Emeril's Red Marble Steaks

[Fat Guy]

I went to a pretty cool event the other night. Emeril has just released, in association with Allen Bros., a line of high-end mail-order steaks. The launch event was to be held at the new offices of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Emeril was to be there, and steak was to be had by all. Antisocial misanthrope though I am, how could I resist the invitation?

After a cocktail hour during which we heard a few words from Emeril and his partners and I ate most of the planet's remaining supply of shrimp, our group of press and others was ushered up to the roof of the Martha Stewart Ominmedia operation. The roof has 360-degree views of the Hudson River, New Jersey and Manhattan. They had set up grills and a tent for Emeril, and he gave a cooking demonstration along with some steak-cooking tips (let it rest after cooking, etc.).

He gave out a few tastes on the roof:

We then went back downstairs and got to try samples of New York strip, ribeye, and filet mignon (not-so-mignon actually), all with appropriate sides.

The whole time Emeril was around and you could go talk to him. He was friendly and sociable, just as I imagined he'd be from seeing him on TV, though more reserved and humble in person.

(Incidentally, I did not take these photos. They were provided to me after the event by the Allen Bros. publicists, Bullfrog & Baum.)

At the end of the event I got to take home three steaks: a New York strip, aribeye, and a filet mignon. A couple of days later I took them to my friend's house in New Jersey (I wonder if we were visible from Martha Stewart's roof?) and grilled them over charcoal, treating them and letting them rest as per Emeril's instructions.

Emeril's Red Marble steaks are very good -- better than anything you're likely to get in a supermarket anywhere. But they are not without their flaws.

First, they are shipped frozen. Despite advances in freezing technology, I just don't think top-quality steaks can survive freezing without some impact. I think, for example, the steaks we tried at the event (which I'm guessing were not frozen) had better texture than the samples we grilled later (which were frozen and cryovaced, the way they're sold online).

Second, the steaks are not necessarily Prime. According to the Red Marble website: "Emeril’s Red Marble Steaks is a mix of grades: choice, high choice and occasionally prime." I don't absolutely insist on Prime for a steakhouse steak. The Prime grading criteria are to my mind questionable. But Prime is a good starting point if you're looking for great steak.

Third, the steaks don't seem to be dry aged. The website is silent on the issue, only mentioning 4-6 weeks of aging without saying more. In general, if you dry age you say so. And the steaks don't really have the mineral taste and firm tenderness of dry-aged.

If you compare the value proposition to what DeBragga & Spitler offer, the Emeril steaks are a little less expensive. For example 4 x 12oz. New York strips from Emeril are $89.95. From DeBragga.com you pay $98.95 for 4 x 12oz. New York strips if you get the closest comparable (non-Prime -- prime costs almost double) product. I haven't compared shipping costs. But assuming the total bill for 4 x 12oz. New York strips from DeBragga is 10% higher than from Emeril, a lot of folks will feel that's worth it given that the DeBragga steaks are dry aged and shipped refrigerated not frozen.