On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity of their meat. After the Norman Conquest, the French-speaking nobles who ruled England beef chunks recipes used French words to refer to the meats they were served.

Lascaux, show aurochs in hunting scenes. In the United States, the growth of the beef business was largely due to expansion in the Southwest. Agricultural land worldwide could be reduced by almost half if no beef or mutton were eaten. The consumption of beef poses numerous threats to the natural environment.

Earth, not including the large agricultural fields that are used to grow cattle feed. Amazon region, are being converted to agriculture for meat production. In 2018, the United States, Brazil, and China produced the most beef with 12. 57 million metric tons of beef in 2020, down 950K metric tons from the prior year. Major decline for production of beef was from India up to 510k and Australia down to 309K metric tons from the prior year.

Beef is first divided into primal cuts, large pieces of the animal initially separated by butchering. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. The term “primal cut” is quite different from “prime cut”, used to characterize cuts considered to be of higher quality. This section does not cite any sources.

Wet aging is accomplished using vacuum packaging to reduce spoilage and yield loss. After two to three days there are significant effects. The majority of the tenderizing effect occurs in the first 10 days. Boxed beef, stored and distributed in vacuum packaging, is, in effect, wet aged during distribution. Premium steakhouses dry age for 21 to 28 days or wet age up to 45 days for maximum effect on flavor and tenderness. Meat from less tender cuts or older cattle can be mechanically tenderized by forcing small, sharp blades through the cuts to disrupt the proteins.

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. These methods are applicable to all types of meat and some other foodstuffs. This leads to searing of the surface of the beef, which creates a flavorsome crust. In Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany and The Netherlands, grilling, particularly over charcoal, is sometimes known as barbecuing, often shortened to “BBQ”.

A technique of cooking that involves cooking meat for long periods of time at low temperatures with smoke from a wood fire. A term used in North America. It is similar to grilling, but with the heat source always above the meat. Elsewhere this is considered a way of grilling. Meat may be cooked on a hot metal griddle. A way of cooking meat in a hot oven, producing roast beef.