# I'm curious about the taste of beef in other places. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513 "2013-08-17T21:51:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silvermist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/1 "2013-08-17T21:51:09Z")
In Maine, the hamburger you buy in supermarkets has no taste. Is this the norm everywhere or just here? ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/2 "2013-08-17T22:31:53Z")
I think that’s fairly common with mass-produced supermarket beef in the US. Probably not universal, but common. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/3 "2013-08-18T00:36:13Z")
I’ve never experienced it myself but I’ve heard that Argentine beef (where cattle are fed grass) has a different taste than US beef (where cattle are predominantly fed corn). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/4 "2013-08-18T00:40:05Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > In Maine, the hamburger you buy in supermarkets has no taste. Is this the norm everywhere or just here? What percentage of fat are you buying? A lot of the flavor in meat comes from the fat. You can buy ground beef in stores which range from 30% to down around 5% fat. ---
**Author:** ![silvermist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/5 "2013-08-18T20:47:35Z")
I’ve tried every form they sell, from the fresh ground to the frozen patties. I even paid $2 a burger for frozen, grass fed beef and it all is like chewing up pasteboard. Where did the flavor go? Are they radiating the meat and if so, does it still have any nutritional value? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/6 "2013-08-18T20:52:59Z")
Lean and extra lean ground beef is generally tasteless without something added to it; that has always been the case. It’s the fat that makes beef tastes as good as it does ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/7 "2013-08-18T21:10:31Z")
:DIt depends largely on the cow’s diet. The first time I went to Europe and had spaghetti or a hamburger, I couldn’t believe how different the meat tasted. Cooked in something with spices or sauces added, you may not tell, but a burger is a burger, and a steak is a steak. They’re different everywhere you roam. EU cows eat more grass than USA cows, which eat more corn. African cows eat monkeys or sand or something. They’re not good. I don’t know what Kobe cows eat. It could be just the tears of orphans who are beaten with switches. I don’t care. I want some right now! [Chops in Atlanta](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/chops-lobster-bar/)is the only place I know that has real Kobe steaks. Sadly, my daughter has acquired a penchant for it, and often. [Pampas](http://www.pampassteakhouse.com/) may even be better. Best steak I’ve had in my life, and I been everywhere, including Argentina! The web is full of great burger recipes to add some punch to your patties! ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/8 "2013-08-18T21:46:00Z")
The term Kobe has no legal meaning in the US. I can but streaks from Jewel and call them Kobe in my restaurant if I want to. [“As of March 2013, the total amount of Kobe beef exported to the United States is less than 400 kilograms.[10]”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef#Kobe_beef_in_other_countries) It’s extremely unlikely you get true Kobe beef in the US when you pay for it. It’s possible but the odds are vanishingly slim. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/9 "2013-08-19T02:34:03Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > It’s extremely unlikely you get true Kobe beef in the US when you pay for it. It’s possible but the odds are vanishingly slim. In Paducah, KY, that may be true. In a bigger city in a [nice restaurant](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/chops-lobster-bar/menu/), it’s [guaranteed](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/media/A5_Authentic_Wagyu_Kobe_Beef_Certificate.pdf). ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/10 "2013-08-19T02:46:49Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > In Paducah, KY, that may be true. In a bigger city in a [nice restaurant](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/chops-lobster-bar/menu/), it’s [guaranteed](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/media/A5_Authentic_Wagyu_Kobe_Beef_Certificate.pdf). Nothing makes a steak taste better than knowing it’s mommy’s name 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/11 "2013-08-19T03:14:27Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > In Maine, the hamburger you buy in supermarkets has no taste. Is this the norm everywhere or just here? I’ve had plenty of burgers purchased in supermarkets in Maine that tasted just fine. Not sure where you are buying your ground beef but I’d switch. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/12 "2013-08-19T03:38:18Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > The term Kobe has no legal meaning in the US. I can but streaks from Jewel and call them Kobe in my restaurant if I want to. > > [“As of March 2013, the total amount of Kobe beef exported to the United States is less than 400 kilograms.[10]”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef#Kobe_beef_in_other_countries) > > It’s extremely unlikely you get true Kobe beef in the US when you pay for it. It’s possible but the odds are vanishingly slim. [Food’s Biggest Scam: The Great Kobe Beef Lie](http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/13 "2013-08-19T04:01:55Z")
