Alan Lehman/Daily
Randy Flowers cuts sirloin steaks at Gore's Custom Slaughter and Processing Inc. in Frederick County.

By Charlotte J. Eller
(Daily Staff Writer)

STEPHENS CITY -When Joe Gore decides to grill steaks for members of his family, there's one thing they can count on: the meat will be tender, flavorful and juicy. That's because Gore and his brother, Jeff, know good beef when they see it.

Jeff and Joe Gore are president and vice president, respectively, of Gore's Custom Slaughter and Processing Inc., a family-owned business on Double Church Road, southeast of Stephens City. Their grandfather, the late Fred B. Gore, started the business in 1961, and later turned it over to their dad, the late Frederick M. Gore.

Their knowledge of beef and pork, the business' specialties, is born of experience.

Since they were boys, they have been working in the family business, slaughtering, cutting and processing beef and pork for special orders, supermarkets and retail sales.

But for many beginning cooks -- or even some who are more experienced -- choosing a good steak or roast isn't easy. They may know some cuts, like sirloin tip roasts or T-bone steak, but beyond that, the decision on what to buy can be difficult.

For starters, beef should be bright red, preferably with some fat marbling showing around the meat's outer edges, Joe Gore said.

Beef comes in three grades: prime, choice and select, his brother said. The prime grade usually contains the most fat and is the most expensive.

Select is generally the leanest and can be best for people concerned with cholesterol levels. It also is generally less expensive. But it also can be the toughest, Jeff Gore said. Beef in that category includes top and bottom round steaks and roasts.

Some people pan-fry the less expensive steaks, including both types of round, which also is called cube steak, after they are run through a tenderizer.

One of the best ways to prepare the select beef cuts is in a crock pot or slow cooker, where they generally do well, said Julie Shelhamer, Virginia Cooperative Extension Service food, nutrition and health agent for the Northern Shenandoah Valley. The liquid and the low, slow heat help to tenderize the tougher, leaner cuts, she said.

Choice grade combines the best of both worlds, with just enough fat to give the meat flavor when it's cooked but not enough to be excessive, Jeff Gore said. Fat can be trimmed off after it is cooked.

Besides pan-frying, steak also is grilled or broiled, both of which are popular, Joe Gore said. "They usually are fixed on a grill these days," he added.

Most steaks come from the beef's hindquarters while roasts, including rib, chuck and arm roasts, generally are found in the front quarters of the animal, Joe Gore said.

There are a few exceptions, however. Delmonicos, also known as rib steaks, are the only steaks found in the front quarters. The eye round, sirloin tip and rump roasts are the only roasts found in the hindquarters.

Some steaks have different names for what is essentially the same piece of meat. When a porterhouse steak is cut, it yields a T-bone and a filet mignon, Joe Gore said. Also, when the bone is removed from a T-bone , the result is a New York strip steak. A Delmonico, one of the most tender steaks, is a boneless rib steak also known as rib-eye.

As for flavor and tenderness, filet mignon also ranks high, Joe Gore said. A sirloin, however, is a mid-grade steak with a good flavor but not as tender as Delmonico

Delmonico steaks, Joe Gore's favorite, are among the best for grilling, along with the porterhouse and T-bone, he said.

The steak is the most tender and desirable part of the meat, brothers agreed. But roasts, which take longer to cook, also fill a need on the dinner table.

Both steak and roasts are rich sources of protein, iron and zinc. They also contain the B-vitamins, Shelhamer said.

But Shelhamer said people often forget that beef's average serving is only about the size of the palm of an average hand.

"A lot of us tend to overeat the red meats," she said. "Granted, you can eat more, but just realize you are eating more than a serving."

When choosing a roast, shoppers need to remember that arm roasts contain a little round bone while a chuck roast contains a blade of bone down the center and bone around its edges. There also are boneless chuck roasts.

An eye round roast, which also is boneless, is a long, slender, relatively low-fat roll of meat that has good flavor and generally is rather small.

A third boneless roast is the sirloin tip, which is the leanest of the roasts. Rib roast, which generally is a large roast, is popular and is better known as prime rib of beef, served after it has been cut into individual servings. Rump roasts, however, are the best tasting and most moist, both men said.

For most beef cuts, the key is being aware of the fat percentage, Shelhamer said.

"They're doing a better job of labeling meat, especially ground beef," she said. "It will tell the percent of lean and fat content. And you can go by that."