Verifying qualities that contribute to a pleasurable eating experience prior to consumption is an obstacle for the beef industry. There are many ways to assess eating quality, such as sensory evaluation, shear force measurement and relying on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) quality grading system. Most recently, research has focused on flavour evaluation and muscle profiling. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for non-destructive assessment of beef sensory properties. The industry has been searching for the perfect tool for prediction of consumer acceptability. The incorporation of palatability assessment values could be included in purveyor and retailer product specifications, while innovative research is needed to discover, modify and implement assessments that do not sacrifice time or costs and meet the demands of beef purveyors, retailers and consumers.