Steak Perfection

Briquet Charcoal

2011-12-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

BRIQUET CHARCOAL

This is an update of an article that I published years ago.Note that briquet and briquette are correct alternate spellings.This blog uses the former, since that is Kingsford's choice.

In the U.S., briquet charcoal is more commonly used than lump charcoal for grilling steak and other food. Lump charcoal is 100% wood and is almost always hardwood, like hickory, mesquite and oak. On the other hand, briquet charcoal is not 100% wood and is made usually with soft wood, so myths and confusion has arisen about the uses and ingredients of briquet charcoal. This blog explains the basics of briquet charcoal.

Kingsford Brand Charcoal Briquets are the best selling briquets in the US, so Kingsford briquet charcoal will be explained.

KINGSFORD INGREDIENTS

According to a Kingsford form letter sent in August, 2000, Kingsford contains the following ingredients:

wood char
mineral char
mineral carbon
limestone
starch
sodium borate
sodium nitrate
sawdust

PURPOSE OF INGREDIENTS

There so many ingredients because the addition of each requires another to offset its negative affect. For example, in order to make the briquets easier to light, sodium nitrate is added. Then limestone is added so that, when the briquettes burn, they have the typical light-ash color.

The purpose of each ingredient is as follows:

wood char: for heat
mineral char: for heat
mineral carbon: for heat
limestone: for the light-ash color
starch: for binding the ingredients
sodium borate (borax): for separating from briquet mold
sodium nitrate: for speeding ignition
sawdust: for speeding ignition

NO HARDWOOD

Most briquets are made of scraps of soft wood that are byproducts from wood and paper processing. They include scraps such as tree branches, tree bark, and sawdust. The most commonly used woods are fir, cedar, alder and other soft woods that are plentiful in the regions where the briquets are manufactured.

Some newer briquet charcoal contains hardwood specks, such as hickory and mesquite. However, these hardwood ingredients are in addition to the basic ingredients, including the soft woods, and are used to provide a hardwood aroma.

NO PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

Some claim that Kingsford briquets have an unpleasant odor, especially when they are first lit. This has led many to conclude that the briquets may contain petroleum products.

However, an investigation has been determined that neither Kingsford nor any other known commercial brand contains any petroleum products.

USE OF BRIQUET AND LUMP CHARCOAL

Briquet and lump charcoal have different ingredients and different uses.

Briquet charcoal burns at a lower temperature than lump charcoal, and, if properly lit, it imparts no additional layer of flavor to grilled steak or other food. Therefore, briquets should be used when no distinct smoky flavor is desired, so it is ideal for grilling hamburgers, hot dogs and similar food.

Lump charcoal burns at a higher temperature than briquet charcoal, and, if properly lit, it imparts a distinct smoky layer of flavor to grilled stead and other food. Therefore, lump charcoal should be used when a distinct smoky flavor is desired, so it is ideal for grilling high-quality steak and other meats.

No charcoal should be lit with liquid lighter fluid, since it may impart a strong petroleum smell which will ruin the taste of any grilled steak or other food. Instead, charcoal should be lit with a chimney.

HISTORY OF BRIQUET CHARCOAL

Around 1915, Henry Ford was using large amounts of wood to manufacture automobiles. Ford operated a sawmill in the forests around Iron Mountain, Michigan to make the wooden parts, so there were piles of wood scraps.

Ford learned of a process, which had been developed and patented by Orin F. Stafford, which involved chipping wood into small pieces, converting them into charcoal, grinding the charcoal into powder, adding a binder and compressing the mix into the now-familiar, pillow-shaped briquets.

By 1921, a charcoal-making plant was in full operation.

According to the Kingsford website in 2000:

E. G. Kingsford, a lumberman who owned one of Ford's earliest automobile sales agencies and was distantly related, briefly served as manager of the briquette operation. A company town was built nearby and named Kingsford. In 1951, an investment group bought the plant, renamed the business the Kingsford Chemical Company, and took over operations. Its successor, The Kingsford Products Company, was acquired by The Clorox Company of Oakland, California, in 1973.

Today, KINGSFORD charcoal is manufactured from wood charcoal, anthracite coal, mineral charcoal, starch, sodium nitrate, limestone, sawdust, and borax. The wood and other high-carbon materials are heated in special ovens with little or no air. This process removes water, nitrogen and other elements, leaving almost pure carbon.

The briquettes do not contain petroleum or any petroleum by-products. KINGSFORD charcoal briquettes with mesquite contain the same high-quality ingredients as KINGSFORD, but with the addition of real mesquite wood throughout.

Manufacturing briquettes begins with preparing the wood charcoal using one of the following methods:

Retort processing -- Waste wood is processed through a largefurnace with multiple hearths (called a retort) in acontrolled-oxygen atmosphere. The wood is progressivelycharred as it drops from one hearth to the next.

Kiln processing -- The waste wood is cut into slabs and stacked inbatches in a kiln that chars the wood in acontrolled-oxygen atmosphere.

Once the wood charcoal is prepared, it is crushed and combined with the other ingredients, formed into pillow-shaped briquettes and dried. The advantage of using charcoal over wood is that charcoal burns hotter with less smoke. [Editor's note: This last sentence is true only when briquets are compared with softwood, but briquets do not burn nearly as hot as lump charcoal.]

RELATED INFORMATION

For related information, see:

CONCLUSION

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Terminology: "Never Ever 3"

2011-12-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

SUMMARY OF "NEVER EVER 3" STEAK?

In summary, "Never Ever 3" steak means a steak from cattle which:

Have never received any antibiotics;
Have never received any growth promotants; and
Have never received any animal by-products.

DETAILS OF "NEVER EVER 3" STEAK

The details of the "Never Ever 3" program are regulated by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, Audit Review and Compliance Branch, which are summarized here.

These requirements are much stricter than the USDA's "natural" definition. For example, a steak would qualify as natural if the cattle that produced it had been administered antibiotics for medical reasons, but that steak would not qualify for the NE3 program. A second example is that a steak would qualify as natural if the cattle that produced it had been administered non-hormone growth promotants, but that steak would not qualify for the NE3 program.

The USDA's website contains more information here. FSIS provides the following definition of the word "natural""

NATURAL vs. ORGANIC vs. NEVER EVER 3

Natural, Organic and Never Ever 3 have very different meanings. Click here for our blog on "Organic Steak". In addition, the Food and Marketing Institute has an excellent summary of the differences between the terms.

In summary, the three terms have very different meanings, with some steak qualifying for one or two but not all three, while some qualify for two but others qualify for none.

CONCLUSION
SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Terminology: "Age-Verified"

2011-12-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

This is an update of a blog first posted on January 22, 2011,
which is online at http://bit.ly/iiVPKD
AGE VERIFIED

The term "age verified" has a precise and important meaning in the beef cattle industry. The term means that the age of the cattle has been tracked and verified.

This permits cattle purchasers to know the exact age of the cattle and beef purchasers to know the exact age when the cattle was processed.

IMPORTANCE OF AGE VERIFICATION

The term "age verified" became important in recent years, primarily because of the 1990's outbreak of "mad cow disease" (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE). BSE is a cattle disease that affects only older cattle and is a major health risk for humans who eat infected meat.

To eliminate the human risk of BSE, several countries adopted regulations to prohibit trade in cattle older than 20 months and to require that all cattle be age verified.

SIMILAR TERMS

There are several similar terms that are used in the industry that have similar but very different meanings. These include the following:

Source Verified
Traceable
Trackback
Brand
Vintage
Provenance Verified or Proven

Some of these terms, like Source Verified, Traceable and Trackback, mean only that the beef can be traced back to each farm and processor where the cattle was raised and the beef processed.

Other terms, like Vintance and Provenance Verified, mean that the beef is sold with information about the ranch/farm(s) where the cattle was born and raised (including the ranch's terrain and weather), the cattle breed, sex (e.g. steer or heifer), diet, health and care (including medications, vaccines and antibiotics), the processing plant, the beef's USDA Grade, its marbling score, etc.

It is important to remember that age verification concerns only one factor: the age of the animal. Similarly, source verification concerns only one factor: where the animal and meat were raised and processed.

CONCLUSION
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Terminology: "Source-Verified"

2011-12-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

SOURCE VERIFIED

The term "source verified" has a precise and important meaning in the beef cattle industry. The term means that the farm(s) and/or ranch(es) where the cattle were raised have been tracked and verified by an independent organization.

This permits cattle purchasers to know the exact places where the cattle have been.

IMPORTANCE OF SOURCE VERIFICATION

The term "source verified" became important in recent years, primarily because of the 1990's outbreak of "mad cow disease" (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE). BSE is a cattle disease that affects only older cattle and is a major health risk for humans who eat infected meat.

To eliminate the human risk of BSE, several countries adopted regulations to prohibit trade in cattle that cannot be traced back to the farm(s) and ranch(es) where they were raised.

SIMILAR TERMS

There are several similar terms that are used in the industry that have similar but very different meanings. These include the following:

Age Verified
Traceable
Trackback
Brand
Vintage
Provenance Verified or Proven

Some of these terms, like Source Verified, Traceable and Trackback, mean only that the beef can be traced back to each farm and processor where the cattle was raised and the beef processed.

Other terms, like Vintage and Provenance Verified, mean that the beef is sold with information about the ranch/farm(s) where the cattle was born and raised (including the ranch's terrain and weather), the cattle breed, sex (e.g. steer or heifer), diet, health and care (including medications, vaccines and antibiotics), the age at slaughter, the processing plant, the beef's USDA Grade, its marbling score, etc.

It is important to remember that source verification concerns only one factor: the farm(s) and ranch(es) where the cattle were raised. Similarly, age verification concerns only one factor: the age of the cattle at slaughter.

CONCLUSION
SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Terminology: "Natural"

2011-12-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

SUMMARY OF "NATURAL" STEAK?

