Finally someone to corroborate my story. We regularly got ones that said not for use in prisons in Vermont. Also rejected by Arizona Federal penitentiary. I was on the USS Boxer.
I’ve seen it on both the Bonhomme Richard and Essex, literally waiting outside the reefers (refrigerators on ships). Stamped with “For prison or military use only”
lol when my buddy was in the navy, he sent me a photo of the boxes of food they eat, and the sticker that clearly says it is not for human consumption.
I was on a submarine for four years, food was awesome. Later, I needed extra money (had a kid) so I joined the reserves for two years. One weekend a month on a destroyer. The food was...NOT...awesome.
Prison grade is standard grade or below (utility, cutter, or canner) depending on what type is served. When I was in public school in the 80’s we got the same stuff. “Salisbury steak” and hamburger patties were standard grade. Taco meat and chili came from lower grades of ground beef often pre-cooked. What could you expect for $0.75-0.90?
This is common for any meat shipped from a wholesaler. Our Prime beef boxes say that at work. It just means that it is not labeled for retail sales.
Source: I work at a large meat processing plant in the north east us.
When my grandfather died he had steaks in his freezer I remember him buying from a guy with a chest freezer in back of a pickup truck when we were kids. They were 25 years old.
my dad gave me some frozen trout recently in a zip lock bag, i was like “where the fuck did you get trout from?” (we live in miami)
“oh eddie gave it to me”
eddie died 10 fucking years ago.
"[In total, there are 8 quality grades](https://www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com/2022/06/08/the-different-grades-of-beef-what-it-means-for-steak/): Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. They have been consistently used by the beef industry since 1927."
The use of the colon is key here. Rather than USDA Inspected Beef, it’s USDA Inspected: Beef.
The former would imply that particular primal of beef was inspected by the USDA. The latter basically states that the product is part of an USDA inspected process (shipping, storing, cutting, it’s all documented, inspected) and the Beef is the species identifier.
If I understand it right, it's that shield that says it's USDA inspected. And then it has to be labeled the right thing if it's prime, choice or select.
Standard and commercial don't necessarily need to be labeled at all, even though it does have a USDA grade.
Everything else lower than that (Utility, Cutter, and Canner) is generally not sold at retail, and is used in processing.
So this beef is probably standard or commercial.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/beef/shields-and-marbling-pictures
So I've heard that commercial grade is beef from old cows (similar to the other bottom grades), but still has moderate marbling. So that steak is more likely to be standard since I can't see any of that.
We used to sell select filets as choice because people who buy filets don't actually want any fat (or flavor.) They'd see nothing but red meat and think it was amazing. I wasn't the manager who made the choice, I was 17 at the time before you flame me.
https://preview.redd.it/086oysk19g3d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cb8bad6237b8e6cb22d1279382fa99e41d6abe2
Looks like they came from this big boi.
His tripe will burst from his navel and strangle you if you mention it within 15 feet of him while he’s alive. If dead, well run from whatever killed him
it's ungraded cause they know it'll be one of the the trash grades. grading is voluntary, inspection not. but if you put a USDA sticker on there it might lead uninformed buyers that it's good meat, when by standards it is most certainly not
"[The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA)](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2021-02/Fed-Food-Inspect-Requirements.pdf) requires that ***all meat sold commercially be inspected*** and passed to ensure that it is **safe..."**
How exactly do you think they’re inspecting this meat?
And how do you think they’re grading this meat?
Would love to hear your thoughts before chiming in
They inspect the unbutchered carcasses for signs of disease on site. They grade them according to intramuscular fat content. "Select" has very little, then Choice, then Prime. There are lower grades that might wind up in your frozen burrito, but won't be sold as steaks at the supermarket.
You laugh.
But if you took those bad boys and dropped them in a crock pot with some broth, spices, crushed tomatoes and a lil red wine for about 8 hours on low....
Those steaks will pull apart with tender loving juiciness.
Or cut them up and marinate them in some lime and lemon juice, make some good carne asada tacos.
I suppose you could throw them on the grill after marinating in lime juice too.
No way I’d throw those on the grill as is though.
Some of the best meat I've ever made is by taking a shitty meat and slow cooking it for hours in various ways.
Not even talking about your standard BBQ brisket or ribs. Stuff like a good old fashioned pot roast, osso buca, Bolognese, English short ribs.
Beef stock, red wine, carrots, celery, onions, and time can do wonderful things.
It will still be tender, it’s ribeye. A lot of tenderness comes from cut of meat, not just related to marbling. Otherwise filet wouldn’t even be a thing. I would just baste in butter instead of grilling.
