Alberta Beef

[Rosie]

When we were in Hawaii we were told that some of the cattle are sent to Canada to be fattened up and then sold as Alberta beef. Do you think that Alberta beef is worth seeking out? Is it considered a name brand such as Black Angus beef?

[SteveW]

Rosie, I think Alberta beef is worth seeking out. It's where the best beef in Canada comes from(Ontario also has some good beef). However I don't know where you could find Alberta beef in New Jersey-New York. Let me know, if any Canadian beef is available in your area. Many butchers & restaurants in Canada that do carry Alberta, do advertise this fact to their consumers. Alberta beef is not really branded beef. The name brands that we do have are Canadian Angus beef & Sterling Silver(Canadian beef). Canadian Angus beef is a  Alberta beef product(from a Alberta-based producer). Canadian beef is generally leaner that US beef. Several years ago, the Canadian beef industry introduced the Canada Prime grade, to compete with US Prime beef, in world markets. Still Canada Prime doesn't require as much marbling as US Prime. Hope this answer some of your questions.

Steve

[Rail Paul]

FWIW, I've heard from several biased purveyors that Alberta beef is "special." Apparently, only a small amount of Alberta's beef makes it to "Sterling" grade.

Once in Calgary, at Hy's, a place famed for beef (next to the Westin), and once at Morry's in Minneapolis. Apparently Morry's has a provider in Alberta which provides premium beef from steers which are bred specially for Morry's. The term is regularly used in Toronto for beef.

Sounds like marketing talk, but the several meals at Morry's (we have a customer nearby) have offered butter tender steak.

[SteveW]

Rail, the Sterling Silver brand only comes from one Alberta-based producer. I've tried Alberta Sterling Silver rib steaks several times at a restaurant here. It's very good.

Talking to Canadian beef expert last week, besides Canadian Angus beef, there's something new called Certified Canadian Angus beef.

Steve  

[Fat Guy]

I'd love to do a big taste test, pitting the best steaks of every major beef-producting nation against one another. Too bad the mad-cow and hoof-in-mouth situation makes this impossible right now. Still, just U.S. versus Canada would be interesting.

Steve, am I correct in recalling that some of the fancy Canadian steakhouses serve U.S.D.A. Prime beef, not Canadian beef?

[SteveW]

Your idea of getting the best steaks from around the world, & doing a taste test against each other!! That's sort of the concept with Todd English's new Steakhouse restaurant in Boston. His new restaurant supposely showcases the best steaks from around the world. Steaks from Argentina, Brazilian beef, US Prime beef, Kobe beef(his Kobe comes from somewhere in the US), & etc. I'm not sure if Canadian beef is featured in his restaurant. I can't remember the name of his restaurant. Maybe they have a website, which would have their menu listed. If Todd English is getting the top suppliers for his different steaks, then his steakhouse would be a great choice to do this kind of taste test.

Yes Steven, the fanciest Canadian steakhouses in many cases do serve U.S.D.A Prime beef. However U.S.D.A. Prime beef is limited(to my knowledge) to the 3 major Canadian cities(Toronto, Vancouver & Montreal). I would say that Toronto & Vancouver are more established Steakhouse towns than Montreal. Montreal still doesn't have any of the upscale US Steakhouse chains(no Ruth's Chris, Morton's). Even the mid-price level chains like Outback Steakhouse, have no presence here in Montreal. Until around 4 years ago, Montreal(in the whole province of Quebec, for that matter) only had one restaurant serving U.S.D.A. Prime beef. I can't find Canada Prime grade beef anywhere here in Montreal(Canada Prime is the highest grade of Canadian beef). To my knowledge, no Montreal restaurant or Montreal butcher is carrying Canada Prime beef.

Steve

[Fat Guy]

I'll have to try to learn more about Todd English's new restaurant. I recall it is called Bonfire, it's in one of the big hotels, and I was under the impression it was just a Latin-inspired steakhouse. But it seems from what you're saying that it's more.

Still, I see the taste test as being almost impossible to engineer even with the South American steaks. One of the key things about grass-fed beef from the Pampas is that it is eaten fresh, with no aging. But what you get shipped up here just isn't fresh. Even if you made special air-shipping provisions for a one-time tasting, you have the problem that it is still illegal (I think) to import bones. So you'd have to limit yourself to a boneless cut -- and that is never the best way to get a steak. And of course all the European steaks are ruled out on account of the nonsense over there -- I'm not sure you can even get Tuscan steak in Tuscany right now, at least not to the extent that it means a Chianina porterhouse from that region. I had some clippings on all this but I can't find them.

I suppose the best way to do the test is to get a private jet and fly around to all these places in the shortest possible time, taking careful notes and perhaps revisiting the finalists. :)

What's the name of the place in Montreal with the USDA prime beef? I recall walking by it, but my memory is foggy.

