What Is Certified Angus Beef?

Thanks to Meijer for sponsoring today’s post “What Is Certified Angus Beef?”

If you follow me on Instagram then you know I got to spend some time with the Certified Angus Beef® team at their beautiful Culinary Center in Wooster, Ohio thanks to my partnership with Meijer. In our house I {used to} rely on my husband to decide which steaks to buy, and how to cook them, so when I was asked to participate, I was so excited to go and learn!

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious as I was leaving my three boys at home. This was only the second time I’ve been away from any of my boys alone. My oldest is almost 8-years-old, so it’s definitely been a while.

I was anxious until I landed in Ohio, then I was just excited to eat several meals without having to worry about screaming kids. Plus, there was the added bonus of sleeping in a bed all to myself. JAs much as I love it when our boys come cuddle with us in the middle of the night, it was nice to not be disturbed.

Certified Angus Beef® Event

To start the trip off, we went to dinner at The Olde Jail Steakhouse in Wooster, which offered a menu full of chef inspired Certified Angus Beef® brand steaks. It was a great opportunity to get to know the other influencers, and to learn about the Certified Angus Beef® brand.

The next morning, we learned all about beef with their resident meat scientist. We really got hands-on while exploring the different beef cuts, learning the importance of knowing your local butcher, and knowing how to communicate with them.

I had the best time meeting Lisa, Liz, and Ben

If you don’t feel confident in your knowledge about beef, and how to cook it, ask your local butcher, which in my case here in Illinois is at Meijer. Meijer has a long-standing relationship with Certified Angus Beef brand – and recently even started carrying Certified Angus Beef Prime in all their stores, which is the absolute best quality beef. I love that if you can’t find the cut of meat you are looking for, you can ask for what you need at the meat counter at Meijer.

Luckily, for all of us, our friends at Certified Angus Beef® have created the Roast Perfect App to educate people on all things beef! The app tells you everything from choosing the right roast for your recipe, what size to buy, cooking instructions, and much more! It’s like having one of their world class chefs sitting there cooking your meal with you. Pretty great right?

I mean, I can’t think of anything better. Cooking a good roast can be scary when the stakes are high during the holidays – so trust me, you need this app!

Certified Angus Beef® Recipes

We learned all about their recipe testing process and which ones make the cut to getting posted on the Certified Angus Beef® website. Their chefs really take the time to perfect each recipe and once each recipe reaches their high standards, they have families make it and give feedback on what they thought. They only share real crowd pleasers, like these Crispy Baked Beef Stogies pictured above.

Needless to say, every recipe on the Certified Angus Beef® website will knock yours, and your guests’ socks off!

We also had the opportunity to learn how to take the perfect food photo, and how to make our beef look delicious. We all agreed that our ultimate goal is to make you say, “That makes me hungry” when you see our recipes.

I don’t know about you, but I always thought that USDA Choice was a brand, and that meant the meat being served at a restaurant or sold at the grocery story was the best we could buy. Boy was I wrong!

Here are a few facts that I learned, that I think will be useful to you as well:

USDA Choice is not a brand, but a grading scale. In order for beef to be considered Certified Angus Beef® brand – they must either be Choice or Prime – truly the top of the scale.
100% of beef processed in federally inspected packaging plants is overseen and inspected by the USDA
Angus is a breed of cattle
Certified Angus Beef® brand is a non-profit that works for farmers, so their livelihood matches their effort. Certified Angus Beef® brand markets their beef
Grain gives beef its marble. Marbling makes the meat melt in your mouth. No marbling, and your meat will not be soft
Certified Angus Beef® brand has the highest standard when it comes to grading their meat.

Look for their logo or all three words “Certified Angus Beef®”

Be on the lookout for these logos, so you can be sure your beef is a cut above!