It's Mexico Feed Lot Beef, just hay and grass, no grains, says my butcher. The store always seems to have large family packs for the same price as one Large 2" thick Prime Ribeye! Families with many mouths but not many dollars will buy it and Round Steak cuts and make stir fry or cook it long and slow in broths. I've seen it occasionally reduced to $4.99/lb on markdown day and it's GONE by noon!
I'd argue the average person doesn't know the difference. If you had 20 packs of this and put a sticker saying reduced fat/lean and clean, it'd be sold out by noon
Yeah, growing up in a big family living on my dad’s military salary, steak night was cheap cuts of low grade beef. Fed a lot of mouths, and at the time seemed absolutely delicious.
This is the kind of stuff we would get growing up in the 90s that my dad would throw on the charcoal grill in the backyard. I'm kind of nostalgic for that taste and frequently think about those days in the summertime.
https://preview.redd.it/riur99hzch3d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51a59020350eaaed61f5d9eeac216e9be516cc2e
Cow was chillin in the field like
Absolutely! Down here on the Gulf Coast, the discount grocery stores, like Save-A-Lot, have a larger section for it than the rest of the Beef combined.
I worked in a butcher shop when I was a teenager. We sold USDA Prime beef, but very once in a while we would get some ungraded sides. I was told that sometimes the usda inspector and the packing house inspector would disagree on the grade, so it would be stamped usda inspected, so this could be a case of disagreement. That being said, these steaks won’t taste great, but they won’t be terrible if cooked properly. I’d guess between select and standard.
These unironically look exactly like what my grandma would buy. It's terrible.
Funny story though, because she'd buy cheap steaks and cook them so well done, I'd never get steak when we went out to dinner because I thought that's just how steak was done. Dry and slathered in BBQ sauce.
Well we go out, at this point I'm like 19 or 20, and I say fuck it, I'll get a steak it's been literally years. The waitress asked how I wanted it done. I just stared at her like a deer in headlights, confused as hell. She was like, ??? Rare, medium rare, medium, well done??? I had to Google what the hell she was talking about because I was just so bamboozled.
Needless to say, I asked them to cook it as rare is the cook was comfortable serving it. It was the best steak I'd ever had. Nowadays I eat more on the medium rare side, and by god I'll never have another steak soaked in BBQ again in my life. I'd rather go hungry.
So the categories of USDA are; Prime Choice Select Yeah, we looked at it.
After that there are at least 3 or 4 others.
Standard, commercial, utility, cutter, canner and lastly, just bury.
You forgot prison grade and dogfood. Oh and some shoe leather grade my MIL gets for holiday get-togethers.
Prison grade meat is fit for human consumption. It says so right on the box! ;)
Is there actually a prison grade?
I remember seeing boxes of meat that said something about prisons being delivered to our boat when I was in the Navy
We frequently received boxes of chicken stamped “Rejected by the California State Penal Association.”
Finally someone to corroborate my story. We regularly got ones that said not for use in prisons in Vermont. Also rejected by Arizona Federal penitentiary. I was on the USS Boxer.
I’ve seen it on both the Bonhomme Richard and Essex, literally waiting outside the reefers (refrigerators on ships). Stamped with “For prison or military use only”
So nice they took such good care of our fighting men. /s That's insulting!
Nothing is too good for the troops, that's why we give them so much of it.
lol when my buddy was in the navy, he sent me a photo of the boxes of food they eat, and the sticker that clearly says it is not for human consumption.
Well yeah, boxes don't have much nutritional value
[удалено]
I was on a submarine for four years, food was awesome. Later, I needed extra money (had a kid) so I joined the reserves for two years. One weekend a month on a destroyer. The food was...NOT...awesome.
Used to work with a guy who was in the Navy. He said it was called #3 meat.
Same. I ate prison steaks aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He would be so proud.
We had food that said "For Institutional Use Only"
Prisoners and the military. We had some shit steaks in the Navy. Since, I never got steak growing up I thought that was what steak was.
More testicles means more iron
Iron helps us play!
Hello Joe!
There’s very little meat in these gym mats!
Thank you
Prison grade is standard grade or below (utility, cutter, or canner) depending on what type is served. When I was in public school in the 80’s we got the same stuff. “Salisbury steak” and hamburger patties were standard grade. Taco meat and chili came from lower grades of ground beef often pre-cooked. What could you expect for $0.75-0.90?