I’ve had beef in every place in the house except the bathroom. It’s pretty much the same. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/14 "2013-08-19T04:38:53Z")
Compared to the usual stuff from my butcher or supermarket (Sydney, Australia), I found that when I went to the US some years ago the meat was simultaneously both bland and very fatty. That went for beef and lamb. The chicken wasn’t noticeably fatty, but was pretty tasteless too. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/15 "2013-08-19T04:40:14Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > In Paducah, KY, that may be true. In a bigger city in a [nice restaurant](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/chops-lobster-bar/menu/), it’s [guaranteed](http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/media/A5_Authentic_Wagyu_Kobe_Beef_Certificate.pdf). Wow, it looks like you had part of the same heifer as [this critic](http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2012/10/red_the_steakhouse_has_kobe_fr.php)in Miami. Oh the word ‘Kobe’ doesn’t actually appear on that certificate anyway. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/16 "2013-08-19T04:45:03Z")
I do notice the Argentine beef has a distinctly better taste. Hard to explain the difference but easy to notice it when eating. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/17 "2013-08-19T04:50:43Z")
So, if the beef in those high-end restaurants are what all the food critics rave about, and you’re getting the same beef the food critics did, is it actually relevant that it didn’t come from Kobe, Japan? For all any American knows, maybe the real Kobe beef isn’t actually as good as the fake stuff anyway. To the OP, I will say that all of the beef I ever had in Montana was far better than any beef I’ve had back East. I don’t know why, though it might be the difference between grass-fed and corn-fed. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/18 "2013-08-19T05:05:01Z")
> [@BigNik](#): > > Compared to the usual stuff from my butcher or supermarket (Sydney, Australia), I found that when I went to the US some years ago the meat was simultaneously both bland and very fatty. That went for beef and lamb. The chicken wasn’t noticeably fatty, but was pretty tasteless too. The pork, though, in my experience, tends to be a lot leaner in the US than its European brethren (I can’t remember what the pork was like in Australia, or even if I ate any there). I miss Euro pork. I miss the chicken, too. Most American chicken tastes like generic protein. However, the beef I prefer here, for the most part, although the UK had some very good beef. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/19 "2013-08-19T12:34:16Z")
We eat a lot of fish since that is always fresh off the boat. The beef we get comes from South Africa and Brasil, and to be honest both are quite tasty. We do get a yearly shipment of foodstuffs which we can get other specialty meat products - sausage, pork chops, etc - that we can put in the freezer, and we have a grinder ( grounder ?? ) that we can use for hamburgers and such. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513/20 "2013-08-19T14:08:44Z")
> [@silvermist](#): > > I’ve tried every form they sell, from the fresh ground to the frozen patties. I even paid $2 a burger for frozen, grass fed beef and it all is like chewing up pasteboard. Where did the flavor go? Are they radiating the meat and if so, does it still have any nutritional value? It may be how you’re cooking it; a lot of the flavor of a steak or a hamburger is actually from the crust formed by grilling/searing and the Maillard reactions that go on while that crust is being formed. Appropriate salting is important as well. If you were to boil just about any piece of beef in unsalted water, you’d probably say the same thing about it being flavorless, but salt it and sear it well, and you’ll have a different experience. Irradiation wouldn’t change much; it’s ionizing radiation, so the idea is that it ionizes molecules. Not much of a big deal for food, but deadly to living things. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-about-the-taste-of-beef-in-other-places/666513.md?page=2)