[Rail Paul]

Bonfire,  

in the Park Plaza Hotel, on Arlington, about a block down from the Public Garden.

[SteveW]

Steven, the Montreal steakhouse serving U.S.D.A. Prime that you are probably thinking of is Queue de Cheval(they dry-aged their steaks on premises), if you were in Downtown Montreal. Otherwise, you might of walked past Moises steakhouse. However Moises contrary to what many media outlets report(Sorry, Alan Richman) don't have U.S.D.A. Prime steaks. Their steaks are only U.S.D.A. Choice(confirmed by 3-4 reliable sources). Otherwise you might be thinking of Rib 'n Reef(near the Snowdon Deli on Decarie Boulevard).  In all, I'm guessing around 7-8 Montreal steakhouses carry U.S.D.A. Prime beef. Two Montreal steakhouses that serve U.S.D.A. Prime, closed their business over the summer. Of the other top fine dining restaurants in Montreal(beyond steakhouses), I'm aware of a couple that carry US Angus beef.

Slightly off-topic. Is their anything special with the Arizona beef that Alain Ducasse New York utilizes?

Steve

[Fat Guy]

It is indeed very special beef. Next time you're in a bookstore with a large culinary section, take a look at Alain Ducasse's book Harvesting Excellence. It has a chapter on the guy in Arizona who raises these cattle.

[chaudfroidoeuf]

In Vancouver, sliced Alberta ribeye can be sampled for Cฤ (less than USฝ) on an "all-you-can-eat" basis at the Japanese restaurant Daikon Ya (near, but not at, the corner of Burrard and Robson in downtown).

I had some earlier this month.  The teppanyaki chef told me the beef was from Alberta when I inquired about the appealing texture of the beef. Please call the restaurant to confirm this fact if you are contemplating going.  Also, the restaurant has limited operating hours.

The deal is that you have about an hour to eat as much as you can of paper-thin beef slices wrapped around diced fried garlic and spring onions and cooked in front of you on a steel surface to order.  I ordinarily do not accept time limitations, but the deal was too good to bypass.  The beef was flavorful, although I would have preferred thicker portions so that the texture and fat concentrations could be sampled.

The quoted price included: salad, a small piece of Atlantic salmon (average), veggies, miso soup, pickles and a choice of green tea or sesame ice cream.  Also included is fried rice -- nicely made by first creating an omlette and then mixing the omlette into the rice.  Side orders of enoki mushrooms and British Columbia oysters were nice too.

A good price-to-quality relationship.

[Jinmyo]

Saslove's in the Market Area in Ottawa carries Alberta beef in whole or half tenderloins.

Also a great range of seasonal venison, bison and so on.

As I was leaving the other day (with some bison burgers for a friend and a nice duck breast for myself) a Market vendor had set up a table outside and was hawking frozen red deer sausages and wild boar. So I bought a boar chop.

[calgarymarmitons]

OK,

Now that I've got your attention, a little discussion of the merits, or demerits, of Alberta beef vs. KC, Texas, Nebraska, Argentina, Kobe, or any other such designation.

Well, for one thing, Alberta beef has flavor. And a major reason is barley, the prime source of feed in Alberta feedlots, and unique to Western Canada. The benefit of barley as feed is that the grain is a high protein, high energy feed source. Alberta beef is famous for its texture and quality, and barley is a major reason.

Let the games begin!

JG

[Rail Paul]

How about comparing Alberta beef to the branded Galloway by Choice, and the SterlingzSilver labels?Each has partisans with strongly held views.

We had a tussle on Canadian beef eGullet last year as the Fat Guy and posse ate their way across Canada. Perhaps the Fat Dog has an opinion on the subject?

[Coop]

This seems to be a huge issue in Alberta, but here on the coast we don't eat beef with every meal like the folks in Calgary. Yeah the certified Angus beef they whore at Save On foods is noticably better then the other crap. Does this mean I will give up all other meats and vegetables to stuff my face with Alberta beef? I don't think so.

Incidently the best meat shop in town Cioffi's has Aussie beef. Why? I don't know but it seems good. Now start a debate about sockeye salmon vs. farmed atlantic or malapeques vs. olympic oysters or hierloom tomatoes vs. beefsteak. Then we will care.

[Fat Guy]

There's plenty of barley used to feed cattle in the United States, often in a blend with corn, wheat, soy, molasses, and hay (plus all sorts of chemical stuff). My understanding is that, in USDA Prime-level beef, it's prevalent. Niman Ranch beef is a good example (and that's not even Prime).

Canada, and particularly Alberta and Manitoba, produces some excellent beef, but most of the stuff that would truly compete with USDA Prime is exported to Asia. Canadians (and tourists in Canada) don't get beef as good as what you'd get in a top United States steakhouse, unless they import the beef from the United States (as some steakhouses do, especially in Quebec). "AAA" Alberta beef is roughly equivalent to the high end of USDA Choice. This is a big oversimplification, but it's a starting point for the discussion.

