By Jeff Burbrink
Ag & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Purdue Extension LaGrange County

LAGRANGE — As an agricultural oriented person, when I hear the word “beef,” I automatically think of steaks, filet mignon, hamburger and other cattle-oriented terms. My parents raised between 100-120 head of beef each year in southern Indiana, often culled dairy calves or dairy steers coming out of Kentucky, eventually processed at Stadler Packing company in my hometown of Columbus.

Jeff Burbrink

As a 4-Her, I exhibited beef steers at the fair, and prided myself by having the highest appraised animal in the barn each of my 10 years in the project, while winning reserve grand my final year!

Some people hear the word beef and have a different association. The term beef cake, for instance, is a word that refers to a well-muscled young man, thought to have been coined by a Hollywood director who liked to use handsome male extras in his films to attract the eye of potential movie goers.

Another use of the word beef originated in Old England, and signifies an argument, or conflict between people. The phrase “I have a beef with that” or a “hot beef” has become a part of our modern-day language in the U.S., usually referring to a heated discussion between people.

But for most of us, beef refers to various cuts of meat derived from cattle. Chuck, or shoulder is often a staple in stews and pot roast. Briskets are a cut best slow roasted, barbecued, or smoked, often used in corned beef. A flank cut comes for the lower abdomen, used for dishes like fajitas or flank steak. Ribs, considered one of the more desirable cuts by many people, are often served with various sauces, and prepared on the grill.

The hindquarter is home to the loins, The short loin consistent of T-bone, porterhouse and strip steak, while the sirloin, which is slightly less tender, is considered to be tastier. The tenderloin, the most tender portion of the hindquarter, is the source of filet mignon, tournedos and porterhouse.

Hamburger, a popular way to consume beef in the U.S., traces its origins to Hamburg, Germany in the 1840s, where some of the less desirable cuts of beef were mixed with off-cuts from more desirable cuts, ground up, and shaped into patties. German immigrants were said to have brought hamburger to the U.S. when they arrived in New York in the 1870-90s, and they were a featured food at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904.

Of course, every part of the animal has a use. The footballs used in professional and college ranks, often called pigskins, are actually crafted from cowhide. The pigskin reference arose from the bladders of pigs being used for the inner lining of the football. Modern footballs use a more reliable synthetic bladder to stay inflated. Soaps, hand creams, pet foods, rawhide chew toys, paintbrushes, paper, sandpaper, and gelatins among a large number of consumer products that contain beef byproducts.