The quality of the yield (the weight of edible meat in relation to the weight of the live animal) vary from each breed of cattle. Beef cattle (the most popular in France being Charolais and Limousin) are specially bred for high meat production. The proportion of muscle is high with relatively small amounts of fat. The young males are sometimes castrated to speed up the fattening process. Bullocks are slaughtered at 24 to 40 months of age (before this they are known as bouvillons in France).

Heifers that are not required for breeding are also slaughtered at this age, providing meat which is very tender and full of flavour. Today, there has been a trend towards raising uncastrated males. They grow more rapidly and therefore can be slaughtered at the ages between 16 to 24 months, but their meat is sometimes criticized for its lack of flavour.

Good quality beef should be bright red and shiny in appearance and firm but springy to the touch, with a light sweet scent. It should have little channels of white or slightly yellowish fat; when a lot of fat is present in the muscle, the meat is described as marbled. In order to be tender, beef must be matured after slaughtering, for a period varying from a few days to a week, (3 to 4 weeks at 29°F, 15 days at 0°F, 2 days at 68°F, or 1 day at 110°F) depending on the temp. Most of the time it is hung in a cool room at 35°F for 5 to 6 days. This is called ageing.

Roast Beef Cuts of beef for roasting are generally taken from the hindquarter and include fillet, sirloin, rump, topside and rib; of these the prime roasts are fillet, sirloin and rolled rib.

In France the meat is usually barded and tied up in advance by the butcher, but it will taste fresher when it is cut and prepared on demand. In England it is served pink and very tender inside, browned and a little dry outside; the traditional accompaniments are horseradish sauce and yorkshire pudding. In France it is cooked with the inside a little bloody, the rest of the meat pink and the outside rather browner.

Advice on cooking - Take the beef out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking it; it can be studded with two or three pieces of garlic. The meat will be more tender if it is cooked steadily in a moderately hot oven, rather than rapidly in a hot oven. Place the meat in a hot oven 450°F (230°C), allowing 15 to 20 minutes 1 pound (454 g) for a medium roast (a little longer if the joint is thick). A very tender prime roast can be cooked rapidly in a hot oven, allowing 12 to 15 minutes per pound.