20 replies to this topic

[Billy D]

I have read a few threads on the steak topic as well as South American beef vs. the North American. I love beef and I have spent a fair amount of time eating in South America. My findings reveal that personal taste as always dictates ones perception of "the best". Some say, Kobe is the best others South American (Argentine, Venezuelan, Colombian), others Swiss and others North American. With out bias I think that they all have personalities of their own and are all great.
I find that Kobe is perfectly marbleized and has great texture but can be a bit bland. I love the South American beef because it is essentially free range cattle, no hormones, no genetically engineered food, no forced feeding, etc. and it has a lot more flavor similar to game meats. I have found the Swiss beef to have the fat content of the North American variety but more flavor from the grass diet. North American beef has a great fat content but if not aged properly can be a bit bland.
Any way, I know Anil’s preference (I too find Argentine women beautiful) but I wonder if anyone else has an opinion or preference.

[Liza]

I just read Jeffrey Steingarten's chapter on Wagyu beef in "The Man who Ate Everything" and am seriously considering knocking off a bank in order to try some.

We rarely eat beef, but when we do, it's from Lobel's.

[TheBoatMan]

Liza,

I've been buying meat from lobels on special occasions for over 3 years now. I was recently sent a newsletter stating they are now carrying Wagyu beef. I take it by your bank comment you havent tried it yet? I'm curious to give it a shot myself but wow if lobels meat wasnt expensive enough already, now theyve got wagyu. If you try it be sure to post back so I can read your comments. Thanks.

[Liza]

You're right, BoatMan - I forgot about the Wagyu at Lobel's. I'm pretty certain that when the weather cools off and we're dreaming of beef, we'll try some. And I look forward to posting about it!

[vingait]

I like it all; it's all beef, but it really is different. The Wagyu and Kobe beef is very buttery. The Argentine beef has a gamier, chewier, concentrated beef flavor. If your definition of American Beef includes supermarket beef, it is often less tasty because it is pumped full of water to make more money. If you get your American Beef from a butcher, higher-end market or even the grocer, and pay full price, it is usually very good.

Speaking of beef and steaks, have you ever had a hanger steak, or onglet (what the French call it) or the butcher's cut? It is a piece of meat that hangs over one of the cow's kidneys, is very fibrous (only order rare or med. rare) but has a very, very concentrated beefy, grassy, wild flavor. Try it!

[SamanthaF]

British Beef is the best I've tasted.

[mamster]

I just read Jeffrey Steingarten's chapter on Wagyu beef in "The Man who Ate Everything" and am seriously considering knocking off a bank in order to try some.

I'm planning a Tokyo trip over on the Japan board, and someone recommended a beef restaurant (they didn't specify wagyu, but I assume it was) at five HUNDRED dollars per person.

If anyone is dying to find out what a world-class wagyu experience is like through the taste buds of a seasoned food writer, well, I accept patronage.

[Jinmyo]

How about Scottish beef?

I have the impression that Argentinian beef isn't really aged.

[ngatti]

How about Scottish beef?

I have the impression that Argentinian beef isn't really aged.

it's difficult to age beef without a certain level of intramuscular fat. Hence the grass fed doesn't age well. The tendency is for it to rot rather than the controlled dessication that ageing brings. I don't know why this is.

Nick

[Fat Guy]

Some of the best beef I've ever had has been from the UK, particularly Scotland. UK and US beef are very similar at the high end, though -- all the premium cattle breeds we use here are English and Scottish -- the big difference is that we call it aged and they call it hung. These are all generalizations, though. Most every kind of beef is raised in the United States: The grass fed beef Ducasse gets from the Navajo reservation (I think that's what the book says) is quite amazing, as is I am told by reliable sources the Hawaiian grass-fed beef you can find in some high-end places. We raise tons of Wagyu beef here, much of which is exported to Japan. We have pretty much every beef-acceptable climate well represented.

[jordan]

Fat Guy is spot on. Most types of beef are raised in the US, for the most part American Cattle breeds are English/Scottish and what differentiates the different types is diet and living conditions.
I too appreciate most types of beef with the exception of the poor grades of American (Select and Choice).
Oh yeah, Argentine women are beautiful.

[Fat Guy]

That's for sure.

[anil]

.......
I find that Kobe is perfectly marbleized and has great texture but can be a bit bland. ......
....

Any way, I know Anil’s preference (I too find Argentine women beautiful) but I wonder if anyone else has an opinion or preference.

I have found that Kobe beef that was served in the US to be much different than what I had in JP. Much has to do with how it is cooked and its accompaniments. One particular instance - Thin slice by thin slice of the beef served on the plate, slice at a time; with a mug of cold sake, and a thimble of hot one on the side - and to imagine, decades later I can still recall the image of the hostesses who were serving us - two gaigins, four japanese OTH, in a NYC restaurant that shall remain nameless, the plate was just SHOVED under your nose and we had to use knife and fork by ourselves. Did neither me nor the Kobe beef any good

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What preference of mine are you talking about ? Beef or Argentine women ? or both ?

[Adam Balic]

How about Scottish beef?

I rarely eat beef in Scotland, that is in a form to appreciate its beefy goodness. On the occasions that I have, well it is very Butcher dependent. My local butcher has beef rangeing from crud to excellent. The excellent stuff has little cards telling you the names of the parents and grandparent of the meat you are looking at. Those cute hairy highland cattle taste very good.

[Fat Guy]

The Galloways in particular.

[Adam Balic]

The Galloways in particular.

Galloways are a lowland breed (but yes, tasty) I was thinking more of these:

http://www.ansi.okst...attle/HIGHLAND/

[Fat Guy]

The Galloways are so hairy and bizarre looking that I just assumed they were highland. Interesting. They're good, though.

[Adam Balic]

If you look at the link I posted, you will find information on just about any breed of cattle you might be interested in. Galloways are weird and hairy, historiaclly in literature people from this area were also described in the same way.

[Fat Guy]

But do they have a double hair coat?

[Adam Balic]

Well there are quite a few followers of Calvin in the area, so I imagine they have numerous hair shirts, dunno about coats. Most likely not, smacks of excess having two hair coats.

[Fat Guy]

"Double hair coat" might be a good name for a trendy garment.