We hypothesized that abomasal infusion of glucose, which would provide more glucose for absorption from the small intestine, would promote intramuscular (i.m.) adipose tissue development to a greater extent than ruminal infusion of acetate, propionate, or glucose. At 22 mo of age, Angus crossbred steers (n = 24) were fitted with ruminal cannulas and adapted to a standard, corn/sorghum finishing diet over a 2-wk period. Subsequently, the steers were infused with isocaloric amounts (3.76 Mcal/d) of glucose, propionate, or acetate. Glucose was infused either into the rumen (control group) or into the abomasum, whereas propionate and acetate were infused into the rumen. Relative to abomasal glucose infusion, acetate infusion decreased DM, OM, DE, and GE intake (P ≤ 0.05). USDA marbling scores were greater in acetate-infused steers than in than in ruminal glucose-infused steers (P = 0.04) and abomasal glucose-infused steers (P = 0.08). Ruminal propionate-infused steers had lower subcutaneous (s.c.) fat thickness over the 12th thoracic rib (P ≤ 0.10) and lower USDA yield grades (P ≤ 0.05) than ruminal acetate-infused steers and ruminal glucose-infused steers (P = 0.05). The lowest proportions of palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid in s.c. adipose tissue was observed in ruminal glucose-infused steers. Acetate infusion decreased the lipid content of i.m. adipose tissue (P = 0.09) and decreased the in vitro incorporation of acetate into fatty acids in s.c. adipose tissue relative to abomasal glucose infusion, ruminal glucose infusion, or propionate infusion (P ≤ 0.02). Carcass data, lipogenesis, and fatty acid composition were analyzed using the General linear mixed models of SPSS statistics. The rate of glucose incorporation into fatty acids was greater in i.m. adipose tissue of propionate-infused steers than in abomasal or ruminal glucose-infused steers (P ≤ 0.07). In summary, abomasal infusion of glucose did not promote higher marbling scores but did cause the greatest amounts of i.m. adipose tissue lipid, whereas propionate infusion promoted the greatest rates of fatty acid synthesis from glucose in i.m. adipose tissue.