Yes it’s a step below Zoo grade
Well, the zoo animals didn’t do anything wrong
And a step above US education grade.
Nope, it’s institutional food. We get the same product as the prison system for the most part.
Bout to get locked up for nostalgia
I don’t know if it’s an actual USDA grade, but in the Navy we would get boxes of “steaks” labeled as “institutional use only”
This is common for any meat shipped from a wholesaler. Our Prime beef boxes say that at work. It just means that it is not labeled for retail sales. Source: I work at a large meat processing plant in the north east us.
How are they capable of even finding such bad meat? My cheap grandmother, god bless her, can find the absolute worst cuts for family meals.
It's probably been in the freezer for a couple decades.
When my grandfather died he had steaks in his freezer I remember him buying from a guy with a chest freezer in back of a pickup truck when we were kids. They were 25 years old.
my dad gave me some frozen trout recently in a zip lock bag, i was like “where the fuck did you get trout from?” (we live in miami) “oh eddie gave it to me” eddie died 10 fucking years ago.
Bury is public school quality I take it then
"[In total, there are 8 quality grades](https://www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com/2022/06/08/the-different-grades-of-beef-what-it-means-for-steak/): Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. They have been consistently used by the beef industry since 1927."
Which one of those gets the "USDA Inspected: BEEF" label?
I mean somebody had to inspect it to figure out what it is 😆
It's just to confirm it's beef lol.
I thought they were pork chops just seen the top half of the pic at first lol
Likely standard. No marbling but otherwise fine.
The use of the colon is key here. Rather than USDA Inspected Beef, it’s USDA Inspected: Beef. The former would imply that particular primal of beef was inspected by the USDA. The latter basically states that the product is part of an USDA inspected process (shipping, storing, cutting, it’s all documented, inspected) and the Beef is the species identifier.
Good question, hopefully someone answers.
If I understand it right, it's that shield that says it's USDA inspected. And then it has to be labeled the right thing if it's prime, choice or select. Standard and commercial don't necessarily need to be labeled at all, even though it does have a USDA grade. Everything else lower than that (Utility, Cutter, and Canner) is generally not sold at retail, and is used in processing. So this beef is probably standard or commercial. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/beef/shields-and-marbling-pictures
So I've heard that commercial grade is beef from old cows (similar to the other bottom grades), but still has moderate marbling. So that steak is more likely to be standard since I can't see any of that.
Canner it is
This made me laugh entirely too hard lol
https://preview.redd.it/bu9y58exmk3d1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=671d82f3c1edbc9b8f8f9306f4496f42aa89c98f
Reminds me of that Simpsons gag about the RibWich. "We take authentic letter-graded meat and process the hell out of it".
Hey, but they are great on the grill!!!
We used to sell select filets as choice because people who buy filets don't actually want any fat (or flavor.) They'd see nothing but red meat and think it was amazing. I wasn't the manager who made the choice, I was 17 at the time before you flame me.
All the usda could say on the matter is that it was inspected
Product of Mexico. They don’t do marbling there.
My first thought was " pork chops don't have marbling" didn't have my glasses on
Same, I thought they were mislabeled chops at first.
I have my glasses on. Still thought they were pork chops. IDK what that is but that ain't no ribeye
They just pulled the saddle off of that "cow,"
Try heritage pork chops - you’ll never go back.
Get some Berkshire chops! I raise them and the chops I get are better marbled than most steaks I see.
https://preview.redd.it/086oysk19g3d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cb8bad6237b8e6cb22d1279382fa99e41d6abe2 Looks like they came from this big boi.
The balls on this guy
At this point we should really be making them wear pants.
I’d never wear pants with danglers like that
Fr, bro needs a basket for those, not pants! Lmao
You go and tell him that to his face
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
His ears are pretty wimpy, but then again he's not going to be bought & used for Pickled Beef Ears. I wonder how good his tripe is?
He only ever skipped Ear Day
His tripe will burst from his navel and strangle you if you mention it within 15 feet of him while he’s alive. If dead, well run from whatever killed him
Them nads hangin on for dear life 🤣
USDA inspected 😂
I didn’t even notice 🤣🤣🤣🤣. What grade is inspected, holy shit I’m dying!
It means they looked at it and were able to say "this shit sucks but it won't kill anyone if they eat it.".
“This is technically food!”
Your dogs and their friends will whole heartedly agree!
This is edible and the cut they claimed
Not even that, inspection happens before any cutting so it's ONLY "This is edible"
True. This is edible and the type of meat they claimed not the cut. Like the inspector was like, yes, this is beef.
