Grades Of Crabmeat

Colossal and jumbo lump are perceived as the "Rolls Royce’s" and "Bentleys" of crab meat, though they are the most commonly misused grades of crabmeat. While the lumps are large and the meat is white, colossal and jumbo lump are best used in upscale cocktail presentations or in sautés.
Colossal consists of the extra large lumps of unbroken meat, while jumbo lump consists of the two largest muscles from the swimming fins of the crab.  Many users have the impression that the flavor of colossal and jumbo lump is better than other grades of crab meat. This is not necessarily true. The size of the lump is the only thing that really distinguishes these grades from other white meat grades. If a chef breaks up the lumps for a recipe, he could easily use another grade of meat.

Backfin meat is ideal for upscale operations that feature crab dishes. Backfin is a blend of broken pieces of lump and special grade crab meat. It is perfect for crab cakes, sautés, crab toppings or cold salads. Backfin makes a beautiful presentation when stuffing fish, chicken, vegetables or seafood.

Special grade crab meat is often the most versatile grade for most recipes and quite profitable. It consists of the smaller flakes of white meat from the body of the crab—perfect for crab cakes, salads, quesadillas, wraps, stuffed mushroom caps and crab balls. It is individual pieces from the body cavities of the crab, but it carries the same bright white color and flavor as backfin and jumbo lump with an appropriate price tag for casual dining or quick service.

Claw meat is from the swimming fins of the crab. It is brown meat with a stronger flavor profile which makes claw meat ideal for dishes with heavy sauces or in dips and soups. It is also ideal for price sensitive menu items. Crab cakes can be made with claw meat. Try a Thai crabmeat salad, a crab fritter, or crab spring rolls.

Claw fingers are not a grade of crab meat. They are the pinchers or tips of the claws and they make unique hors d'oeuvres or garnishes. Wrap a claw finger with a crab stuffing mixture or serve them in a cocktail dish. They, too, are an inexpensive way to add crab meat to menus.

Crab meat is available fresh, frozen or pasteurized. With pasteurization, fresh crabs are cooked and then allowed to cool. The meat is then hand-picked, graded and placed in cans, then hermetically sealed and pasteurized. Pasteurization destroys natural pathogenic microorganisms to extend shelf life without adding artificial preservatives. Once pasteurized, the product has a shelf life of 12 months in cans or refrigerated in plastic containers.

FOODSERVICE ADVANTAGE CLUB™

This membership program is offered exclusively to customers of US Foodservice™. It is designed to help independent and multi-unit operators with the business side of their operations by saving significant dollars on non-food related services, saving time with online management tools, and providing tools to help increase traffic. There are currently thousands of Foodservice Advantage Club™ members saving countless dollars through the program.

BENEFITS TO CUSTOMERS
• No fees or dues to join
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• Access to online management tools that save time and help manage day to day business
• Special deals and offers from service providers throughout the year and at food shows
• Quarterly newsletter featuring foodservice trends, special offers, and a customized savings statement from the Foodservice Advantage Club™

Brian Isaeff's Top 10 Reason For You To Buy Portion Control Stock Yards Steaks

1) Portion cut steaks offer consistency in size. When you order a 10 ounce center cut New York strip steak – you are delivered a 10 ounce center cut New York strip steak.

2) Portion cut steaks can be custom cut to your desired specifications. If your customer wants a bone in New York but don’t have a band saw to cut them – our Stock Yards fresh cut steak program can cut them consistently – every time!

3) Portion cut steaks thru our Stock Yards program are aged to perfection. Most sub-primal cuts are brought to distribution facilities with very minimal aging (3-7 days after slaughter) and are quickly sold to the end user. This does not give the beef sufficient time to age (break down the enzymes in the meat to make it more tender). Chefs and consumers alike will notice the distinct taste of a properly aged steak over a commodity cut steak.

4) Portion cut steaks deliver value. When you cut a Filet Mignon out of a tenderloin, what do you do with all the fat off of the side muscle? By the time a steak is ready to cook and put on the plate after trimming, it is conceivable they could lose up to 40% in trim. Stock Yards portion controlled steaks deliver ready to use product with 100% yield.

