Generally, the meat grades refer more to the marbling of the meat and it's quite possible to find a blood vessel in prime as much as choice or select. A lot of meat does not even get graded, but can be just as expensive, and even better quality.

And please DO NOT USE PRIME MEAT FOR POT ROAST. Well, I guess you could, but you'd be throwing away your money.

I was completely grossed out by the chuck roast I bought last week (no idea what grade, from Wegman's) but that could be because I'm pregnant. Either way, after that and now this... may go prime for the next pot roast.

Anonymous wrote:This kind of stuff happens when you buy "choice" grade meat. I wouldn't buy anything labeled "choice." It's the lowest grade you can get while still selling in commercial stores.

Lol. You are a complete food snob yet have zero actual food knowledge. The worst sort of fool.

Costco carries prime too. Steakhouses have cut back and the cows have to go somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:This kind of stuff happens when you buy "choice" grade meat. I wouldn't buy anything labeled "choice." It's the lowest grade you can get while still selling in commercial stores.

This is not correct. USDA choice is what is sold in the vast majority of supermarkets and it is absolutely fine. USDA prime is the next step up, but it is extremely expensive and is served in the top steakhouses. It is not available in very many supermarkets, but Wegmans does carry it. Here are the grades, in order of quality

USDA Prime
USDA Choice
USDA Select
USDA Standard
USDA Utility

Anonymous wrote:I think it's unusual and I wouldn't eat it, or even bother cooking it, but I'm totally squeamish about meat. You provided fair warning the thread would be gross, but I probably won't eat meat for a week after reading this. Anything that's even remotely questionable, I don't eat. We spend way too much money on meat as a result

Oh for the love of god

Anonymous wrote:It's unusual, because 1) blood is drained during butchering and 2) most large vessels are removed during butchering as the cuts are separated from each other. But there is nothing inherently wrong or gross about it. You are being a little squeamish.

OP here, you are correct, I'm being squeamish-- more than a little! I don't even really like meat but my husband does. I might go vegetarian for a month or so after this. Thanks all for your responses.

Anonymous wrote:This kind of stuff happens when you buy "choice" grade meat. I wouldn't buy anything labeled "choice." It's the lowest grade you can get while still selling in commercial stores.

No, that's Select. Choice meat is perfectly fine for a roast, the only grade better is Prime which seems like overkill for pot roast to me. If you want to spend that, go ahead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef#USDA_beef_grades

I think it's unusual and I wouldn't eat it, or even bother cooking it, but I'm totally squeamish about meat. You provided fair warning the thread would be gross, but I probably won't eat meat for a week after reading this. Anything that's even remotely questionable, I don't eat. We spend way too much money on meat as a result

This kind of stuff happens when you buy "choice" grade meat. I wouldn't buy anything labeled "choice." It's the lowest grade you can get while still selling in commercial stores.

It's unusual, because 1) blood is drained during butchering and 2) most large vessels are removed during butchering as the cuts are separated from each other. But there is nothing inherently wrong or gross about it. You are being a little squeamish.

Didn't want to gross anybody out with a more descriptive subject line-- but I purchased a chuck roast graded "choice" today and it contained a rather large blood vessel full of blood.
Is that something one would expect with a chuck roast? I've never seen it before, but I have probably only purchased roasts 5 times or so.
I trimmed it and removed the vein but it seems like the butcher would have removed it.