Purchasing Meat

High quality meat can be found in all local grocery stores.  All retail meat has been inspected for safety before cut into the retail products.  But, bacterial infestation, bad storage procedures or improper packaging can cause good meat to lose quality.

Visual Identification

The visual identification of quality meat is based on color, marbling and waterholding capacity.  The meat should have a normal color that is uniform throughout the entire cut.  Beef, lamb, and pork should also have marbling throughout the meat.  Marbling is small streaks of fat that are found within the muscle and can be seen in the meat cut.  The marbling will increase the juiciness, tenderness and flavor the the product.   Waterholding capacity can be witnessed by looking at the package, if excess water is found in the bottom of the retail package, it may lead to a dry cooked product.   The cut should hold water within the meat to add to juiciness.  You should also identify that there is no abnormal growth on the meat (i.e. microbial growth).

Smell

Another quality identification is smell.  The product should have a normal smell.   This will be different for each of the species (i.e. beef, pork, chicken), but should vary only slightly within the specie.  Any rancid or strange smelling meat should be avoided.

Firmness

Meat should appear firm rather than soft.  When handling the retail package, it should be firm, but not tough.  It should give under pressure, but not actually be soft.

To Learn More

USDA guide to buying meat

USDA guide to buying poultry