make certain it contains no trace of disease. Before this beef can be sold it must be grated. The whole beef is split into two sides. The quality that determines the price of every beef is now judged by a federal meat grater of the United States meat grating service. In making his decision as to grade the grater considers the shape or build of the animal the fat distribution and the age sex and meat texture. Here are three of the five retail grades of beef. On the left is choice or double A. In the center good or grade A. And on the right utility or grade C. Note that the choice hind quarter on the left is more chunky than the lower utility grade on the right. Higher grades have more meat covering on the ribs and the shoulders are stockier. Meat graders refer to this build or shape of an animal as confirmation. Confirmation is an important factor in grating. Secondly on the outside and on the inside of high grade beef will be found a generous amount of light colored waxy fat. The ribs are well covered with fat on the inside as well as on the outside. Here you can see evidence that the creamy white fat also goes down into the meat and is distributed throughout the lean of the whole beef. This distribution of fat is known as marbling. Marbling is perhaps one of the best indications of high grade meat. Now let's compare still more close. Note the color of the outside fat. On the left the utility grade is definitely more yellow than the choice grade on the right. In the ribs of this utility grade is but little fat. But the choice grade has plenty and it goes well down into the lean. In the choice hind quarter the amount and quality of the fat greatly exceeds that of the lower grade utility. Here the fat, its color and distribution are clearly shown with the lean. In porterhouse steaks or in any retail truck you still can see the same grading factor. The confirmation or build of the animal is still evidence. The utility grade above does not have the chunkiness or plumpness of the choice grade. As to finish or fat distribution the choice grade has an abundance of white and wacky fat. These are rib steaks. The marbling is variable. Note the streaks of white fat in the lean meat of the choice grade while there is little in the utility grade. Fat is important because it seals in water soluble flavor elements, adds to tenderness. Having considered the conformation, finish and quality of beef the trader rolls his stamp on each side in such a manner that the grade will clearly show on each primal part. You will find these grade marks on nearly every piece of meat you buy. There are five standard grades. First of these five grades is choice or double A. Good or A. Commercial or grade B and utility or C. The canner and still a lower grade tall cutter are not common in retail markets. With inspection and grading stamps on each child the beef is delivered to the wholesale or retail butcher and is now ready for retail cuts. OPA regulations specify the only manner in which beef can be cut. The whole side of beef according to these regulations is first cut into two large pieces, the hind quarter and the forequarter. This cut must be made between the 12th and 13th ribs. Regulations specifying beef cuts assure the customer that he is getting the exact piece for which he pays a certain ceiling price and a certain number of points. The forequarter and the hind quarter must now be divided into four principal parts which are known as the standard primal cuts. Most retail cuts of meat are named after these primal cuts. In the hind quarter the first primal cut removes the leg piece. This leg piece is called the round. The other part is called the loin. With this cut the butcher separates the round one of the primal cuts from the loin. The loin or back is composed largely of tender supporting muscle. You pay a higher ceiling price per pound and more points for this meat. There is not much of it in a beef. The round on the other hand is composed largely of muscles of locomotion and is not quite for tender. Regulations require that all meat be trimmed of fat in excess of one inch in thickness, but neither grade nor health stamps can be removed. The second primal cut is the belly piece and is called the flank. By measuring with a ruler the exact place to cut. The customer is assured that no part of the less expensive flank is included on the more expensive loin piece immediately above. By the way flank steak and swiss steak come from this cut. Now before the loin can be cut further it must first be trimmed of fat. The kidney knob of heavy fat is removed. This rich stewet contains the kidney. In the loin are two primal cuts. The thick piece called the sirloin and the part which contains steveloin steak called the short loin. The loin contains the choisest meat in the spear. Steveloin and sirloin steaks come from this steak. Like the hind quarter the forequarter is also to be cut into four primal cuts. The first cut removes the more expensive rib section from the lower priced shoulder and front leg. First the skirt steak is removed. Now the butcher counts five ribs. And between the fifth and sixth rib the cut is made of which divides the forequarter in two. Note how clearly each piece displays both health and grading sense. On the left is the breast or breast fit foreleg and shoulder. On the right the whole rib section. In this rib section are more of those tender supporting muscles that make for tasty eating. Below the rib section is the lower breast called the short plate. The short ribs are part of the prime rib. A steak 10 inches long accurately divides the ribs from the less expensive plate. Below this cut the quality is that of stew and boiling meat. You also pay a fairly high point value for ribs but the plate has little or no points. Three inches may also be removed from the ribs to form a short rib retail cut. This whole rib section showing the short ribs removed is now complete. The remainder of the forequarter is now divided into the last two primal cuts. The large shoulder piece is called the chuck. This piece contains numerous roasts. Once more the OPA uses a measuring stick to draw a price line between the higher and lower priced meat. This cut separates the chuck from the lower priced brisket and foreshank. The