Beef’s Next “Big” Thing: New cuts from the chuck roll

Aug 6, 2007 3:16 PM

A new line of Beef Value Cuts – this time fabricated from the beef chuck roll – is slated for a 2008 rollout, according to the checkoff-funded Beef Innovations Group (BIG), which is coordinating research and marketing efforts to expand the value cuts program.

BIG expects at least four new cuts from the chuck roll to debut in foodservice and retail channels in 2008. The new cuts include tender steaks for grilling, an affordable elegant roast for dry roasting, boneless country-style ribs and a fully cooked sumptuous roast. The new cuts represent the “next frontier” in the value cuts program that began in the late 1990s with the checkoff’s groundbreaking muscle profiling research. Expanding the value cuts line is among the checkoff-funded tools aimed at reaching the industry’s Long Range Plan goal to increase beef demand another 10 percent by 2010.

“Optimizing the chuck roll should be great for consumers, operators and retailers, processors, packers, steak cutters and beef producers,” says Tom Hotz, an Iowa beef producer and chairman of the Joint New Products and Culinary Initiatives Committee.

“Consumers will get new and economical steaks and roasts bursting with great beef flavor, and that’s positive news for producers. Cattle-Fax estimates that the first group of value cuts, led by the Flat Iron and the Petite Tender, added $50 to $60 a head to the value of the chuck, so we know from experience how popular products can affect our bottom line,” he adds.

“We expect these flavorful cuts to offer versatility and value, work well with high volume cooking and present increased profit opportunities for producers, packers, processors, retailers and foodservice operators,” says Ellen Gibson, executive director of the checkoff-funded new-product initiatives. “The chuck roll also lends itself well to home-style and ethnic dishes.”

The first round of value cuts has experienced dramatic growth in both foodservice and retail channels. To date, cuts like the Flat Iron, Petite Tender and Ranch Steak have been menued in about 20,000 U.S. restaurants and sold in some 9,900 grocery stores across the country.

BIG is a team of culinary professionals, food scientists, marketing, operations and research experts working together to inspire beef and veal product innovation and facilitate success by providing information, insights, ideas, science and tools to the beef industry. Visit http://www.beefinnovationsgroup.com for more information.

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