So… it’s a black thing?
Innuendo is always intended. 
Some anecdotal evidence.
My friends raised an Angus steer at their hilltop ranch. They finished with several weeks of grain feeding before the slaughter. Since I assisted them with herding their 1,400 pound behemoth into the truck, I received a package of T-bones for my efforts. When we cooked these steaks, all of my mother’s dogs started whining and scurrying around the house in a most anxious fashion. I think they could tell just how good the meat was going to be. The steaks were excellent.
As to the importance of marbling. Do any of you remember beef, back in the 1980s when fat was declared public enemy N[sup]o[/sup] 1? Do you recall those completely unmarbled steaks that suddenly flooded the grocery stores. Anyone remember how they just about tasted like liver?
Simple fact, almost all flavors are transported by fat. Many essential vitamins are too, but that is another matter. Unmarbled beef has a flat and undesirable taste. Try putting a good brown crust on a New York strip steak. Then chew (but don’t eat) some fat back that runs along the cut’s edge . You’ll find it nearly has more flavor than the meat itself. Unmarbled beef is an abomination that is worthy of M[sup]c[/sup]Donald’s and little else.
throws a hissy fit over this statement 1) they took away the flavor and 2) they had no reasonable evidence to declare it a public enemy. I dare any of you to find me scientific evidence stating that fat is bad for humans. Do you know that the studies they used as evidence were done on “herbivores” and what a surprise that their system didn’t do well with animal products. Any studies done with omnivores have been inconclusive. So if someone can find me a study with omnivores or even carnivores that proves that fat is bad for me please let me know, and in the mean time I am going to enjoy the bacon I had this morning. If you want something to blame for health issues I would point your attention to processed grains.
If I can slightly hijack this top, may I ask how exactly beef is “aged”? I know if I take a steak and sit it on my counter for a month, it’s not exactly going to make it into a tasty treat (unless you’re a maggot). So what do meat people do to make “aging” into a good thing?
Jeff
Well you can age meat anywhere I would suggest doing so in a refrigerated area to keep down on bacteria growth.
You can age meat anywhere but I would suggest doing so in a refrigerated area to keep down on bacteria growth. Meat will tend to turn brown on the outside, which some people find unappealing, but once cooked aged meat looks the same as non-aged.
Sorry if I’m just dense, but even if I stuck a nice slab of steak in my fridge for several weeks, it would spoil, presumably because the fridge isn’t cold enough to prevent bacteria from screwing up my beef. I suppose you could just drop the temperature to freezing levels, but I know from experience that popping the steak in the freezer for a month doesn’t do anything to enhance texture or flavor. So say I’m a Cattleman’s employee and I wish to age some beef so as to make it all scrumptious. How do I go about this?
Jeff
Since msrexrabbit is on the road and won’t be home for several hours, I did some searching and came up with some information. Bottom line is, it’s done under very clean conditions not present in the average person’s fridge.
That’s the comparisons that I have been doing for the past two years, many times side by side to see if I’m getting my money’s worth. Choice “standard” supermarket beef and “CBA”. If I’m buying any cut that is superior to round steak, it is “choice” or I eat bratwurst that day. I’m with you on the cow part. I don’t know if what is marked as CBA is a Black Angus or a dried up Jersey, and no longer care. It may even just be in my area of this town, but what I get that is marked as CBA is far superior to non-CBA in terms of texture, which makes for far more pleasing dining. I don’t understand the point of CBA ground beef, but really enjoy the “Six dollar burger”, even though the shape of the meat is identical to the frozen patties I get at the store sometimes.
Speaking of beef, I’ve been reading a lot about the “Flat Iron” steak but haven’t seen them, and was wondering if anybody has tried one and if so, what did you think. I’ve found out how to cut one out of a roast but haven’t yet had the inclination to do it.
The meat is “aged,” ** before cutting,** the beef is hung in a cold box but not frozen.