Quality grades established by the U.S.D.A. (United States Department of Agriculture) serve to identify the eating characteristics of meat products, such as tenderness and palatability. There are a total of 8 quality grades assigned to beef. Yet, most quality retail establishments only offer beef that has earned one of the top three. These top three grades in order from highest to lowest quality are U.S.D.A. Prime, U.S.D.A. Choice, and U.S.D.A. Select. The grade is assigned to the carcass not individuals cuts of meat. Evaluations of the animal’s sex characteristics, maturity, the quality of the lean muscle and the degree of marbling are used to establish grade. The purpose of grading is to provide consumers a system for making purchasing decisions with the maximum level of consistency and reliability.

All J.B. Hendry meat products have been vacuum-sealed after being carved, and then immediately frozen. This ensures that your meat products retain the proper moisture and color. This packaging is perfect for you to use for continued freezer storage. For best results we do recommend that your freezer be kept at 0 degrees F or below. Below is the recommended maximum storage times for various products.

Up to 3 months - Shrimp, Scallops, Steak Burger, Ground Meats

Up to 6 months - All Beef Steaks & Roasts, Veal Chops & Rack Roasts, Pork Chops & Roasts, Lamb Chops & Rack Roast, Bison, Venison, Chicken Breast, Bacon, Sausages, and Spiral Ham

Exceeding these recommendations may cause the quality of your products to decline and with certain items you may risk health issues. We do not recommend ever storing any products longer than 12 months.

Unless instructed otherwise, all J.B. Hendry products should be thawed in the refrigerator. It is recommended that you place products on a dish or in a container, as it is possible for leakage to occur. This may happen due to small pin holes in the packaging. This is not a concern as long as the product was kept frozen or in the refrigerator while thawing. If leakage does occur and fluid spills in the refrigerator, you should clean it up immediately with a sanitizing product. You should never thaw product at room temperature or under hot water. While it is possible for meat products to thaw in cold water, it is not recommended.

Thawing times vary but as a guideline most steaks, chops, chicken breast and other small packages will usually thaw within 24 hours in the refrigerator. Larger items such as roasts and hams can take from 2-3 days. Below is the recommended time in which you should cook products once thawed:

Within 2 days - All seafood and poultry products

Within 5 days - All steaks, chops and roast

Within 7 days - Sausages and Bacons

These are just recommendations. The temperature of your refrigerator, the container product is stored in, and other factors can effect shelf life.

Steaks and chops may be refrozen as long as they have not been thawed for more than one day, and have been kept refrigerated the entire time they have been thawed.

At J.B. Hendry we go through great lengths to ensure that our meat products are carved and trimmed in the best possible manner to make preparation simple. But, you do have to be sure that all packaging has been removed. Many of our items, like bone-in steaks and chops, have a small piece of clear plastic over the bones known as a bone guard. Be sure to locate and remove this guard prior to cooking.

J.B. Hendry meat products are of the highest quality and are properly aged. Therefore, they offer outstanding natural flavor. While there are many ways to prepare the selections we offer, we always recommend keeping it simple. Applying a light even coat of olive oil and a basic seasoning mix, such as J.B. Hendry All Purpose Seasoning mix is perfect for almost all cuts.

Our versatile selection of meats may be broiled, baked, grilled, smoked, pan fried or roasted. In most cases the right choice is simply based on personal preference. The key to a great steak, roast, or chop is to cook it to your liking. However, most gourmet chefs prefer to serve meats, excluding pork and chicken, at medium rare for best texture, juiciness, and flavor. It is generally not recommended that meat be cooked well done as it usually depletes meat of its natural juices. There are two ways in which you can test meat for doneness. One is by touch and the other is by temperature. To test doneness by touch carefully press meat with your finger. Rare meat will feel soft and flexible. Medium cooked meat with feel more springy and somewhat firm. Well done meat will feel very firm and unyielding. If you prefer to test meat with a thermometer below is a recommended guideline to follow for gourmet quality cooking. The USDA temperature guidelines are approximately 10-15 higher.

It is recommended that meats are cooked on one side for several minutes then flipped and cooked on the other side until desired doneness. Here is a broad guideline to follow:

These times would then need to be adjusted based on thickness of cut and cooking method used. As an example, broiling (2-3” below the heat) meat will usually take 1-2 minutes longer per side than grilling, as the temperature is not as hot.

For further assistance in cooking any of our items you may contact customer service at (888)361-4575.

Important- Because meats continue to cook after they have been removed from the heat source, you should always remove them when the internal temperature is 5 below desired temperature for steaks and chops, and 10-15 below for roasts. Once removed from the heat you should allow the meat to rest before cutting or slicing. Steaks and chops should rest at least 5 -10 minutes and roast should rest 10-20 minutes. Allowing meat to rest the appropriate time will help ensure that meat remains juicy. When meat is cut fresh off the heat the juices tend to escape, when meat rests the juices are evenly distributed throughout the cut for overall better taste and moistness.