5) Portion controlled steaks offer an exact plate cost. When ordering a portion cut steak, you know the exact price per portion. This can help you gauge menu price to your customer for maximum and consistent profitability and plate costing.

6) Portion controlled steaks offer inventory control. When a customer orders a case of 20 x 8 ounce fillets, they will always receive 20 steaks per case. This helps to maintain inventory control over waste or theft.

7) Portion controlled steaks are offered in small box format. You no longer have to order a 60 lb case of New York’s to cut steaks from. Portion cut steaks can significantly reduce the possibility of lifting injuries.

8) Portion cut steaks take the knife out of the cook’s hand. Reduce the possibility of injury due to cutting the steaks yourself. Why give more money to workmen’s compensation insurance?

9) Portioned controlled steaks reduce labor. Whether doing large banquets for 200 people or serving dinner for 20 people, having a professional meat cutter portion the steaks for you can cut down on labor costs.

10) Portion cut steaks offer a variety of grades to choose from. Stock Yards Upper 2/3 Reserve, Stock Yards Choice, 1893 Select, and N/R brands all offer the quality and consistency within their respective grade tiers that our customers have come to expect from a premium meat company.

All About Beef Short Ribs

The beef carcass has 13 pairs of ribs, but not all of the ribs are included in the rib primal cut. The first 5 ribs are part of the chuck cut in the front of the animal. The 13th rib is part of the loin. The rib primal contains ribs 6 through 12.

A short rib refers to a small piece that has been trimmed from the main portion of a rib when the rib cage is trimmed into smaller cuts. Short ribs are cut from the chuck and plate primals and back ribs are from the rib primal. Short ribs cut parallel to the bone are known as English style short ribs. They may include a bit of the bone or may be sold boneless. Short ribs that are cut across the rib bones are known as flanken.

Ribs 1 through 5 are located in the chuck primal. They have plenty of meat and have less fat than short ribs from the plate.

English style short ribs are cut parallel to the bone and flanken style short ribs are cut across the bone.

The ends of the 6th through the 12th ribs are contained within the plate primal cut. The plate short ribs are usually taken from the flat ends of ribs 6 through 9 and are cut only a few inches long. The ends of ribs 10 through 12 have more fat than meat.


Back ribs are the portion remaining after a rib roast is boned. The full back ribs are long and do not have a lot of meat, but they are tender and tasty when grilled.


Stockyards Meat Packing Company of Chicago

Beef Short Rib Flanken Style 4-5oz 1” Thick
Beef Short Rib English cut “1- Bone”14-16oz
Beef Short Rib English Frenched 1-Bone 14-16oz
Beef Back Rib Choice Bone in Extra Meaty 60/lb


For More Information about Stockyard Meat Packing Company, or US Foodservice please call Brian Isaeff, at 925-588-3279

Stock Yards The World's Finest Steaks and Chops

Chicago’s World Fair of 1893 was an event credited with introducing such culinary innovations as the Hamburger, Hot Dogs on buns, Aunt Jemima syrup, and Juicy Fruit gum.

Just a few miles northwest of the fairgrounds, within view of the vast Union Stockyards that once made Chicago “hog butcher to the world”, the family owned meat packing company Stock Yards Packing Company was opening their doors.

Stock Yards Packing Company was built on commitment to service, savings, satisfaction and selection. More than 119 years later, that commitment still shines- and descendants of the founding Pollack family still manage the Chicago operation.

Here dedication to the customer is rivaled only by the depth of knowledge and experience of the associates, many of whom have been with the company for 20 years or more. From the Butchers to the Sales Managers to the selectors who pack the Angus Certified USDA Prime and USDA Choice aged beef for shipment to customers; everyone shares a meaty passion for excellence.

Today, Stock Yards Meat Packing Company is a unit of U.S. Foodservice Specialty Operations. “The center of the plate is the center of the restaurateur’s world, and of ours,” says Southeast Region Stock Yards President John Bush, part of the sixteen packing plants positioned from coast to coast.