chuck or shoulder contains largely muscles of locomotion which are less tender. The chuck is best prepared by the use of moist heat that is pot roasting or boiling. In the remaining primal cut of the forequarter the foreshank is lifted revealing the brisket or breast piece. Separating the foreshank and brisket completes the primal cutting of the forequarter. Here are the four primal cuts the wholesale pieces brisket and foreshank chuck ribs and short ribs and short plate and we are now ready to recut the primal pieces into the retail cuts you see daily in the butcher shop. With the primal cuts well in mind we can now proceed to the individual stakes and roasts found in retail counters. Starting with the hind quarter the short line with its tender meat can be cut into steaks to suit the customer. These t-bone or quarter house steaks are among the choices meat in the steer. You may remember before the war buying a cut known as the tenderloin or filet mignon. This cut may no longer be sold as a separate cut for a higher price but you get it anyway as a part of these t-bones or as a part of sirloin. The sirloin primal piece is another high quality section and is cut into steaks. Although these steaks are somewhat comparable to t-bone steaks in appearance, tenderness and flavor when seen in a retail counter they are always much larger than other steaks. This steak is cut from the portion of joining the round. The large piece of the hind quarter the round is now divided into five standard cuts which are always found in retail counters. Many fine roasts come from these cuts. The first to be removed is the rump roast. The familiar rump roast after being cut from the round is sold with the bone in or bone out. Either way it is a flavorful piece of meat. Look for the fat in the lean and juiciness for real flavor. As in this piece another part of the round is the tip roast. Tip roasts also called sirloin butts are always boneless. If it has a bone in it it is not a tip roast or a tip steak. This piece is large enough to be cut into two or three small roasts. The leg part is now separated. The small knuckle is discarded. This piece is then cut in two to make a heel piece and the hind shank. The first cut removes the lower leg from the round. This cut shows a good example of connective tissue surrounding locomotion muscles. The heel as you see is boneless meat whereas the hind shank will make good soup meat. The remaining piece of the hind quarter is the full round. The full round may be sold with the bone in or the bone out. With the bone removed the full round can be further divided into the top round or inside piece and the bottom round or outside piece. Neither top round nor bottom round alone may contain the bone. These two pieces are then usually cut into steaks or roasts. Top round becomes steaks. The bottom round makes good pot roasts or on special order excellent hamburger. The prime rib piece of the forequarter including the short ribs can now be divided into its retail cuts. Rib roasts such as these are customary when the prime rib is not cut into steaks. The plate piece next to the short ribs yields boiling meat and corn beef. Note the stamps or markings on the short plate to show you that it has been health inspected and graded. Another word for chuck might be roasts because this large piece is just about all that. The English cut of the chuck makes a fine roast. Another such chuck roast is called the clod or cross rib. Another is the arm roast. Cutting the blade roast reveals more of the quality which expert grading has stamped on this section. Connective tissue between the lean meat should not be confused with marbling in the lean. Now we come to the foreshank and brisket. This breast piece brisket is sold bone in or bone out as boiling meat but more frequently as boneless brisket corn beef. And so we come to today's home front battleground. The retail meat counter. Here we see our beef on display ready for sale. These are sirloins cut from the sirloin primal cut. Note the correct tray posting of this meat. Every display of meat for sale must be marked as to grade, points and price. Grades cannot be mixed in the same tray. Do you recognize these? Look at that bone. Yes, they are T bones cut from the loin. If T bones are small, they are sometimes called club steaks. The large ones are also known as porterhouse. These are top round steaks cut from the full round of the leg piece. Bottom round looks much the same but is somewhat tougher. It is pot roasted or sometimes ground for hamburger. And incidentally, hamburger is hamburger. According to OPA, ground round or ground chuck must go for hamburger price unless it is a specialty ground in your presence and at your order. This is a rump roast. While it takes years of experience to become an expert meat grader, the consumer can learn quickly to recognize this as high grade meat. Only by relying on the grade stamp of the Department of Agriculture, which you can see here very clearly, can you be sure of just how high or how low? This is corn plate. The grade stamp still intact. And here is the short rib delicacy, bony but very tasty. Note the connective tissue in the lean of these four shank pieces. Don't mistake this for marbling. It is not fat. This is a tip roast also called sirloin butt. And it's very tender. Wait a minute. Look at that fat. When we cut the meat, we trim the fat to not more than one inch in thickness. This is a violation. So the next time you visit the retail meat counter, you can help in a vital battle against inflation if you know your meat. Here is the OPA meat regulation. First, it specifies only certain cuts of meat, which are clearly shown on your beef charts. Know them. Second, OPA requires that meat be graded according to Department of Agriculture standards. And each cut should clearly display these grade stamps. Look for them. Third, OPA requires tray posting of every display with grade, points and price. 85 cents is illegally high for any cut. Maybe he met 58 cents. Fourth, in addition to tray posting, OPA requires the butcher to post three signs. A store group sign, a list of ceiling prices and the points required. You check them. You can help to hold the home front line against ruinous inflation if you know your meat.