Introduction
In the last decade, demand for the more tender middle cuts of beef (rib and loin) has increased, and demand for the tougher end cuts of beef (chuck and round) has decreased. This increased demand for the beef rib and loin is shown by an increasing retail price spread between middle meats and end cuts (BLS, 2002). Additionally, as demand for middle cuts increased, the average retail beef prices remained relatively unchanged during the 1990s because of the lower demand for chuck and round cuts. Traditionally, chuck has been merchandised in the form of low priced roasts. According to Purcell (1993), families with more than one wage earner have decreased their consumption of the beef chuck roast, probably because of the time required to prepare a roast.