He is referring to the fact that COP offerings represent the restaurant buyer’s single most significant cost. With famous white-cloth customers like Morton’s of Chicago, Gibson’s Steak House, Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant, and the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in LA- along with scores of other elegant venues across the country.

The Power Of Referrals

Parsnips, Turnips, Rutabagas…Rooting for You!

Don’t pity the poor root vegetable…terms like ‘ugly’ just roll right off their gnarled, misshapen backs. More important is they’re no longer being overlooked, and in 2015, show every sign of rising to the top of the veggie plate. Celery roots and kohlrabi are the new kale, but even better, because these humble vegetables can replace the equally humble potatoes, with lots more flavor, in a fat-free, low-sodium, high-fiber, vitamin and mineral-rich way. This makes them beloved by restaurateurs, foodies and nutritionists alike, the culinary version of a hat trick. Mashed parsnips and beet chips are just the beginning, here’s a look at how creative chefs are digging into this trend…

Roast. Basic, but arguably the best way to enjoy the root. America’s Test Kitchen recommends a mix of carrots and parsnips, whose flavors are concentrated and caramelized in the heat of the oven. To speed up the cooking process, the vegetables are microwaved and then placed on a preheated baking sheet for browning. Also consider Maple Roasted Parsnips, made with pure maple syrup that pairs well with the veggie’s slight spiciness, Balsamic-Roasted Beets to counter the sweetness, and Orange-Glazed Carrots.

Praise the braise. Award-winning cookbook author Molly Stevens found that braising root veggies was even tastier than classic meat-based braises like pot roast and pork belly. The age-old technique of cooking ingredients gently with a little bit of liquid in a covered pot can “coax even the humblest plants into memorable dishes, releasing their essences into the seasoned liquid, emerging infused with flavor and bathed in a savory sauce.” The more rugged the veggie, the better, so bring it on: carrots, onions, turnips, rutabagas, fennel, leeks, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Jerusalem artichokes, endive, parsnips, salsify, escarole, mustard greens, collards and daikon radishes. For liquid, the choices are equally abundant: water, broth, wine, cider, beer, fruit juice, canned tomato, coconut milk, cream, and used sparingly, vinegar, soy sauce or fish sauce. Seasonings can range from the simple salt and pepper to aromatic herbs and spices, perhaps sautéed in a bit of oil before adding to the vegetables and liquid. Even bolder, fry up bacon, sausage or pancetta and use it to flavor the dish…a technique that’s catching fire in 2015.  Stevens suggests a braise-and-glaze finish--remove the baking pan lid at the very end and turn up the heat to evaporate any remaining liquid into a glaze that coats the vegetables, and allow it to caramelize slightly for a natural sweetness.

Puree. Root veggies, simmered, processed and smooth, earn their keep in top kitchens, such as Charleston’s James Beard-award-nominee The Ordinary, where Chef Mike Lata whips up an extraordinary Root-Vegetable Pasta Carbonara. Using a “luscious purée of parsnip and celery root both lightens up and boosts the flavor; the vegetables stretch the sauce so it completely cloaks the noodles,” reports “Slow Food Fast” columnist Kitty Greenwald in the Wall Street Journal. “The flavor is more complex, parsnips are very sweet, and celery root has an aromatic quality that adds savoriness.”

Grill/sauté. Beets are positively transformed by the grill, which brings out an earthy sweetness and adds a deep smoky flavor; their sugars become almost candied and charred, according to OneGreenPlanet.org. Prep is easy, peel, slice, brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes. Radishes thinly sliced and pan fried until caramelized also make a deliciously non-decadent side.

Bake. The mysterious-sounding kohlrabi, tasting like a cross between cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli stems, cooks ups into great, healthy fries. Cut into French fry-shaped sticks, toss with olive oil and spices and bake until crisp.

Mash. As a stand in for potatoes, call in the rutabagas, also known as a Swedish turnip. Peel, chop, boil and mash them up, add milk, butter, salt and pepper, and you have a completely low-cal and Vitamin-C rich alternative to the spud.