Beefeater / American opinions

[CAJ]

The quality of beef is not near American standards. I noticed even the hamburger meat not as good as in the us. I try to eat seafood and rice. Even Subway and McDonalds tastes different.

 

If I wanted fine dinning I would go to Paris or New York.

 

I like the fine brown meat that is in LOS

[Evil Penevil]

It's impossible to generalize on any objective basis about which country produces the best beef.  Like so many other things, it largely comes down to personal preference regarding taste, tenderness, marbling, etc.. I doubt very much that in a blind taste test, even "expert" diners with keenly educated palates could distinguish between the best available beef from the U.S.., Australia, Argentina, Canada and  Scotland and even countries like Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay.

 

But the biggest misunderstanding occurs with beef from Japan. Tons of "Kobe beef" are sold around the world, but virtually none of it is genuine.

 

Real Kobe beef is raised on 262 small farms in Hyogo Prefecture. The majority of these farms produce only one to five animals a year and the most any farm produces is 15.  To be  considered genuine Kobe, strict standards regarding breed, marbling, weight, etc. have to be met. Demand for Kobe beef outstrips supply by an astronomical margin and nearly all the domestically produced Kobe beef stays in Japan. Production can't be expanded because of the shortage of suitable land in Hyogo and the huge price it would command.

 

But Japanese meat producers have allowed a limited number of wagyu cattle to be bred and raised in the U.S. and Australia. Wagyu  means "Japanese cow" and the exported wagyu cattle isn't necessarily the Tajima strain from which Kobe beef must come.  These cattle are often crossed with breeds like Angus to improve meat yield and bring the flavor of the beef more in line with what is considered a "good steak" in most countries. You may be able to get this sort of wagyu beef outside Japan, but it is enormously expensive, like USD$300 a serving and is still hard to find.

 

Remember, Kobe beef isn't like the beef with which most of us are familiar. It is more like fioe gras than an American Porterhouse steak. In Japan, it is eaten very thinly sliced and barely warmed. Many say the only cooking a slice of Kobe needs is what it gets on top of a bowl of hot rice. If it is prepared "Western style," it is seared quickly on both sides over very high heat in an iron pan, much like tuna is prepared. The inside shouldn't be much more than warm.

 

The photos illustrate the difference in marbling between Kobe and the top two USDA grades of meat.

 

Kobe beef:

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And the top USDA classifications.

  

  
 

Evil

[Soi7]

Yes and if you were in a meat plant to see how they decide the carcass grades you would be surprised.

 

A USDA inspector may have had a bad night and grades a packing house full of sides of beef Choice instead of Prime as the Plant expected. This can mean thousands of dollars difference to the meat companys.

 

 

I have seen it done but a back hander can change the grade no problem. Thaqiland in not the only place with corruption.

 

Went by Beefeaters tonight on the way to the bar and it was full not a table free this at 6:30 PM.