Marbling of Meats and Tenderness

Marbling is the fat that runs through the flesh of meat. When the meat is cooked, the fat melts, and this helps keep the meat moist as well as flavoring the meat.

Cuts with more marbling are higher in total fat, but it is a fallacy that more marbling makes for a more tender cut of beef. For the most part, the marbling simply adds more fat.

Where the meat comes from on the animal and how much the muscle has been used, the type of animal, how it is raised, what it is fed, and how the meat is cooked are far more important factors than marbling. Tenderloin, for instance, has very little marbled fat and is the most tender cut. Read More "The Health of It All..." Articles