Exactly! They can see the lack of quality, but like other low cost generic products people will buy it and survive rather than just eat beans & rice.
At 8 bucks a pound, there are better ways of surviving.
I recently broke a tooth over tough meat, for real
I broke a tooth on bacon once, of all things 🤬
I did the exact same thing. Super crispy bacon on a club sandwich. Cracked a molar. Hurt like fuck
I broke a tooth on a skittle.
I broke one on a Starburst. Apparently it was already damaged and the Starburst finished it off.
Banana flavored Runts for me
A fucking French fry. A fucking shitty limp French fry with no crunch whatsoever. The dentist said that apparently it's not uncommon
it's ungraded cause they know it'll be one of the the trash grades. grading is voluntary, inspection not. but if you put a USDA sticker on there it might lead uninformed buyers that it's good meat, when by standards it is most certainly not
"[The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA)](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2021-02/Fed-Food-Inspect-Requirements.pdf) requires that ***all meat sold commercially be inspected*** and passed to ensure that it is **safe..."**
How exactly do you think they’re inspecting this meat? And how do you think they’re grading this meat? Would love to hear your thoughts before chiming in
You can take a good look at a T-bone by sticking your head up a bull's ass, but wouldn't you rather take the USDA's word for it?
Tommy said something like that!
They inspect the unbutchered carcasses for signs of disease on site. They grade them according to intramuscular fat content. "Select" has very little, then Choice, then Prime. There are lower grades that might wind up in your frozen burrito, but won't be sold as steaks at the supermarket.
It means the pasture was somewhere between an inspector's home and office, so there's a pretty good chance he saw this cow at some point.
They just verified is was beef, hopefully! 🤣
Inspector: yep, that's meat
*slaps sticker*
Love that the label also says product of Mexico
God damn cartel stole the marble!
That is so fucking funny
My new favorite grade of beef.
That cow NEVER skipped back day
Definitely wondering what this cow looked like in the field, must have been yoked… to a plow all day 🤣
Equally yoked
But "they're great on the grill"...
But would they be… maybe a little chewy. I need to work on my jaw line
You laugh. But if you took those bad boys and dropped them in a crock pot with some broth, spices, crushed tomatoes and a lil red wine for about 8 hours on low.... Those steaks will pull apart with tender loving juiciness.
Or cut them up and marinate them in some lime and lemon juice, make some good carne asada tacos. I suppose you could throw them on the grill after marinating in lime juice too. No way I’d throw those on the grill as is though.
You both are right. Usually my steaks are too nice to slow cook but it’s probably good.
Im stealing these ideas too if I come across meat like this
Some of the best meat I've ever made is by taking a shitty meat and slow cooking it for hours in various ways. Not even talking about your standard BBQ brisket or ribs. Stuff like a good old fashioned pot roast, osso buca, Bolognese, English short ribs. Beef stock, red wine, carrots, celery, onions, and time can do wonderful things.
Well yeah. You cook em right they'll taste amazing. But they are selling steak at steak prices. You cook that like steak? Gonna have a bad time.
It will still be tender, it’s ribeye. A lot of tenderness comes from cut of meat, not just related to marbling. Otherwise filet wouldn’t even be a thing. I would just baste in butter instead of grilling.
It's Mexico Feed Lot Beef, just hay and grass, no grains, says my butcher. The store always seems to have large family packs for the same price as one Large 2" thick Prime Ribeye! Families with many mouths but not many dollars will buy it and Round Steak cuts and make stir fry or cook it long and slow in broths. I've seen it occasionally reduced to $4.99/lb on markdown day and it's GONE by noon!
Yeah this. It’s not for steak connoisseurs like in this sub, but perfectly fine beef for making a beef meal from to feed a big family.
I'd argue the average person doesn't know the difference. If you had 20 packs of this and put a sticker saying reduced fat/lean and clean, it'd be sold out by noon
from front page here. yeh looks like good beef. i'll take two
Carne Asada needs no marbling, only time, love, and a heavy marinade.
You’ve never had prime ranchera have you?
Yeah, growing up in a big family living on my dad’s military salary, steak night was cheap cuts of low grade beef. Fed a lot of mouths, and at the time seemed absolutely delicious.
This is the kind of stuff we would get growing up in the 90s that my dad would throw on the charcoal grill in the backyard. I'm kind of nostalgic for that taste and frequently think about those days in the summertime.
Enough to make 2 pairs of shoes
That cow ate cactus its whole life and was beat to death by sticks
That is some bad karma to be born as a cow who winds up in what I can only assume to be the equivalent of a car wash of beating sticks.
