Low prices for prime beef are a boon for home cooks

o American Kobe — Beef produced in America from hybrids of the Wagyu breed, which is the source of Japan’s Kobe beef. American Kobe producers claim that their beef can have more than 10 times the marbling required for the USDA Prime grade.

o Certified Angus beef — A brand name for beef from Angus cattle; can be choice or prime grade. In addition, the beef meets specifications for marbling, maturity, uniformity, appearance and tenderness.

o Choice — The second-highest grade given by the USDA, below prime. Grades are based on the amount of marbling in the beef.

o Dry-aged — Beef that is hung in a refrigerated cooler at a specific temperature and humidity for at least 10 days before being cut. The aging evaporates moisture from the muscle, concentrating the flavor, and allows the beef’s natural enzymes to tenderize the beef. This method reduces the weight of the beef by about 20 percent.

o Grass-fed — Beef from cattle that are raised on an all-grass diet, rather than the more common practice of feeding them grain toward the end of their lives. Grass-fed beef has a more complex — and some say milder — flavor than grain-fed beef, less marbling, more omega-3 fatty acids and less saturated fat.

o Prime — The highest grade given by the USDA, signifying the most-marbled beef. (Prime rib is a specific cut of beef. Its name has no relation to USDA grading.)

o Select — The lowest USDA grade, below choice.

o Wet-aged — Beef that is vacuum-packed in plastic and aged at temperatures of 34 to 38 degrees for at least seven days. Wet-aging is used for about 90 percent of aged beef because it doesn’t cause loss of saleable product, as does dry-aging.

For steak lovers, it’s like stumbling upon a hidden treasure. You’re in a warehouse club, and there, at the far end of the meat selection, is a stash of beef labeled “USDA Prime.”

Not only that: The rib-eye, for example, is selling for less than $11 a pound, only a few dollars more than the USDA Choice rib-eyes a few yards away.

“The price of prime earlier this year was lower than it had been since before the millennium,” says Lou Rook III, chef at Annie Gunn’s restaurant in Chesterfield, Mo.

If you take advantage of those prices, you can make a dinner with the same grade of beef that is served in high-end steakhouses and restaurants.

Top the beef with cabernet garlic thyme butter and pair it with roasted fingerling potatoes and sauteed garlic green beans and you’ve got a memorable feast.

When buying meat, keep in mind that the more “marbling” — the amount of fat distributed evenly among the muscle — the higher the grade from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to USDA statistics, prime accounted for just 2.9 percent of the 21 billion pounds graded in 2008. By far the largest amount, 77.6 percent, fell into the next category down, choice; 12.9 percent received the select grade. The small remaining amount of beef was graded standard, commercial, utility or cutter.

Two of the signature steaks at Annie Gunn’s are a prime strip steak and a prime rib-eye. At the restaurant, Rook serves those steaks with a compound butter, but he makes them even more simply at home.

“Just salt and pepper and some whole butter — there’s nothing better,” Rook says. Before seasoning the steaks at home or at the restaurant, he brushes them with extra-virgin olive oil, although he says that regular olive oil, clarified butter or even canola oil will work for the home griller.

One thing that most people can’t reproduce at home is the grilling temperature — 1,800 degrees — achieved in steakhouse kitchens.

But Rook grills at between 700 and 800 degrees at Annie Gunn’s and at about 600 degrees on his home gas grill.

“I think that too high of a heat can char it and alter the flavor of the meat,” Rook says. “Some people like that, and the steakhouses even boast that their steaks are charred.”

However, Rook says that home cooks should get their grills as hot as possible.

“What you’re trying to do is caramelize the natural sugars to form that great crust,” Rook says. “That, in turn, will give the meat its optimum texture.”

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Adapted from “Morton’s The Cookbook,” by Klaus Fritsch (Clarkson Potter, 2009)

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds fingerling potatoes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together rosemary, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.

In another small bowl, whisk together Worcestershire sauce and oil.

Spread potatoes in a baking dish; drizzle with the oil mixture. Sprinkle the rosemary mixture evenly over the potatoes and toss to coat.

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly browned, tender and cooked through, stirring several times.

Per serving (based on 8): 145 calories; 7g fat; 1g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 2g protein; 20g carbohydrate; 1g sugar; 2g fiber; 320mg sodium; 20mg calcium.

Sauteed Garlic Green Beans

Yield: 4 servings.

Salt

1 pound slender green beans

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Ground white pepper

Set a large bowl filled with water and ice cubes near the stove. In a large pot partly filled with salted boiling water, cook beans for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green. Drain and plunge into ice water. Drain thoroughly. (If making ahead, pat dry, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.)

In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat until bubbling. Add shallot and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until softened.

Add beans, toss a few times and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 120 calories; 9g fat; 6g saturated fat; 25mg cholesterol; 2g protein; 10g carbohydrate; 2g sugar; 4g fiber; 3mg sodium; 60mg calcium.

Cabernet Garlic Thyme Butter

Yield: About 1/2 cup.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup cabernet sauvignon

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns

Kosher salt

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saute pan. Saute garlic and shallots over medium heat until translucent, 2 to 4 minutes.

Stir together Worcestershire, wine and honey in a medium bowl. Pour into hot pan, scraping the bottom gently with a spatula to loosen any cooked bits.

Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. Add thyme and peppercorns and cook until liquid has almost evaporated. Let cool.

Transfer cooked mixture to a food processor or blender and add remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt to taste, and blend briefly until combined. Serve over a freshly grilled steak.

Per tablespoon: 190 calories; 12g fat; 7g saturated fat; 30mg cholesterol; 1g protein; 14g carbohydrate; 10g sugar; 1g fiber; 95mg sodium; 20mg calcium.