In summary, "natural" steak is a steak which:

Contains no artificial ingredients;
Contains no added color;
Is minimally processed so as not to fundamentally alter the product; and
Has a label which explains the meaning of the word "natural".

DETAILS OF "NATURAL" STEAK

In order for a steak to be labelled "organic", the steak must comply with the requirements of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The FSIS maintains a glossary of meat and poultry labeling terms and is the agency responsible for ensuring the truthfulness and accuracy in labeling of steak (as well as all meat and poultry products).

FSIS provides the following definition of the word "natural""

"A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed. Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product. The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed")."

UN-NATURAL STEAK

The word "natural" has a fundamental flaw, when applied to "natural", because it implies that any steak which does not comply with the "natural" definition must therefore be "un-natural".

In fact, many steaks that are sold do not qualify for the natural label. These include, for example, any steak which:

Has been tenderized with needles (e.g. a Jaccard) or other mechanical means;
Has been tenderized with any un-natural, chemical means (see note, below); or
Has been injected with saline or any other solution.

Note that tenderizing a steak with natural means (such as dry-aging) does not disqualify a steak from the being labelled as natural.

NATURAL vs. ORGANIC

Natural and Organic have very different meanings. Click here for our blog on "Organic Steak". In addition, the Food and Marketing Institute has an excellent summary of the differences between the terms.

In summary, the two terms have very different meanings, with some steak qualifying for one but not the other, some qualifying for both, and a small proportion qualifying for neither.

CONCLUSION
SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Terminology: "Organic"

2011-12-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is an update of a blog first posted on January 18, 2011,
which is online at http://bit.ly/gSxULZ

SUMMARY OF "ORGANIC" STEAK?

In summary, an "organic" steak means a steak from cattle that has been certified, by an independent agency, as meeting three requirements:

The cattle were fed only 100% organic feed;
The cattle were not treated with any routine antibiotics; and
The cattle were not treated with any hormones.

DETAILS OF "ORGANIC" STEAK

In order for a steak to be labelled "organic", the steak must comply with a long list of specific requirements.

With regard to the diet of the cattle from which the steak is produced, none of the grasses or grains may be treated with any non-organic pesticide, any non-organic insecticide, any non-organic herbicide, and most non-organic fertilizers.

In addition, none of the cattle's diet may have been subject to chemical ripening, irradiation, genetically modified ingredients or processes, artificial sweeteners, artificial food colors and artificial flavoring.

With regard to the cattle themselves, they may not be treated with routine antibiotics. However, antibiotics may be used in order to treat a specific medical condition.

The cattle may not be given any artificial growth hormones. However, cattle may be given artificial growth enhancements that are not hormones.

Because of the strict requirements, less than 1% of the steaks sold domestically qualify for the organic label. Because the supply is so limited, and because there is considerable demand for organic steak, the price of an organic steak is much higher than the price of a comparable conventional steak.

NON-ORGANIC CATTLE

The common term used for non-organic cattle or steak is "conventional" cattle or steak. In this sense, conventional refers to the method by which the great majority of domestic beef cattle are raised, from which the vast majority of steak is produced.

A more precise term for non-organic cattle or steak is "non-organic cattle or steak".

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

The word "organic" is defined by federal law. The word is codified in the "Organic Food Production Act of 1990, 7 USC § 6501-22". The Regulations are set forth in "7 CFR Part 205". The program is regulated by the USDA's "National Organic Program".

There are approximately "90 certification agencies" which have been accredited (approved) by the USDA.

COMPARING ORGANIC WITH NON-ORGANIC STEAK

There is no difference in the palatability (i.e. the taste, texture or juiciness) between organic and non-organic steak.

Some claim that there are health and environmental benefits of organic steak compared with non-organic steak. Some claim that there are no measurable differences, and some claim that there are health and environmental risks associated with organic steak.

As noted above, the price of a organic steak is higher than a comparable non-organic steak.

CONCLUSION
SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Does Your Steak Cause Global Warming?

2011-09-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

NO, YOUR STEAK DOES NOT CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING?

In the past year, claims that livestock produces significant greenhouses gasses have been discredited by new scientific evidence.

In fact, raising livestock for food accounts for about 3 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

In comparison, transportation creates 26 percent.

ANTI-MEAT EXTREMISTS

Those who promote the meat=heat misinformation are anti-meat extremists who use irrational, emotional arguments.

Many are hard-core vegetarians and vegans, whose goal is to eliminate all meat from everyone's diet. Celebrities like Paul McCartney, an outspoken vegetarian, may be "well-intentioned", but they are ignorant about science and the complex relationships among human activity, animal digestion, food production and atmospheric chemistry.

Time and again their arguments are proven wrong. What is their response? Do they apologize for their errors and acknowledge the science? No, of course not. Like true-believers throughout history, when proven wrong, they deny any error, they attack the messenger, and they change their words but not their message.

For example, recent scientific evidence shows that average temperatures have declined. So extremists deny that they erred, attack the science, and change their wording. Thus, they no longer claim that your steak causes "global warming". Now they claim that your steak causes "climate change".

SCIENCE IS THE VICTIM

Why do anti-meat extremists ignore the science and continue to lie about the facts? For more than two years, science proved that your steak and the cattle who produced it do not cause global warming.

Extremists are not concerned with science or truth. They are driven by their emotions and beliefs. Their goal is to eliminate meat from everyone's diet. They do not care about facts. They are true-believers who will intentionally lie to promote their goal.

They will continue to use unfounded claims to attack steak lovers and the beef cattle ranchers and farmers who produce the best steak in the world.

One of the worst results of the anti-meat extremists is the confusion they cause among those who do not know the science. Extremists claim that science supports their claim that your steak causes global warming, even though they know that their claim is wrong and that science shows the opposite. Science, along with the cattle industry, has become the victim of the anti-meat extremists.

For extremists:
Earth is their god.
Mankind is their devil.
Veganism is their religion.

CONCLUSION
SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/nFTwDa

SteakPerfection Followers and Following

2011-08-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

THOSE WHO FOLLOW US

Those who should follow @SteakPerfection on Twitter include those interested in learning about steak. Our tweets focus exclusively on steak-related topics, including the following:

Breeds of beef cattle
Feed for beef cattle
Sex for beef cattle
Age of beef cattle at harvest
USDA Inspection, including health and safety issues
USDA Grades for beef
Marbling scores
Cuts of steak
Aging methods and time
Trimming and pre-cooking preparation
Cooking methods at home and restaurants
Online steak sellers
Steakhouses and restaurants
Science
Scientifically valid blind taste tests

Every steak cooked at home or ordered in a restaurant cannot always be the most expensive available. However, our goal is to help our followers learn how to cook and order an inexpensive steak that is as close as possible to steak perfection. Since we limit our tweets solely to steak-related topics, we limit the topics of our tweets as follows:

No non-steak tweets
No idle chit-chat
No jokes
No non-steak recipes
No politics
No flames

In summary, we tweet about steak, and only about steak. We learn about steak and help others to learn about steak. We do not tweet about other topics. Our philosophy at @SteakPerfection is that consumers should know as much as about their steak as the rancher who raised the cattle, so that consumers can make informed decisions. In the case of steaks at steakhouses and restaurants, we focus on the steak rather than on other entrees, side dishes, service, ambiance, prices, etc.

THOSE WHOM WE FOLLOW

@SteakPerfection on Twitter limits the number of those whom it follows, so that we can read their tweets and process their information. We will be pleased to follow you, and we invite you to notify us if you tweet regularly about any steak-related topics, including the following:

Agriculture, farming and ranching
Breeds, numbers and markets for beef cattle
Grass-fed and grain-finished cattle ranchers
How age, sex, feed, geography and other variables of beef cattle affect the look, taste and texture of steak
USDA Inspection, including health and safety issues
USDA Grade issues
Marbling scores
Cuts of steak
Aging methods and time
Trimming and pre-cooking preparation
Cooking methods at home and restaurants
Online steak sellers
Steakhouses and restaurants
Science
Scientifically valid blind taste tests

Every week @SteakPerfection uses the Tweepi cleanup tool to review and edit the list of those whom we are following. We do not strive to inflate the numbers of our followers and therefore limit those whom we are following to those who provide information about steak and steak-related topics.

CONCLUSION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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101 Factors Affect Steak Quality

2011-08-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

FACTORS THAT AFFECT STEAK QUALITY

We at SteakPerfection have been asked to list the most important factors which affect steak quality. After substantial analysis, we prepared the following list of the 101 major factors that affect the quality of a steak.

The following factors are not the only data that is necessary for the cattle database. Instead, these are the factors that should be available to every consumer. For example, the following does not include price, yield or safety data, which are necessary for suppliers. The following lists the factors that affect a steak's taste, texture and juiciness. Note that some of these factors are not applicable in every case. For example, grass-finished cattle is not transported to or fed in a feedlot.