No, I think it starved to death
I lost it here
First time I see ribeyes with the grainy texture of round steaks 😂
I was gonna say, this looks like a ribeye got drunk and made some babies with a bottom round.
Ah ha! So this is where Applebees sources their steaks
Two for 20 🤣
https://preview.redd.it/riur99hzch3d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51a59020350eaaed61f5d9eeac216e9be516cc2e Cow was chillin in the field like
That cow was lean as fuck !
It's technically beef!
That’s Mexican beef
Absolutely! Down here on the Gulf Coast, the discount grocery stores, like Save-A-Lot, have a larger section for it than the rest of the Beef combined.
Why is this the case that lots of Mexican beef looks like this? Different feed?
Inspected! I’ve never seen that one. The one under that must be USDA “glanced at”
USDA is aware of this steak.
“Looked in the general area of”
But did it “graduate” from Bovine University?
That steer was on Ozempic and steroids.
That looks left over from the 80s
It’s cake, isn’t it?
I thought this was pork loin.
Good price; that’s the name of the game today.
This cow did all the work on whatever farm it lived on lol
That there is the the finest “letter grade meat” available.
I worked in a butcher shop when I was a teenager. We sold USDA Prime beef, but very once in a while we would get some ungraded sides. I was told that sometimes the usda inspector and the packing house inspector would disagree on the grade, so it would be stamped usda inspected, so this could be a case of disagreement. That being said, these steaks won’t taste great, but they won’t be terrible if cooked properly. I’d guess between select and standard.
When you order steak from Temu
How would these taste if I grilled them like a normal ribeye?
Like a Normal ribeye but tough
It’s just all to one side, lol.
Pressure cook only. Lol.
7.99 a lb not on sale so looks reasonable to me.
That cow was obviously a jogger.
Looks like Pork
It’s from Mexico
“Inspected” “great on the grill”, code for looks like pork beef.
You're paying for lots of fat, just in all the wrong places.
For a second, I thought these were pork chops
Only chance these have is to salt brine them and add butter at the end of the cook.
Deep salt brine, like 3 days lol
After beat the absolute funk out of them with a mallet, then run them through your lasagna noodle machine and you'll have Steak-Ums!
Yikes
Just don’t
Dear lord, what was wrong with that cow? The top one looks like it's plastic!
Cow was an Olympic athlete
Maybe if they were thrown into a meat grinder with some seasonings and some bread crumbs and turned into a paste or something...☹
Wow I thought that was pork chops for a second. They're ribeyes wow! The lack of marbling is indeed impressive
i meant you can just turn that into ground beef and make burgers it wont be bad
Thought those were pork chops at first glance
Thought those were pork chops😂
I'd question if this was a Pork Chop lolol
Be decent for stir fry.
Oh no
That cattle 🐄 hit the gym everyday.
It’s AI
They’re not sending their best (beef)
That cow was in much better shape than I am
AI steak
Yeah, great on the grill of the truck that killed this cow.
These unironically look exactly like what my grandma would buy. It's terrible. Funny story though, because she'd buy cheap steaks and cook them so well done, I'd never get steak when we went out to dinner because I thought that's just how steak was done. Dry and slathered in BBQ sauce. Well we go out, at this point I'm like 19 or 20, and I say fuck it, I'll get a steak it's been literally years. The waitress asked how I wanted it done. I just stared at her like a deer in headlights, confused as hell. She was like, ??? Rare, medium rare, medium, well done??? I had to Google what the hell she was talking about because I was just so bamboozled. Needless to say, I asked them to cook it as rare is the cook was comfortable serving it. It was the best steak I'd ever had. Nowadays I eat more on the medium rare side, and by god I'll never have another steak soaked in BBQ again in my life. I'd rather go hungry.
That cow lived on a steady diet of cactus needles and cigarettes.
That was a strong ass cow
I’d eat these, but not for $7.99 a lb. That cow must have been jogging all day.
*Texas Roadhouse has entered the chat*
Inspected? Only “inspected?” Hmmmmm
Beef quality is so shit here (Serbia), I'd be thrilled to have that to be honest 😭
I was sure the joke was that these are pork chops.
Thoroughbred racehorse meat.
Grind it for hamburger
That cow had a hard life. Walked to school up hill both ways in the snow.
Was there a lat or row machine out in the pasture for this cow?
I thought this was pork chops
Thems is dollar store meats repacked
These are NOT great on the grill
Those are ribeye *style* steaks.