[SteveW]

There's plenty of barley used to feed cattle in the United States, often in a blend with corn, wheat, soy, molasses, and hay (plus all sorts of chemical stuff). My understanding is that, in USDA Prime-level beef, it's prevalent. Niman Ranch beef is a good example (and that's not even Prime).

Canada, and particularly Alberta and Manitoba, produces some excellent beef, but most of the stuff that would truly compete with USDA Prime is exported to Asia. Canadians (and tourists in Canada) don't get beef as good as what you'd get in a top United States steakhouse, unless they import the beef from the United States (as some steakhouses do, especially in Quebec). "AAA" Alberta beef is roughly equivalent to the high end of USDA Choice. This is a big oversimplification, but it's a starting point for the discussion.

I would rephrase it, and say the top level of Alberta "AAA" is roughly equivalent to the high end of USDA Choice. Don't know much about Manitoba beef(might of tried it once ever). Ontario beef can also be very good.

You're right, almost all very best Canadian beef(most marbled), goes to Asia. The very best Canadian beef is considered too fat, for the Candian marketplace. Personally I don't understand it, especially in the major Canadian cities(Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto), where USDA Prime steakhouses are popping up more & more the last 5 years.

---------------

Steve

Edited February 22, 2003 by SteveW (log)

[SteveW]

FG, would you have a informed guess %-wise, how much of the USDA Prime beef goes to Asia(primarily Japan)?

--------------

Steve

[twoshoes4u]

Is it true that Kobe beef receives regular messages...while living, of course?

[vengroff]

Is it true that Kobe beef receives regular messages...while living, of course?

Yup, email, voicemail, faxes, PMs, you name it...

[Fat Guy]

FG, would you have a informed guess %-wise, how much of the USDA Prime beef goes to Asia(primarily Japan)?

No idea.

[chromedome]

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to taste Alberta AAA beef side-by-side in a blind taste test with beef from New Zealand and Uraguay.

The striploins were all grilled to about medium-rare, and seasoned lightly with just salt and pepper. The Alberta beef was certainly the best-marbled of the three, but since the other two were finished on grass rather than grain, this was unsurprising. About 2/3 of those in attendance chose the Alberta beef as the best-tasting, with the remainder about evenly divided.

Personally, I found the NZ product to also have a very good flavour, though it was not as tender. The Uraguayan product was bland in comparison, though very comparable to the Alberta beef for tenderness.

This is in no way a comprehensive tasting, but I offer it up for what it's worth.

As for cattle from outside the province being sent here and then sold as "Alberta Beef", that is quite correct. Under the applicable laws, any beef cattle which are finished for 90 days at an Alberta feedlot may be sold as "Alberta Beef." The feeling is that it's the barley diet which creates the marbling and unique flavour which mark the product as distinctive; hence cattle from Saskatchewan (or Hawaii, or wherever) become "Alberta Beef" as a result of that feeding.

[Junior]

The reason that CDN prime is not found in most steakhouses is because Triple A is cheaper but the quality of the product is so close to being the same quailty as Prime.

Sterling Silver is a brand it's not a cow. The brand which is owned by Cargill is a selection fo the top 5% of beef produced in Canada.

Ceritified Angus only has to have 51%of the Angus in it to be certified. Angus beef has a little more marbling in it than the Sterling Silver.

Certified Angus has been around for many,many years but what is new is a ceritfied Organic Beef program that has only in recent years begun to become viable for ranchers out here.

The best steakhouse in Canada are not in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, there are in the western provinces. If you want the best beef this country has to offer, you have to come out West. I can guarntee to you that the beef here will be cheaper and better than anything that anyone produces in all of the world.

[SteveW]

Junior, would you say that Canadian beef in general is less marbled than US beef? Canada Prime is less marbled that US Prime, Triple A is less marbled than US Choice, & so on. From my experience, Canadian Angus Beef is junk(at best inconsistent). Would you agree?

Name me some of the best of the best steakhouses in Western Canada? Or you list by city, giving me the best steakhouse(s) in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, & etc..

-Steve

[merlin]

SteveW:

I hope you do not mind me "butting" in with regard to your question to Junior.

I would not agree that Cdn Angus beef is "junk". Quite the contrary. Certainly the striploins I buy from Urban Fare are delicious. Nicely marbled, very tender.

In Edmonton I would not say that there is a particularly good steakhouse. I guess the closest to a true steakhouse would be Hy's. I am not a fan. Most of the better restaurants serve decent steaks but are not steakhouses per se. Some serve Triple A. Have never seen prime. Occasionaly, "Kobe" beef produced in Alberta or Idaho makes an appearance.

In Calgary there are more steakhouses. Caesar's, Hy's, Smugglers, Carvers, Owl's Nest [more old fashioned fine dining than a steakhouse].