7 FACTORS ABOUT COW-CALF RANCH OR FARM-OF-ORIGIN

1. Name - including address, website, number of ranchers, etc.
2. Cattle density - i.e. number of cattle per area, which relates to herd and cattle stress
3. Soil - type of soil will affect cattle directly and, more importantly, indirectly, since it changes the taste of the cattle feed
4. Climate - temperature, wind, snow and rain -- the terroir includes the terrain and the soil, water and weather which affects the taste of the steak because they affect the taste of the fodder that the cattle eat and the way that they grow, and it also includes how the cattle is treated by the farmer
5. Terrain - hills, trees, meadows, streams, altitude, air quality and other terrain factors that affect how much or little the cattle use and develop their muscles, quality of life, etc.
6. Care - details of stress mitigation and other care
7. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

4 FACTORS ABOUT TRANSPORT FROM FARM-OF-ORIGIN

8. Method - how are calves moved to the stocker/backgrounder (e.g. cattle drive, truck, etc.)
9. Name of transport company - including address, website, type of equipment, etc
10. Care - details of stress mitigation and other care during transport
11. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

7 FACTORS ABOUT SALE-BARN/STOCKER/BACKGROUNDER/OTHER RANCH

12. Name - including address, website, number of ranchers, etc.
13. Cattle density - i.e. number of cattle per area, which relates to herd and cattle stress
14. Soil - type of soil will affect cattle directly and, more importantly, indirectly, since it changes the taste of the cattle feed
15. Climate - temperature, wind, snow and rain -- the terroir includes the terrain and the soil, water and climate which affects the taste of the steak because they affect the taste of the fodder that the cattle eat and the way that they grow, and it also includes how the cattle is treated by the farmer
16. Terrain - hills, trees, meadows, streams, altitude, air quality and other terrain factors that affect how much or little the cattle use and develop their muscles, quality of life, etc.
17. Care - details of stress mitigation and other care
18. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

4 FACTORS ABOUT TRANSPORT FROM RANCH

19. Method - how are calves moved to the feedlot (e.g. cattle drive, truck, etc.)
20. Name of transport company - including address, website, type of equipment, etc
21. Care - details of stress mitigation and other care during transport
22. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

7 FACTORS ABOUT FEEDLOT

23. Name - including address, website, number of ranchers, etc.
24. Cattle density - i.e. number of cattle per area, which relates to herd and cattle stress
25. Soil - type of soil will affect cattle directly and, more importantly, indirectly, since it changes the taste of the cattle feed
26. Climate - temperature, wind, snow and rain -- the terroir includes the terrain and the soil, water and climate which affects the taste of the steak because they affect the taste of the fodder that the cattle eat and the way that they grow, and it also includes how the cattle is treated by the farmer
27. Terrain - hills, trees, meadows, streams, altitude, air quality and other terrain factors that affect how much or little the cattle use and develop their muscles, quality of life, etc.
28. Care - details of stress mitigation and other care
29. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

18 FACTORS ABOUT EACH HEAD OF BEEF CATTLE

30. ID number - the RFID or other unique ID that stays with the animal from birth to slaughter and then to the retail consumer’s steak
31. Sire ID - with which the consumer can trace the sire’s sire, dam, date of birth, etc.
32. Dam ID - with which the consumer can trace the sire’s sire, dam, date of birth, etc.
33. Date of birth
34. Place of birth
35. Breed
36. Sex - male or female at birth
37. Weaning age
38. Weaning method (important as measure of stress)
39. Castration age - (note: castration at birth results in more marbling but lower yield)
40. Castration method - (important as measure of stress)
41. Diet as pre-weaned calf - including details and proportion of cow-fed milk, bottle fed milk, free choice alfalfa, water, etc.
42. Diet as weaned calf - including details and proportions of feed, including grasses, forage, mixes, water, etc.
43. Diet on pasture - including details and proportions of feed, including grasses, forage, mixes, water, etc.
44. Diet in feedlot - including details and proportions of grains, mixes, supplements, water, etc. (note: the amount and quality of water is as important as the quality of feed)
45. Medications and supplements - including dates and details of each vaccine, antibiotic, vitamin and mineral supplements, growth promotant (e.g. hormones), etc
46. Brand - i.e. details about any brand, PVP or similar program in which the animal is enrolled (e.g. CAB, grass-finished, etc.)
47. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

11 FACTORS ABOUT ABATTOIR

48. Name - including address, website, number of cattle processed per day, etc.
49. Slaughter date - from which the exact age can be determined by reference to the date of birth
50. Slaughter method - important as measure of stress
51. Hot carcass treatment - i.e. spray with chilled water, shrouded, etc.
52. Days in cooler
53. Date of USDA Inspection
54. Marbling quality - texture, color etc
55. Marbling amount - IMF%
56. Date of USDA Grading
57. USDA Grade - includes more info than just marbling
58. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

9 FACTORS ABOUT AGING

59. Name of facility(s) - including address, website, etc.
60. Cut - the name and IMPS/NAMP number
61. Temperature - note that this and the other aging room factors must be reported for each cut and not simply at the facility’s website, since these factors are very important for steak quality and since they can vary from day-to-day and week-to-week
62. Humidity
63. Air-flow
64. Bacterial control
65. Method - dry, wet, hybrid
66. Time - note: all beef is aged at least 2 days in the hot carcass cooler, and almost all beef is wet aged at least during shipment to retailer
67. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

5 FACTORS ABOUT BUTCHERY OF CARCASS

68. Name - including address, website, etc.
69. Date of butchering - from carcass to primal
70. Cut - the name and IMPS/NAMP number
71. Method of packaging - e.g. cryovac
72. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

5 FACTORS ABOUT BUTCHERY OF PRIMAL CUT

73. Name - including address, website, etc.
74. Date of butchering - from primal to subprimal
75. Cut - the name and IMPS/NAMP number
76. Method of packaging - e.g. cryovac
77. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

6 FACTORS ABOUT BUTCHERY OF SUBPRIMAL CUT

78. Name - including address, website, etc.
79. Date of butchering - from subprimal to individual steak
80. Cut - the name and IMPS/NAMP number
81. Thickness of steak
82. Method of packaging - e.g. cryovac if portion-cut to be shipped to steakhouse or retailer
83. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

5 FACTORS ABOUT PREPARATION BEFORE COOKING

84. Trim - i.e. removal of fat
85. Temperature - of steak before cooking
86. Drying - details about drying the steak
87. Pre-seasoning - salt, pepper, marinating, applying a rub or oil, etc.
88. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

6 FACTORS ABOUT COOKING

89. Appliance - grill, pan, oven, etc., including utensils (e.g. tongs) for flipping
90. Fuel - (e.g. natural gas grill, propane gas grill, gas broiler (e.g. Montague), infrared broiler, hickory lump charcoal, etc.)
91. Temperature - cooking temperature at meat level
92. Environment - ambient temperature, humidity, airflow, altitude etc.
93. Time - for cooking, including number of flips
94. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

6 FACTORS ABOUT SERVING

95. Resting - time and details (e.g. covered and rested 5 minutes on a rack in a 200F oven)
96. Seasoning - details of seasonings, butter, etc.
97. Slicing - details about the direction and thickness of slices, type of knife (e.g. ceramic), etc.
98. Plating - e.g. served on a pre-warmed but not hot plate to retain the steak heat
99. Serving - i.e. garnishes, side dishes, etc. (e.g. serve with separate bowls of coarse sea salts)
100. Special notes - any other factors that may affect the steak quality

(and perhaps the single most important factor) TASTING

101. The steak lover should learn how to taste a great steak (e.g. small bites, chew slowly, detect and appreciate the complex layers of taste, texture and juiciness, etc.).

CONCLUSION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Grilled Fruit

2011-08-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Grilled fruit adds a surprising and tasty twist to backyard grilling. Here are some examples, starting first with our own SteakPerfection Grilled Fruit Kabob Recipe.

SteakPerfection GRILLED FRUIT KABOB RECIPE

This is our SteakPerfection Grilled Fruit Recipe. We credit the recipes shown below and have taken many of their ideas to develop our own unique recipe, which makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

1/4 cup bourbon
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup water
1 lb of beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 firm nectarines, pitted and cut into 4 slices each
3 firm pears, pitted and cut into 4 slices each
3 firm peaches, pitted and cut into 4 slices each
3 firm plums, pitted and cut into 4 slices each
6 apricots, halved
12 bamboo skewers (12" each)
3 tablespoons honey or light corn syrup, warmed

Directions

Soak bamboo skewers in water until ready to use.
Start a mesquite lump charcoal grill for 750 at grill level.
Put the bourbon into a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
Boil for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol.
Add the butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, and water.
Bring to a boil whisking until all the sugar is dissolved.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Let cool to thicken for 10 minutes.
Trim pork tenderloins and cut into 1" pieces.
Remove pits from fruit and cut each piece of fruit as noted.
Into a large bowl, place the fruit and glaze, and toss to coat.
Beginning and ending with fruit, thread the bamboo skewers with the fruit and tenderloin pieces, alternating with the meat and a different fruit.
Place the skewers on the grill, and grill uncovered for 8-10 minutes, until the tenderloin is rare or medium rare.
Turn the skewers every two minutes.
Remove from grill, place on a rack and let rest 5 minutes.
Move to a platter and serve.

GRILLED FRUIT KABOB RECIPE

Here's a Grilled Fruit Kabobs Recipe, which yields 6 servings.

Ingredients

1/2 fresh pineapple, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium nectarines, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium pears, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 medium peaches, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 to 4 medium plums, cut into 1-inch chunks
10 apricots, halved
3 tablespoons honey or light corn syrup, warmed

Directions

Thread fruit alternately onto metal or soaked wooden skewers.
Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat until fruit is heated through, about 6 minutes, turning often.
Brush with honey or corn syrup during the last minute of grilling time.

ANOTHER GRILLED FRUIT KABOB RECIPE

Here's Another Grilled Fruit Kabobs Recipe, which yields 12 skewers.

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup honey
3 fresh peaches, pitted and quartered
3 fresh plums, pitted and quartered
3 bananas, cut into 4 pieces each
12 strawberries, hulled
12 skewers

Directions

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and place a large sheet of foil onto the grate.
Melt the margarine and honey together in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Reduce heat to low and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil.
Thread a peach quarter, a plum quarter, a banana piece, and a strawberry onto each skewer.
Place the skewers onto the foil on the preheated grill; spoon margarine-honey mixture over each skewer.
Grill until the fruit is softened and the sauce has thickened and cooked onto the fruit, about 5 minutes.
Flip the skewers, spoon more margarine-honey sauce over each, and grill for about 5 more minutes on the other side.

OTHER GRILLED FRUIT KABOB RECIPES

Here is Sandra Lee's recipe for Grilled Fruit Kabobs.

