Beef up your May

Warm May weather brings out beautiful flowers and every type of grill. Enjoy the warm weather and help celebrate Beef Month while enjoying your favorite cut of beef. Beef is packed with nutrients and is offered in a variety of lean cuts.

What is the value of beef? While you may already know that beef is packed full of nutrients and tastes good, consuming beef also helps you reach your Percent Daily Value (DV) for way more than protein. Just a three-ounce serving of beef provides the nutrients to help you throughout your day.

Beef’s big 10 essential nutrients allow for a satisfying meal packed with nutrients: protein = 48% DV (for a 2,000-calorie diet), Vitamin B12 = 44% DV, selenium = 40% DV, zinc = 36% DV, niacin = 26% DV, Vitamin B6 = 22% DV, phosphorus = 19% DV, chlorine = 16% DV, iron = 12% DV and riboflavin = 10% DV.

Wondering more about the nutrition of your beef? According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines include at least 29 cuts of beef that are considered lean or extra lean. Examples include round steak, sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, 95-percent lean ground beef and many more.

The guidelines state that “lean” is less than 10 grams (g) total fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat and less than 95 mg cholesterol per 3.5 ounce serving. “Extra lean” is described as less than 5 g total fat, less than 2 g saturated fat and less than 95 mg cholesterol per 3.5 ounce serving. The important part to note is that the serving size noted is 3.5 ounces. Often, the serving size consumed or served may be larger than 3.5 ounces. You can easily compare this size to the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.

What are popular beef cuts to grill? Grilling season is full of opportunities when it comes to beef. The following steaks are the most popular grilling beef cuts: strip steak boneless, ribeye steak boneless, top sirloin steak boneless, ribeye steak bone-in, T-bone steak bone-in, chuck center steak, petite sirloin steak, strip steak bone-in, tenderloin steak and porterhouse steak.

Find great recipes for grilling beef on the Beef -- It’s What’s for Dinner website. Information from this article can be found on the Michigan State University Extension website.

I want to learn more about beef! Consider joining the Making the Cut – Meat Masters webinar provided by Purdue University Women in Agriculture team on May 22 from 12-1 p.m. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y83ma4k4. This webinar will cover how to prepare specific cuts of beef and pork while optimizing their nutrition. If you can’t watch it live, still register and a link to the recording will be emailed to you.

Visit our homepage at www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local Purdue Extension office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs.

While many publications are free, some do have a fee. Purdue University is an equal access/equal opportunity institution. All times listed are Eastern Time.

Upcoming Events

May 14 – Gardening Tips for Everyone – Disease Scouting & Control, 1 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/garden4everyone

May 18 – Eating Well with Diabetes webinar – 2 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/eatingwithDM

May 21 – Best Practices for Backyard Chickens – What Bird is Right for Me?, 1 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/bestchickens

May 22 – Making the Cut – Meat Masters webinar, 12 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/y83ma4k4

May 28 – Best Practices for Backyard Chickens – Preventative Measures for a Happy, Healthy Bird, 1 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/bestchickens

June 4 – Best Practices for Backyard Chickens – Keeping Your Birds Safe, 1 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/bestchickens

July 1 – (NEW) 4-H Livestock enrollment deadline