Consider Your Purpose

• The cut of meat you choose should be determined by the meal you plan to make with it. For stir-fry, fajitas or curry, choose an inexpensive cut, such as flank steak, skirt steak or tri-tip steak. These steaks aren't as tender as prime rib or tenderloin, but they have a rich, beefy flavor, and when cut thinly across the grain, they become more tender. For a simple pot roast or stew, choose tougher cuts of meat, such as chuck, brisket or top round. These cuts become tender and flavorful when slowly braised. For a special dinner, when nothing but the most tender beef will do, select high end cuts, such as ribeye, prime rib or tenderloin.

Examine the Meat

• To choose good beef, whatever the quality, learn what each cut should look like. Bottom round, for example, is a leaner cut than chuck roast, and will never contain as much marbling. The muscle fibers in brisket are very obvious and this cut may also contain little fat. You may also notice white pieces of connective tissue running through the meat. Once you've decided on a specific cut, pick the package that contains the most marbling, characterized by small white lines running through the meat. The meat should be firm, with no excess liquid or strange smell. A bright red color is appealing, but it may not always indicate freshness. Some meat packagers add carbon monoxide to the packaging to preserve the bright red color of freshly cut meat. Check the sell-by date on the package to ensure freshness.

Check the Label

• All meat sold in the U.S. is inspected for safety and food quality, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers an additional voluntary meat grading process to meat packagers. Meat is graded based on the amount of marbling, as well as its flavor, juiciness and tenderness. The highest grade is prime, followed by choice, select and standard. Most grocery stores sell select, although a few high-end grocers or warehouse stores sell choice. Prime grade is generally found only in butcher shops. For simple weekly meals, meat graded as choice is probably sufficient, but it's worth seeking out a higher grade meat for a holiday meal or other special occasion. Meats graded choice typically cost 25 percent more than those graded select. A meat graded prime can cost double. Meats graded select are almost always considered lean, meaning they contain less than 10 grams of fat per serving.

Watch Your Wallet

• Buying beef can be a major blow to your wallet, with typical prices ranging between $3 and $8 per pound at the time of publication. The higher grades of meat cost more, as do marbled tender cuts, and beef labeled organic or grass-fed. To save money, buy in bulk. Repackage the beef at home into quart-size plastic freezer bags. Cut up roasts to make stew meat, and cut whole steaks for kebabs or stir-fry, rather than buying presliced meat.