Another recipe features Grilled Fruit Kabobs on Sugar-Cane Skewers.

Paula Deen has a recipe for Grilled Fruit with a Bourbon Glaze.

Pauls Deen also has a recipe that combines chunks of Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Fruit Kabobs.

GRILLED FRUIT SALAD

Here's a recipe for Grilled Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing, which yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 pineapple, cored and sliced into 8 rings
2 plums, cored and each cut into 8 wedges
Vegetable oil, for brushing fruit
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions

Preheat grill to medium.
Lightly brush fruit with oil and place on the grill.
Cook until pineapple and plums are nicely caramelized, turning once, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove to a plate.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together yogurt, honey and mint.
Place 2 rings and 4 wedges on each plate and drizzle with dressing.
Garnish with pine nuts

ANOTHER GRILLED FRUIT SALAD RECIPE

Here's another Grilled Fruit Salad Recipe, which yields 4 servings.

CONCLUSION
SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Terminology: "Age Verified"

2011-06-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

AGE VERIFIED

The term "age verified" has a precise and important meaning in the beef cattle industry. The term means that the age of the cattle has been tracked and verified.

This permits cattle purchasers to know the exact age of the cattle and beef purchasers to know the exact age when the cattle was processed.

IMPORTANCE OF AGE VERIFICATION

The term "age verified" became important in recent years, primarily because of the 1990's outbreak of "mad cow disease" (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE). BSE is a cattle disease that affects only older cattle and is a major health risk for humans who eat infected meat.

To eliminate the human risk of BSE, several countries adopted regulations to prohibit trade in cattle older than 20 months and to require that all cattle be age verified.

SIMILAR TERMS

There are several similar terms that are used in the industry that have similar but very different meanings. These include the following:

Source Verified
Traceable
Trackback
Brand
Vintage
Provenance Verified or Proven

Some of these terms, like Source Verified, Traceable and Trackback, mean only that the beef can be traced back to each farm and processor where the cattle was raised and the beef processed.

Other terms, like Vintance and Provenance Verified, mean that the beef is sold with information about the ranch/farm(s) where the cattle was born and raised (including the ranch's terrain and weather), the cattle breed, sex (e.g. steer or heifer), diet, health and care (including medications, vaccines and antibiotics), the processing plant, the beef's USDA Grade, its marbling score, etc.

It is important to remember that age verification concerns only one factor: the age of the animal. Similarly, source verification concerns only one factor: where the animal and meat were raised and processed.

CONCLUSION

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Two Buck Chuck and Your $50 Steak

2011-06-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

You know more about a bottle of Two Buck Chuck than you know about your $50 Steak.

TWO BUCK CHUCK

"Two Buck Chuck" means the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon wine, which is sold at Trader Joe's for $1.99 ("Two Bucks") and which is produced by the Charles Shaw vineyard ("Chuck") .

The wine label tells the story of the wine:

The vineyard is Charles Shaw, and the grapes are grown, fermented, aged and bottled in California;
The wine in produced from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape; and
The wine was produced from grapes grown in a specified year and aged for a specified amount of time.

In summary, when you purchase a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck", you not only know all the details of the wine but you can be certain that, if you purchase a second bottle, it will taste exactly like the first, because it too was grown at the same vineyard from the same grape and in the same year.

YOUR $50 STEAK

You might buy a $50 steak at Morton's, Flemings, Ruth's Cris or other steakhouse or restaurant, and you might purchase an expensive steak from your local buther or supermarket.

When you do:

You won't know the name of the ranch, the terrain, the weather or the feed where the cattle was raised;
You won't know the breed of the cattle; and
You won't know the age of the cattle or steak.

In short, when you purchase a steak, you know none of the details about where your steak came from.

COMPARISON

You know much more about a bottle of Two Buck Chuck than your $50 steak.

ORIGIN: Even a cheap bottle of wine gives the name, location, terrain and weather where the grapes are grown, but steak from cattle raised on many different ranches, locations, terrain, weather and feed are mixed and packaged together;
BREED: Even the cheapest bottle of wine names the variety of grape that was used to make it, but steak from many different breeds are mixed and packaged together; and
AGE: Wine labels disclose the year of production, which is very important for a consumer to find the same wine taste, but steak from different years are mixed and packaged together.

DUPLICATE THE TASTE

When you purchase even a cheap wine like Two Buck Chuck, you know all the details about the wine. As a result, if you like that particular wine, you can purchase an identical bottle (the same vineyard, grape, location and year), and you will experience the identical taste. Different bottles of the same wine will taste exactly the same.

However, when you purchase a steak at a steakhouse or butcher, you know none of the details about the steak. As a result, if you like that particular steak, you can never duplicate the taste of that steak, since you don't know any of the details about the steak (the ranch, breed, year etc.). Different steaks at the same steakhouse or butcher do not taste the same, because they come from a single box in which steaks from different ranches, breeds and years are mixed together.

CONCLUSION

Consumers should demand to know as much about their steak as they know about their wine. Consumers have a right to know as much about their steak as the rancher who raised the cattle, including the geography, terrain, weather, cattle breed, sex, feed, age, health and care of the cattle.

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Steak Myth #1: Searing Seals in Juices

2011-05-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Steak Myth #1: Searing Seals in Juices

A prevalent myth in grilling steaks is that "searing a steak seals in its juices."

Fact: Searing Does Not Seal in Juices

Searing a steak creates no “seal” or barrier that prevents juices from escaping from the inside.

Steaks do not have pores. Pores exist only in the skin (epidermis) of an animal. Searing the outside of a steak does not close any pores or create any other seal or barrier. In fact, rather than sealing in the juices, searing the meat does almost the opposite: it dries out and removes juices (moisture) near the steak's surface, so searing causes a loss of moisture rather than protecting against it.

Searing Is Important!

There is an important reason to sear a steak, but it is not to "seal in" the juices. Instead, the reason to sear a steak is to caramelize (i.e., in scientific terms, to use the Maillard and browning reactions) to create a flavorful exterior crust.

When a steak is grilled in the heat and smoke of a wood fire, the result produces several desirable contrasts:

Taste: the caramelized exterior versus the beefy interior;
Texture: the crunchy exterior versus the soft interior;
Juiciness: the dry exterior versus the juicy interior;
Appearance: the dark-brown exterior versus the pinkish-red interior.

In short, searing a steak creates a contrasting exterior taste, texture, juiciness and appearance.

Harold McGee

Harold McGee, the esteemed author and food scientist, explains, in "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen", p. 112:

SEARING IN JUICENESS AND FLAVOR

There is one misconception about meat cookery that still enjoys great popularity, even though it has long since been discredited. Does the gist of this description of cooking sound familiar?

"Thus as the exterior pores contract, the moisture contained in the object cannot escape any more, but is imprisoned there when the pores close."

This quotation comes not from a blurb for convection ovens, but from Aristotle's treatise on meteorology (Book 4). The theory has changed little except for the terminology -- today we would say that the food's juices are "sealed in" by high temperatures, keeping it moist and tender.

McGee then traces the history of this theory through the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries, including the mid-19th Century explanation of the "science" for the "sealed in" theory by the German chemist, Justus von Liebig in his "Researches on the Chemistry of Food. McGee continues:

We know today that most of [Liebig's science] is simply not true. . . . Any crust formed around the surface of the meat is not waterproof. . . . But in its day, Liebig's account answered the unspoken need for some rational, systematic approach to cookery. . . . But even after Liebig's rationale for the early-searing method had been disproven, the method itself lived on under various guises, often rather eccentric. . . . [T]he grounds of the argument have shifted since Liebig's time. The issue is no longer nutritional value or juiciness, but taste. And here we are on firmer ground. We do know for a fact that whether done early or late, searing does not seal, but it does brown: it won't prevent flavor from escaping, but it creates flavor via the complex browning reactions. . . . So there is a good reason to sear meat, but it has nothing to do with nutrition or juiciness. The many recipes and ads that perpetuate Liebig's theory probably do so because the image it evokes is vivid and appealing.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps it is understandable that laymen and amateurs wax poetic about how high heat "sears in" their steaks' flavor and juiciness. However, expert steakmasters should dispel this prevalent myth and explain to others the science of SteakPerfection.

For more information about this Steak Myth #1 and other myths, click here for our Steak Perfection website.

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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This updates an earlier blog at http://bit.ly/apACTJ

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Sous Vide

2011-04-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Sous vide is a cooking method that is becoming more popular. Sous vide is French, pronounced "sue VEED" (accent the second syllable), and means "under vaccuum".

In this method, food (meat or vegetables) is sealed in a plastic bag. The plastic bag is put into hot (but not boiling) water, heated to around 140°F. The bood in the plastic bag cooks for a very long period of time, often over 24 hours. The food is done when the interior temperature of the food reaches the temperature of the water.

In the case of steak, the sous vide method has the benefit of preventing evaporation while it tenderizes the meat.

Professional kitchens have the equipment and chefs to cook a great steak with the sous vide method. Those who want to try sous vide at home must be very careful and use the correct equipment and technique, because a major danger of sous vide is botulism poisoning. Botulism is a grave danger with sous vide.

In this video, Erik Williams, executive chef of MK Restaurant in Chicago, uses the sous vide method for a tenderloin.

This video is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKdDfunjYio.

Again, be very careful, when using the sous vide method, to avoid botulism poisoning.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Question: Which Breed Tastes Best?

2011-03-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S STEAKPERFECTION QUESTION

"what is the best type of cow for Ribeye steaks,
Simmental or Angus?"

SUMMARY

There are no scientifically valid studies that rank the taste of high-quality steak from Simmental, Angus or other breeds. Much more research is required on the relationship between taste scores and cattle breeds.

However, a few studies by some researchers tends to show that abundantly marbled steak from the following eight beef cattle breeds would rank for taste in the following order:

Brahman
Gelbvieh
Limousin
Charolais
Hereford
Simmental
Angus
Red Angus

Until further research is conducted, the accuracy of this and other rankings cannot be verified.

ASSUMPTIONS

SteakPerfection strives for precise accuracy. Because the question above contains several ambiguities, we assume, for purposes of this answer, that the question is directed to the following ribeye steak:

Steer not a cow (the highest quality steaks come from steers, which are male cattle that are castrated when young, and not from cows, which are female cattle that have given birth at least once);
Purebred (which means that the cattle are not hybrid);
Well-raised (which means that the cattle are raised in a healthy, low-stress environment);
Best quality (which means here that the steak is either graded as USDA Prime Grade or is its equivalent in terms of the cattle's age and its marbling quality, and that it is dry-aged for a substantial period of time); and
Equivalently and properly cooked (which means that the steak from each breed is cooked in exactly the same manner and is cooked properly).

THE STUDIES

There are a very few scientifically reliable studies which compare cattle breed with taste. We rely on the following three studies:

J.D. Tatum et al. 2008. Producing Flavorful Beef. Online (last retrieved on 3/30/11).
Wheeler, T. L., L. V. Cundiff, S. D. Shackelford, and M. Koohmaraie. 2001. Characterization of biological types of cattle (Cycle V): carcass traits and longissimus palatability. J. Anim. Sci. 79:1209-1222.
Wheeler, T. L., L.V. Cundiff, S. D. Shackelford, and M. Koohmaraie. 2005. Characterization of biological types of cattle (Cycle VII): Carcass, yield, and longissimus palatability traits. J. Anim. Sci. 83:196-207.

APPARENT RANKINGS

As shown in Tatum's study in Figure 6 at Page 18, the relationship between marbling scores and taste scores for eight beef cattle breeds is shown.

Caution: before analyzing the following taste scores,
note that the ranking below is unreliable,
for the reasons discussed in the next section.

Figure 6 shows that the following beef cattle breeds, marbling scores and taste scores, ranked by thier taste scores, from highests to lowest:

Red Angus (590, 4.94)
Angus (585, 4.93)
Hereford (529, 4.90)
Gelbvieh (506, 4.87)
Charolais (518, 4.86)
Simmental (529, 4.84)
Limousin (504, 4.83)
Brahman (473, 4.82)

As cautioned above, the foregoing ranking is very misleading. The taste scores were awarded for steak from different breeds that were not controlled for their marbling scores. In other words, the study compared the taste of steaks which had different marbling scores, which is like comparing apples with oranges. For example, the steak from the Brahman had a marbling score of only 470, but it achieved a taste score that was almost as high as the steak from the Limousin, which had a much higher marbling score (504).

Thus, we adjusted the rankings in order to account for the differences in marbling.

ADJUSTED RANKINGS

For the reasons explained above, the Apparent Rankings in Figure 6 were adjusted to account for the differences in marbling. In order to make this adjustment, we applied a linear regressional analysis. We calculated the expected flavor score for each breed, based upon a marbling score of 900.

A marbling score of 900 equates to
an abundant marbling score of AB-00 and
to an intramuscular fat percentage (IMF%) of 11%.

The adjusted rankings for each breed are set forth below, ranked in order of their adjusted taste scores, from highests to lowest, and with their assumed marbling scores and adjusted taste scores:

Brahman (900, 9.17)
Gelbvieh (900, 8.66)
Limousin (900, 8.63)
Charolais (900, 8.44)
Hereford (900, 8.34)
Simmental (900, 8.23)
Angus (900, 7.58)
Red Angus (900, 7.54)

We ascribe little confidence to this ranking and are aware that a 900 marbling score for a Brahman steer is extremely rare. However, these Adjusted Rankings tend to suggest that a steak from a Brahman steer with a 900 marbling score may achieve a significantly higher taste score than a similar steak from a Red Angus steer.

Actual taste tests and research are necessary to verify these Adjusted Rankings.

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

Based upon the foregoing, we cannot and do not conclude that these Adjusted Rankings are accurate. Instead, we conclude only that the Apparent Rankings are inaccurate. Moreover, we conclude that additional research is required to measure the taste scores of steak from different breeds but with the same, high marbling scores.

CONCLUSION

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2011 Quest for the Holy Grail SteakPerfection

2011-03-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

2011 QUEST

Last year, we asked where can we find the Holy Grail of Steak. This year, we begin our quest anew and ask:

Assuming that price is absolutely no object, where can we purchase a USDA Prime Grade (or equivalent), top loin (New York strip) steak, with the following 16 pieces of information about the individual cattle which produced the steak:

Farm(s): What is the name and address of each farm (the cow-calf, backgrounder and feedlot operator) where the cattle was raised?
Breed: What is the breed (or hybrid) of the cattle?
Sex: What is the sex (e.g. steer) of the cattle?
Sire: What are the name and breed of the cattle's sire?
Dam: What are the name and breed of the cattle's dam?
Date of Birth: What is the date of birth of the calf?
Weight History: What is the birth weight of the calf, its monthly weight throughout its live, and its live weight for slaughter?
Health History: What is the name and date of each vaccine, worming, antibiotic, hormone and other medication and health procedure?
Castration: If the calf is a steer, what is the date and method of castration?
Weaning Date: What is the date when the calf was weaned?
Feeding History: What is the name, date and exact type of each feed (e.g. the exact species of grass, foliage, and grain mixture) eaten by the cattle over its lifetime?
Trucking History: What is the date and trucker for each movement of the cattle from one location to another?
USDA Grade: What is the USDA grade, if applicable?
Date of Slaughter: What is the date of the cattle's slaughter?
Marbling Score: What is beef's marbling score (or IMF%) at Rib 12/13?

Note: USDA Prime Grade or equivalent means that, if a carcass is not USDA Graded, it has the same marbling and aging characteristics as a USDA Prime Grade steak would have.

We call this background information the "provenance" of the steak, and this is our 2011 Quest for the Holy Grail of SteakPerfection.

PLEASE HELP

Is our quest doomed to failure?

We know that all the major conventional producers and processors keep detailed records about every individual animal they process and that they can trace each steak back to the animal that it came from. But we also suspect that no producer or processor makes this information available to its customers, although we believe that we consumers have a right to know everything about our steak that the producers and processors know.

We also know that the non-conventional producers and processors (such as grass-fed and organic cattle producers) also keep detailed recoreds about every individual animal they process and that they too can trace each steak back to the animal that it came from. The major problem for them is marbling score and age of their cattle, which is usually lean and older than conventional cattle.

Can we purchase an abundantly marbled, top loin (New York strip) steak from a young steer, with all the information listed above? Please post your comments/feedback. Thanks in advance.

CONCLUSION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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The foregoing is based upon a blog posted by SteakPerfection to CattleToday.com on 122810@2136

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"Generic" Steak or "Proven" Steak?

2011-03-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

YOUR STEAKHOUSE WINE AND STEAK

Your favorite steakhouse probably takes justifiable pride in educating you and its other customers about wine, including the name of the farm which grows the grapes, the location, geography, terrain and weather of the farm, the type of grapes, the year of the crop and harvest, the age of the wine, etc. The sum of all these details is the "provenance" of the wine. A wine with a known provenance is called a "proven" wine (from the word provenance). So your steakhouse tells you quite a lot of information about the provenance of the wine they serve you.

Yet, even though it is a steakhouse, it gives you almost no information about the provenance of your steak! Your steakhouse doesn't reveal the name or location of the farm, the cattle breed, sex, date of birth, age, the feed, or other information about the cattle or steak. All these and many more attributes affect the taste and texture of your steak. Yet your steakhouse does not give you any of the provenance, because the steakhouse itself has none of this information.

So your steakhouse tells you more about your wine than about your steak. You are informed about the difference between a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot, but nothing about whether your steak is male (steer) or female (heifer), whether its breed is a Shorthorn or Friesian, whether the calf was born in the Spring or Fall, whether it was fed grain or only grass, whether it was raised in the snow or in the desert, and so forth. You know everything about your wine and can even visit the winery, but you know almost nothing about your steak.

Why?

Because, although beef processors keep detailed records of the cattle they process, they provide none of that information to the distributors. As a result, the butchers, markets, steakhouses and you know nothing about where the farm or cattle where your steak came from. The beef industry today operates in exactly the same way as the wine industry in past decades.

"GENERIC" JUG WINE

In the 1960s, most Americans drank "jug wine" at their favorite steakhouse -- jug wine like Gallo Hearty Burgundy.

At that time, there were many different grape farms, which grew many different types of wine grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, etc.). The grape farms sold their grapes to a central processor (a winery), which mixed and blended the grapes together to produce "generic" wine.

In the 1960's, this "generic" or "jug wine" was almost the only wine available, and the consumer had no information about the provenance of the "generic" wine, including the name of the winery, the location of the vineyard, the type of grape, the year it was grown, etc.

"PROVEN" WINE (WITH A PROVENANCE)

In the 1970s, the best wineries began to teach consumers about the differences in grapes and geography, and Americans began to demand wine with a vintage, varietel, and known provenance.

Wineries taught consumers, who demanded that vendors not sell only "generic" wine but also "proven" wine -- wine that was sold with a disclosed provenance.

Today, "jug wine" has all but disappeared from the shelves of American markets, having given way to the era of "proven" wine -- with a known provenance.

"GENERIC" STEAK

Steak in 2011 is like wine was in the 1960s. Today's steak is like "jug wine" -- from an unknown farm, and unknown breed, and unknown age, etc.

Beef processors today treat cattle like wineries treated grapes in the 1960s. Beef processors purchase dozens of breeds of cattle from thousands of individual farmers. Then the processors mix and process all the cattle together, where the cattle are slaughtered and the beef is cut. At the end of the process, the beef is boxed, and no purchaser can know anything about the farm that raised the cattle or the cattle's breed, sex, date of birth, feed, etc.

Thus, Americans today can purchase only "generic" steak. A "generic" steak means a steak which comes from an unknown heifer, steer, cow or bull, with an unknown breed, unknown date of birth, raised at an unknown farm, fed an unknown diet with undetermined additional hormones and antibiotics, etc. Unfortunately, the only steak available at almost all steakhouses and butchers today is "generic" steak.

In contrast, a "proven" steak (from the word "provenance") includes all the details of the steak's origin, including its breed, sex, age, feed, etc. This detailed information may be printed on a label or may be available online. "Proven" steak is extremely rare today, sold at only the most exclusive (and expensive) steakhouses and by only the very best butchers and markets.

Today, we live at the beginning of a new era, in which the consumer will be able to find "proven" steak, not just "generic" steak. Steak with a known provenance will become more widely available, where the name of the farm, the breed of the cattle, its age and breed, and other attributes can be determined by the consumer.

"PROVEN" STEAK (WITH A PROVENANCE)

On March 20, 2010, at the annual North American Meat Processors Management Conference in Chicago, a panel of distinguished American chefs explained the benefits of offering "proven" steak. Some beef processors continue to object to the extra work involved in tracking the provenance of each head of cattle.

However, as Carrie Oliver of The Artisan Beef Institute has been teaching for years, the wine industry went through the same "provenance" issue two generations ago. In the 1960s, the wineries which did not recognize the beginning of the new era of "proven" wines were doomed to fail.

Today, the beef processors, steakhouses, butchers and markets which do not recognize the end of the era of "generic" steak and the beginning of the era of the "proven" steak are doomed to fail, just as the Gallo lost the market dominance of its Hearty Burgundy jug wine.

SteakPerfection welcomes the day when a steak buyer at a steakhouse or butcher can decide whether to purchse a "generic" steak or a "proven" steak.

EXAMPLE STEAK INFORMATION

Here is an example and sample of the information that will soon be available with the purchase of a "proven" steak. This type of information will be avaialbe, not on the label or menu, but online at the farm's website and with the entry of the steak's serial number:

On September 18, 2009, the male calf was born at the CC Farms in San Luis Obispo, California;
The breed of the calf was Friesian;
The calf was castrated at birth, thus becoming a steer, since castration at birth results in increased marbling (but decreased yield);
During the 8 months from September 18, 2009 through May 18, 2010, the calf was milk-fed at CC Farms;
On May 18, 2010, at the age of 8 months, the calf was weaned and trucked humanely and with minimal stress by C. Trucking from CC Farms to VV Farms in Brawley, California;
During the 10 months from May 18, 2010 through March 18, 2011, the steer was raised at VV Farms, where it was fed a 100% vegetarian diet consisting of a mixture of corn, barley, alfalfa, soy and molasses, with the addition of vitamins and minerals but no hormones or antibiotics;
On March 18, 2011, the steer was slaughtered at the age of 18 months at BB Processing, in Central City, California, where it was inspected, graded as USDA Prime Grade, scored as Abundantly-Marbled-40, and processed into various subprimals, including two Short Loin subprimals, which were cryovaced and boxed;
During the 14 days from March 20 through April 3, 2011, the short loin was wet-aged in the cryovac package at a temperature of 33°;
During the 56 days from April 3 through May 29, 2011, the short loin was dry-aged at Bob's Butcher Shop in West Beach, California, in an aging room with a temperature of 33°, humidity of 80%, air-flow of 0.5 meters/second, and bacterial control of 100% UV;
On May 29, 2011, the short loin was removed from the aging room, trimmed of fat, and cut into the several 2"-thick steaks, which included 3 Porterhouse steaks; 3 T-bone steaks; and one loin steak (which is the authentic Delmonico steak); and
On Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, the top loin was grilled to perfection and enjoyed.

If you want a "proven" steak, then the solution is for you and your friends to ask your favorite steakhouse and your favorite butcher to give you the same information about your steak as they do about your wine. Encourage them to try, and give them a little time to succeed. But if they cannot give you this information, then give your business to steakhouses and butchers who do provide information about your steak.

CONCLUSION

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Trim The Fat Before Grilling The Steak

2011-03-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

This morning I was asked, "Do you eat the fat on a prime steak?"

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There should be no fat on any grilled steak. Period.

There should be no fat layer or fat chunks on a grilled steak, whether or not it is USDA Prime Grade. Any untrimmed fat layer and chunks will burn and taste horrible, and it will harm the taste of the entire steak.

On the other hand, the fat layer and chunks should not be trimmed off a steak which is cooked at a low temperature. In that case, the fat melts and makes the steak juicier and tastier.

Read on for the details and reasons.

MARBLING

Marbling does not refer to the fat layer around a steak or to the large chunks of fat on the interior of a steak.

Instead, marbling refers to the tiny specks and thin streaks of fat in the steak meat. These tiny specks and thin streaks are called "marbling" because they resemble the white streak in Italian black marble.

Marbling itself is made from fat, but it does not mean the thick layer of fat on the outside of a steak or the large chunks of fat that are sometimes found on the inside of a steak.

Marbling is always desirable, but whether the fat layer and chunks are desireable depends on the cooking method.

BUTCHERS' STEAKS

When steaks are sold by butchers, the fat layer around the steak and the chunks of fat inside the meat itself are rarely trimmed off. There are two reasons for this.

The first is that, since steak is sold by the pound, the butcher wants to increase the weight, by leaving as much fat as possible. Therefore, butchers usually sell steak with untrimmed fat, since it increases their profits.

The second reason is that butchers do not know how you are planning to cook your steak: at a low temperature, or at a high temperature. If you cook at a low temperature, then you will probably want to cook the untrimmed steak. But if you cook at a high temperature, then you will probably trim the steak yourself to remove the outside fat layer and large interior fat chunks.

LOW TEMPERATURE COOKING

If you're planning to cook the steak at a relatively low temperature (e.g. sauteeing at 350F), you want the steak with a thick fat layer and abundant fat chunks. As the steak cooks, the fat layer and chunks melt away into the meat.

When cooked with the fat at a low temperature, the melted fat enhances the juiciness and flavor of the steak meat, and even the remaining steak fat may be eaten and taste good.

HIGH TEMPERATURE COOKING

However, if you're planning to cook the steak at a relatively high temperature (e.g. grilling at 750F), you yourself will have to trim off the fat layer and the big fat chunks in the meat. Why? Because otherwise, when your untrimmed steak is cooked at a temperature over 400F, the fat doesn't melt, it burns.

Beef fat has a "smoke point" of 400F. The smoke point means the temperature at which fat begins to break down. Every fat (including cooking oils and butter) has a different smoke point. When fat exceeds its smoke point, the fat breaks down and takes on a foul odor and taste, which it transfers to any other food in its presence.

In the case of an untrimmed steak that is grilled over live coals, the fat layer and chunks immediately burn and fill the air with acrid smoke. The burning fat ruins the flavor of both the fat and the meat around it.

Moreover, scientific studies are beginning to show that grilling an untrimmed steak creates "free radicals", which may pose a cancer risk. Whether or not further studies prove or disprove the cancer link, the fact is that burned fat tastes bad and makes the steak meat taste bad.

Therefore, a steak that is to be grilled should be first trimmed of the surrounding layer of fat and any fat chunks inside the meat.

CONCLUSION

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BBQ: Different Styles of Sauces

2011-03-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

The following is an article that I wrote in 1991,

when I was President of the California Barbeque Association,

entitled "Experts know the many different styles of traditional barbecue sauces".

INTRODUCTION

Traditional United States barbecue includes many different sauces, and barbecue veterans must have a familiarity with the many styles.

Most sauces have their origin in different regions, and this is the most common way to classify them: Eastern North Carolina, Western North Carolina, South Carolina, etc.

But in this story, we classify them by color -- the same sauces with a different way of looking at them.

CLEAR

The most basic and earliest of all traditional barbecue sauces is the simple Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce, a clear sauce made simply of cider vinegar with a little salt and pepper. The origin of this clear vinegar is English ketchup: early ketchup included no tomatoes, which were of course unknown in Europe prior to the discovery of the New World.

Clear vinegar sauce is used on whole hog barbecue, the staple of the Eastern half of the State.

LIGHT RED

Western North Carolina deserves credit for putting the tomato into barbecue sauce. But in a manner befitting Southern traditions of moderation, their sauce starts with the clear sauce and adds a little tomato for color and flavor and perhaps a little sugar for sweetness.

The traditional Western North Carolina sauce is neither sweet nor thick. The color is light red and the dominant flavor is the vinegar, tempered with the tomato and perhaps sugar. In this part of the State, barbecue can mean either whole hog or just pork shoulder, and this Western North Carolina light red sauce goes well with both.

YELLOW

Vinegar complements pork, because it cuts the taste of fat. Add a little salt and pepper, and you have a Eastern North Carolina clear sauce, described above, which is the foundation and base of almost all other sauces. Thus, Western North Carolina cooks added a little tomato for color and flavor.

In South Carolina, instead of adding a little tomato, the cooks added a little mustard to the foundation. The traditional sauce is light in appearance and texture -- watery, not thick.

Cooks today will add many other ingredients, such as honey, onions and peppers like paprika and cayenne, so that many yellow sauces today are thick, sweet and spicy. But the traditional Carolina yellow sauce is not thick, sweet or spicy.

WHITE

The theme of vinegar continued into Alabama. The basic clear sauce of vinegar with a little sugar, salt and pepper was enhanced with eggs, and the result was Alabama white sauce.

Of course, eggs blended with fat and added to the basic clear sauce of vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper is mayonnaise -- a French word for a sauce that was in widespread use in Europe and America by the late 17th Century. To be more precise, if the fat is from lard or (nowadays) vegetable oil, then it is called mayonnaise; if the fat is butter, then it is called hollandaise. Mayonnaise and hollandaise developed because, without refrigeration, fresh eggs could not be preserved and thus were unknown in areas far from chicken farms. When blended with fat, salt and vinegar, however, eggs could be stored and transported.

Traditional Alabama white sauce is not heavy, like modern mayonnaise, but is very light, almost watery in texture, with the taste of vinegar tempered with (and not overwhelmed by) the taste of the eggs. Additionally, the color is not so much white as a pale yellow.

BLACK

Kentucky lies next to Alabama, but for reasons now lost in the mists of history, cooks around Owensboro developed a black sauce, which is served traditionally with Mutton (old sheep).

The traditional sauce begins with the basic clear vinegar sauce, to which Kentucky cooks added dark molasses. Molasses, of course, is a by-produce of sugar production and adds sweetness and sometimes bitterness as well. (Recall that the educated human tongue distinguishes only four taste elements: sweet, bitter, sour and salty.) Molasses is the most well-known ingredient which imparts both a sweet and a bitter flavor.

When dark molasses is added to vinegar, salt and pepper, the result is a strong sauce perfectly suited to the strong taste of mutton.

MEMPHIS RED

Memphis is on the Mississippi River in the middle of the South, and the traditional Memphis sauce reflects this centrist theme. The traditional Memphis sauce combines the elements of the South into a sauce which is medium-bodied, medium sweet and medium spicy.

Traditional Memphis red sauce relies on the tomato for its body and combines molasses for its flavor and texture. The result is a rich, red sauce which is not too sweet, not too thick, and not too spicy.

TEXAS RED

Traditional Texas red sauce starts with a base of Memphis red, but the taste is enhanced and sharpened with jalapeno, serrano or other chile peppers. As a result, Texas red sauce has an edge unknown in the traditional sauces of other regions.

Traditional Texas red sauce tends to be very thick -- thicker than Memphis red, because it includes onions and other thickening ingredients. The result is a sauce which is very different from and heavier than Memphis red in texture, flavor and spiciness.

KANSAS CITY RED

If Memphis is the center of the South, then Kansas City is the center of the country. The traditional end of the cattle drives from Texas, and the beginning of the railroad east, Kansas City produced an eclectic barbecue sauce which combined almost all the elements of the sauces form other traditional regions. The result is the thick, red, sweet, tangy barbecue sauce that most Americans today identify as "the" authentic barbecue sauce.

Traditional Kansas City red sauce contains the ingredients of almost all the other traditional sauces (excepting eggs). Thus, it includes the vinegar, salt and pepper of the basic clear sauce; the tomatoes, introduced in Carolina red sauce and enhanced with sugar for their flavor and texture in Memphis red sauce; mustard, first used in South Carolina yellow sauce; molasses, used in Kentucky black sauce; chile peppers, introduced in Texas red sauce.

SUMMARY

No one can be considered a barbecue expert without knowing the history and styles of the traditional barbecue sauces. An expert barbecue cook can prepare each of the sauces to perfection, and an expert barbecue judge can identify each by its appearance and taste alone.

The sauces discussed here include only the major traditional sauces of the United States. There may be other traditional sauces of the United States -- perhaps a green sauce or orange sauce. (Please email if you have any such information.)

This story does not address the evolution of these traditional sauces. Today, for example, Alabama white sauce is usually made with modern mayonnaise, blended with vegetable oil, so it is truly white in color, while the traditional sauce was a pale yellow. Moreover, most modern variations of these traditional sauces include ingredients not found in the originals, as a result of which the appearance and tastes have evolved. (This is not to say that they are better or worse, just different. An expert can tell the difference and determine whether or now a particular sauce is well-made and a worthy example of its heritage.)

This story also does not discuss traditional sauces from outside the United States. Since barbecue was "rediscovered again" from the Taino in the Caribbean by the Spanish Explorers, the islands certainly have a rightful claim to the "most traditional" of traditional barbecue sauces, including the sweet-sour sauces with tamarind from Jamaica and environs. But this story does not address them.

Finally, this story does not describe the many hundreds or thousands of barbecue sauces which are available now, both throughout the United States and around the world -- not processed sauces, but those hand-crafted examples of culinary excellence. If chemistry -- the study of combining about 100 different elements to form new materials -- has just scratched the surface of possible combinations (dealing with only 100 different elements), then the study of barbecue and its sauces has yet to reach its infancy. How many thousands or even millions of potential ingredients have not yet been tried in a barbecue sauce? How many fruits and vegetables, in addition to tomatoes and onions? How many peppers, in addition to red pepper, cayenne, paprika, jalapenos and serranos?

Barbecue experts stand with one foot firmly anchored in the rich history of barbecue, and the other foot grounded in the limitless discoveries yet to come.

CONCLUSION

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BBQ: Owensboro Mutton with Black Sauce

2011-03-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Owensboro Mutton Barbeque

Perhaps the most unusual barbeque tradition in the United States is the Owensboro (Kentucky) tradition of barbequeing mutton. Mutton is an old sheep, so its meat is naturally tough. Therefore, the barbeque cooking method, which is smoking the meat for many hours at a temperature of around 250F, is perfect for mutton.

Black Sauce

Kentucky lies next to Alabama, but for reasons now lost in the mists of history, cooks around Owensboro developed a black sauce, which is served traditionally with Mutton (old sheep).

The traditional sauce begins with the basic clear vinegar sauce, to which Kentucky cooks added dark molasses. Molasses, of course, is a by-product of sugar production and adds sweetness and sometimes bitterness as well. (Recall that the educated human tongue distinguishes only four taste elements: sweet, bitter, sour and salty.) Molasses is the most well-known ingredient which imparts both a sweet and a bitter flavor.

When dark molasses is added to vinegar, salt and pepper, the result is a strong sauce perfectly suited to the strong taste of mutton.

CONCLUSION

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(The section on Black Sauce was first published by Joe O'Connell in 1991 for the California Barbeque Association.)

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Terminology: "No Enzymes"

2011-02-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

STEAK-UMM MEATS

Whoops - I just 'liked' Steak-Umm Meats on Facebook. The company seems to support many good causes, and it sponsors NASCAR . . .

but . . .

NO ENZYMES??

I just read their website FAQ (click the link), which states that their products "do not contain enzymes" [emphasis added].

When I read that, I did a double-take because, of course, it's not true. All meat contains enzymes. As we all learned in High School Biology, cells could not function without enzymes.

So it would truly be a miracle is Steak-Umm Meat's products did not contain enzymes.

It reminds me of similar claims that a company's beef or chicken "does not contain hormones". These too are inaccurate claims.

ALL MEAT CONTAINS ENZYMES AND HORMONES

So let's be scientifically and factually accurate:

All meat contains both enzymes and hormones

Without both enzymes and hormones, life could not continue.

CONCLUSION

Steak-Umm Meats may have (and almost certainly) intended to claim that the company "adds no enzymes" to its meat products. (Some companies add enzymes to tenderize meat.) I'm sure that they'll clarify their FAQ quickly, and, as soon as they do, I'll edit and update this blog.

In the meantime, what is most important is for consumers themselves to do a double-take (so to speak) when they see claims that a meat product like steak or chicken "contains no enzymes" or "contains no hormones". Such claims are false. Consumer should know that all meat contains naturally occuring enzymes and hormones.

Furthermore, consumers should know and make informed decisions about whether to purchase and consume steak, beef or orther meats that contain "added enzymes" and/or "added hormones". This is a separate topic, and I'll blog about that separately.

COMMENTS

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Terminology: "Organic"

2011-01-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

DEFINITION

"Certified Organic" means that a qualified organization certifies that no man-made pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified organisms or fertilizers were used in producing the beef or the feed for the beef. Some producers may follow organic or near-organic practices but not be formally certified.

PROPOSED USDA GUIDELINES

As reported by MeatingPlace, the USDA on January 13, 2011, proposed new guidelines for use of the terms "100% organic" and "made with organic ingredients". The MeatingPlace blog explains some of the details of the proposed guidelines. The formal notice is available here. Comments may be submitted online (click here) through March 14, 2011.

CONCLUSION

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Quest for the Holy Grail of Steak

2010-12-28T21:57:00.001-08:00

Where can we find the Holy Grail of Steaks? Assuming that price is absolutely no object, where can we purchase top loin (aka New York, Kansas City and strip) steaks or even the entire short loin subprimal, with all the following information about the steaks' origin:

Farm(s): What are the names and addresses of all the cow-calf, backgrounder, stocker, feedlot and other farms where the cattle was raised?
Breed: What is the breed (or hybrid) of the cattle?
Sex: What is the sex (e.g. steer) of the cattle?
Medication: What are the names and dates of administration of all vaccines, worming, antibiotics, hormones, etc.?
Feed: What are the names and dates when the cattle was fed grass (exaclty what types of grass and foliage), grain and other feeds?
Grade: What is the USDA grade, if applicable?
Age: What is the age of the cattle at slaughter? (As you know, USDA Prime Grade means that the maturity (estimated age) is less than 42 months, and if graded Prime0 or higher, the estimated age is less than 30 months.)
Marbling: What is the marbling score or IMF% at Rib 12/13? (As you also know, USDA Prime Grade means that the marbling is slightly abundant (SLAB00) or higher, but we want the highest possible -- knowing that only a very few (1 out of 10,000?) attains a marbling score of AB50 or higher.

In summary, can we purchase the highest-quality steak and know everything that the cattle farmer knows about how our steak was grown? Our goal is to be able to replcate a steak's taste, time after time (at least during a single season).

The best analogy (with all due credit to Carrie Oliver, of the Artisan Beef Institute) is with wine. In the "old days", we Americans bought "jug wine", produced from grapes from different farms, different varieties, etc. Today however, we demand wine from a known farm, grape variety, vintage year, etc. Thus, with wine, we can duplicate the taste from bottle to bottle, because each bottle is filled with wine from the same farm, same grape variety, same vintage year, etc.

Is this impossible with steak? Whether we purchase the most expensive steak from our local butcher or order the best at any steakhouse, we cannot replicate the taste. Next time we purchase or order, the odds are overwhelming that our next steak will be from a different farm, a different breed, etc. The reason that we cannot duplicate a great steak today seems to be that the producers sort them only by grade and not by farm, breed, etc.

The branded beef program doesn't work, because none of them limits its sales to only the highest quality steak. Most range from mid-choice to low-prime. As far as breed, many (like CAB) are not limited to a single breed but only to hair color (e.g. CAB and black hide color).

We know that there are some farmers who sell steak directly, but we know of none that is either USDA-graded or privately-certified marbling scores.

Perhaps our problem is insoluble becuase of statistics. That is, if the very highest quality steak comes from one-in-a-thousand or one-in-ten-thousand steers, then only the very largest producers may be able to match their farm/breed information with their high prime grade steak.

Is our quest for the Holy Grail of Steaks doomed to failure? Please post your comments/feedback. Thanks in advance.

CONCLUSION

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First posted to CattleToday.com on 122810@2136

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Does Never-Frozen Dry-Aged Steak Taste Different?

2010-07-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

BLOG UPDATES

Saturday 7/10/10 at 1:00 pm Update.

One of the Tweet community's most-respected beef experts says that there is no detectible difference whatsoever, as long as the steak is properly vacuum packed and flash-frozen.

No one, she says, no matter how fine a palate, can differentiate, in a blind taste test, between previously-frozen and never-frozen high quality, dry-aged steak, as long as the previously-frozen steak was properly handled (i.e., vacuum-packed, flash-frozen and properly stored and thawed).

Saturday 7/10/10 at 11:00 am Update.

One Tweep recently claimed that freezing a steak would cause it to lose its juices when it thaws.

Another Tweep challenged the claim, analogizing to an ice cube: the ice cube doesn't lose the water when it thaws.

We tweeted a third analogy (of unknown scientific validity): a bottle filled with water. When it freezes, the glass bottle breaks. Then, when it thaws, the water leaks away.

This analogy is to the cell structure within meat. When frozen, the water contained within each cell causes the cell walls to break. Then when thawed, the water which was previously contained within each cell leaks into the inter-cellular meat tissue. During cooking, the water not contained within the cell walls evaporates, leaving the meat dry (less juicy).

We need facts to know whether any of these analogies is valid. We'll continue to post updates to this Blog, so subscribe to keep up.

Saturday 7/10/10 at 10:00 am Update.

Two experts have so far weighed in on this Blog's question about whether never-frozen dry-aged steak tastes different from previously-frozen.

A meat scientist reports that previously-frozen meat would be tenderer than never-frozen with an estimated difference of 0.5kg. That's correct: previously-frozen is tenderer! Since tenderer steak is usually better, this finding could open up a new method to enhance the quality of dry-aged steak: freeze-thaw before cooking.

A New York grass-fed cattle farmer reports that frozen meat is wonderful and convenient for both farmers and home cooks. She reports that freezing helps #gassfed farmers harvest at best time.

This is becoming for interesting, because I have always assumed that freezing would harm the palatability of high quality, dry-aged steak. My assumption arises because of freezing's negative affect on fish and other food. Maybe I'm wrong!

We're going to discuss this topic on Twitter at #steakchat this coming Wednesday, 7/14/10, at 8:00 pm ET (5:00 pm PT).

Please join #steakchat on Wednesdayto discuss this important topic!
And please keep sending your information!

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Do you think that _some_ steak experts can consistently identify previously-frozen vs never-frozen 28-day dry-aged USDA Prime Grade steak?

BLIND "TASTE" TEST

We require a valid, blind "taste" test.

We are defining a "taste" test to include flavor, juiciness and tenderness -- that is, all the sensory attributes, including sight. The "blind" in our blind taste test refers to the fact that the subject of the test has no information about which steak was previously-frozen and which was never-frozen. For simplicity, we call this a "blind taste test".

We're not talking about the average eater but the small minority of people (maybe 5%) who have a fine, educated palate. This is similar to a "Nose" who can identify wine, perfume, cheese, etc. These are people who have the ability -- the 'mouth' -- to separate the previously-frozen from the never-frozen in a blind taste test consistently, repeatedly, any day. That is, they are not just making a lucky guess but must consistently demonstrate their ability to differentiate between the two.

In addition, of course, the two steaks in each blind taste test -- one previously frozen and the other never-frozen -- must be exactly the same cut, from the same carcass and cooked exactly the same way.

To make the question relevant (since dry-aging is usually used only for the best steak), the test specifies that the steaks in each test be USDA Prime Grade (i.e. the steaks are from young steers and are reasonably well-marbled).

We welcome information about the results of the same bling taste test applied to frozen vs never-frozen grass-fed steak, where all other variables are exactly the same.

"DIFFERENT", NOT "BETTER"

This survey does not test the question of whether never-frozen tastes better than previously-frozen. (Remember, as described above, that "taste" includes all sensory elements, including flavor, juiciness, tenderness and even sight.)

Instead, the survey focuses only on whether or not each has a different taste from the other than can be identified consistently by at least some tasters.

SCIENTIC BASIS

If you think that some can pass the test, what is the scientific reason? Do so many beef cells explode that the cooked steak comes out mushy?

FEEDBACK

Please post your information by comment below, by email, or by tweeting tweet us @SteakPerfection.

If you have any more questions, send them by DM, tweet or other way (see below).

BLOG UPDATE

When we obtain and analyze the scientific data, we shall update this blog with the results of this survey. Until this blog is updated with the final results, follow the progress of this survey:

JOIN US AT #STEAKCHAT
EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 8:00 pm ET
STEAKPERFECTION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. Also, please let us know if you see any errors. We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites. Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

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#SteakChat 6/9/10: Cooking Steak

2010-06-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

#STEAKCHAT TOPIC ON 6/9/10

For the #SteakChat conversation on June 9, 2010, the topic will be:
What’s the best way to cook a great steak?
There are 8 cooking equipment options, 10 techniques, 9 fuels and 10 temperature levels. Which combinations have you tried? Which do you prefer? Which produce great steak? Which are likely to produce mediocre steak?

5 COOKING EQUIPMENT OPTIONS

There are 5 basic cooking equipment options available for steak:

Broiler
Grill
Oven
Pan
Sous Vide

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TECHNIQUES

There are 10 basic cooking techniques for steak:

Boil
Braise
Broil
Grill
Pan Fry
Pan Roast
Roast
Stew
Sauté
Stir Fry

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

9 COOKING FUELS

There are 9 basic cooking fuels that produce heat to cook steak:

Briquettes (variety of types)
Electric Elements (e.g. broiler)
Hardwood (variety of types)
Infrared Tiles
Lump Charcoal (variety of types)
Metal Conduction (e.g. pay fry)
Natural Gas
Propane Gas
Sous Vide (i.e. low heat via plastic bag in water)

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TEMPERATURE LEVELS

There are 10 different temperature levels for cooking steak (all temperatures are given in degrees Fahrenheit):

1,200° to 1,600°
900° to 1,200°
750° to 900°
650° to 750°
550° to 650°
450° to 550°
350° to 450°
250° to 350°
212° to 250°
125° (sous vide) to 212°

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

WHAT IS #STEAKCHAT?

#SteakChat invites everyone who want to discuss and share ideas about steak.

#SteakChat covers topics such as the many different tastes and textures produced by different cooking methods, cooking fuels, steak cuts, steak marbling, cattle breeds, cattle feed, and even different farms.

#SteakChat takes place every Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET (every Thursday at 0000 GMT) and lasts about one hour.

#SteakChat may be very fast-paced. It takes place in real time, as a streaming conversation. Think of #SteakChat as a group of friends having a discussion about steak while standing around a backyard grill or dining in a steak house.

For information about how to participate in #SteakChat, see our Blog on How to Participate in #SteakChat.

MORE QUESTIONS?

If you have any more questions, send them by DM, tweet or other way (see below).

JOIN US AT #STEAKCHAT
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, AT 8:00 pm ET
STEAKPERFECTION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. Also, please let us know if you see any errors. We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites. Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
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Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
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#SteakChat 6/9/10: Cooking Steak

2010-06-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Broiler
Grill
Oven
Pan
Sous Vide

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

10 COOKING TECHNIQUES

There are 10 basic cooking techniques for steak:

Boil
Braise
Broil
Grill
Pan Fry
Pan Roast
Roast
Stew
Sauté
Stir Fry

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

9 COOKING FUELS

There are 9 basic cooking fuels that produce heat to cook steak:

Briquettes (variety of types)
Electric Elements (e.g. broiler)
Hardwood (variety of types)
Infrared Tiles
Lump Charcoal (variety of types)
Metal Conduction (e.g. pay fry)
Natural Gas
Propane Gas
Sous Vide (i.e. low heat via plastic bag in water)

1,200° to 1,600°
900° to 1,200°
750° to 900°
650° to 750°
550° to 650°
450° to 550°
350° to 450°
250° to 350°
212° to 250°
125° (sous vide) to 212°

Which of these produces great steaks? Which produce mediocre steaks?

WHAT IS #STEAKCHAT?

#SteakChat invites everyone who want to discuss and share ideas about steak.

#SteakChat covers topics such as the many different tastes and textures produced by different cooking methods, cooking fuels, steak cuts, steak marbling, cattle breeds, cattle feed, and even different farms.

#SteakChat takes place every Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET (every Thursday at 0000 GMT) and lasts about one hour.

#SteakChat may be very fast-paced. It takes place in real time, as a streaming conversation. