What tastes good?
http://www.slate.com/id/2152674

Turns out grass-fed beef, a relatively cheap cut, wins the taste test. And the USDA grading system is pure bunk.

Mmmm, steak.

Turns out grass-fed beef, a relatively cheap cut, wins the taste test. And the USDA grading system is pure bunk.
A good example of getting a completely wrong conclusion out of an article.

The article does not state that the USDA grading system is "pure bunk," it simply states that in order to find the most flavorful steak, more factors should be considered. Duh.

The USDA system was developed not with having the absolute final stamp on meat quality in mind, but rather the consistency of the meat that you're getting. One of the points you failed to mention in your summation of the article was that the grass-fed beef, while the most flavorful in this particular taste test, was also the most inconsistent - something that even some of the suppliers warned about. Free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free beef exists on a "back to nature" philosophy - the thinking that cows will do what cows will do, and Mother Nature will take care of the rest. Thing is, back in the "old days" when this was the only style of ranching, you still had the "Prize Cow" and the cow that got sold off to make dog food.

Grass-fed does not automatically mean that the steak will be amazing, just like being graded Prime doesn't either - however, chances are that after eating 100 grass-fed steaks and 100 Prime grade steaks, the Primes will average out to a greater consistency of good over bland.

Ahh, the stuff you learn growing up near the Ft. Worth Stockyards.

however, chances are that after eating 100 grass-fed steaks and 100 Prime grade steaks, the Primes will average out to a greater consistency of good over bland.
If you hear of anyone who's planning on scientifically verifying this, let them know that I'm available. :)

I've found that the single biggest influence on the taste of the meat I buy is where I buy it from. The steaks I get from my local butcher shop (http://www.goldensteerchoicemeats.com/)are consistently better than the ones I get from regular grocery stores or Costco. Of the grocery stores, Safeway tends to have the crappiest stuff while QFC is better and Whole Foods better still. The Costco meat isn't bad but it tends to have a significantly higher fat content than any of the other places I've bought from.

I thought the Prime stamp just meant how much marbling the beef had, not what the cattle was fed. Neither the Niman or the grass-fed beef had

From my cooking science book, Harold McGee, older animals have more flavor. More connective tissue though so they're chewier. It seems like the Niman and grass fed beef were both older animals than the grain fed varieties. I know the grass fed cattle grow slower, because the grain fattens them very quickly.

The article does not state that the USDA grading system is "pure bunk," it simply states that in order to find the most flavorful steak, more factors should be considered. Duh.Duh! I haven't heard anyone use that since grade school, such memories!

The bunk I was refering to was that the USDA stamp somehow gave the cut of beef a stamp of deliciousness.
Can you tell how good a steak is going to taste by looking at it? The government thinks you can. That's why, when a USDA meat grader assesses the quality of a beef carcass, he or she makes an incision between the 12th and 13th rib, takes a good look at how much marbling there is, and assigns the meat a grade, from the highest, Prime, to Choice and Select and all the way down to Canner. That's why a well-marbled steak, one that is abundantly flecked with little specks and streaks of white fat, costs a lot more than a steak that's all red muscle.

But is marbling all there is to a good steak? Doesn't, say, a cow's diet have something to do with the way a steak tastes? And can someone please explain why that gargantuan USDA Prime strip loin I ate in Las Vegas last year had about as much flavor as a cup of tap water? I decided to find out for myself. My mission: to taste steaks from cattle raised in very different ways and see how they stack up.
It would appear from this that the taste had far less to do with the fat distribution than from what the cattle was eating. Maybe if you're comparing a Prime cut versus a sub-prime cut on the same beast, it might. But it sounds like that isn't the primary factor when comparing cattle raised on different feed.

I stopped eating steaks because I didn't feel like they really tasted good. I'll definitely try some grassfed steaks and see if I like it better.

Duh! I haven't heard anyone use that since grade school, such memories!Well when the situation fits.

The bunk I was refering to was that the USDA stamp somehow gave the cut of beef a stamp of deliciousness.The USDA Grading System is a judge of the overall quality of meat compared to a defined standard - a standard in which marbling is a part of the criteria used during the determination of the final grade. Whether the final product which ends up on your plate tastes like rancid @$$ or not has many more factors which determines the result. Again, if you handed a piece of Prime tenderloin to Thomas Keller, chances are, he'll make it taste outstanding. Chances are also good that if you handed Keller a hunk of bull torn off from a roadkill carcass, he'll also make that taste amazing, however there's a lot more skill required in doing so. Making a Prime tenderloin melt in your mouth isn't hard. Making a Standard or Commercial grade hunk of tenderloin edible is a much more daunting task.

Does what a cow eats effect the taste of the meat? Absolutely - I have friends who swear by grain-fed, grass-fed, free-range, and whatever else, but even if a cut of $55/lb premium free-range, grass-fed Black Angus gets marked Canner grade, the fact remains that the meat will probably taste like poop.

<b>Klath</b>: Go do a local search for a good Churrascaria near you. All will be good once you find one. :)

Due to this Slate piece the grass fed beef place mentioned is sold out for awhile.

Cladari

There's tons of places to buy grass-fed beef, I hadn't even heard of the one that Slate used. Most of my friends order from http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/

I would love to try some of that 35$ a pound steak.

In reading that I had to wonder what order the steaks were tasted in. They tasted it with wine. Perhaps there is a correlation between the amount of wine ingested and the reported tastiness of the steak.

I think you can buy grass fed from Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck). But holy moly, I don't generally spend that kind of money on food.

<b>Klath</b>: Go do a local search for a good Churrascaria near you. All will be good once you find one. :)
Woohoo! Something new.

There's an all-you-can-eat Churrascaria in Seattle that I'll have to check out. I'll be sure to bring my own bucket (and perhaps a hose).

Churrascaria's are generally pretty expensive (the ones I've been to run around $45 a person), but I have not been to a bad one yet - knock on wood. If you can gather a bunch of friends to go with you, it makes it a lot more fun. Also, I'm not a big rabbit food type of person, but the Churrascarias I've been to have an amazing salad bar spread. Yes I'm there for the dead cow, but damn, they're usually some of the best "filler foods" I've seen.

Woohoo! Something new.

There's an all-you-can-eat Churrascaria in Seattle that I'll have to check out. I'll be sure to bring my own bucket (and perhaps a hose).


Care for a wafer thin mint?

Reminds me of when I was in Buenos Aires back in 89 or 90. They have these men's clubs there (most men belong to one) and each club of 15-20 men will get together once a week and eat a cow.

omg, that **** is sooo good.

Really, anything that came from cow was excellent and cheap in Argentina at the time. I used to have a steak lunch every day for the equivilant of seven bucks...it'd have cost 20-25 in the States.

Care for a wafer thin mint?
<<<<< K A B O O M >>>>>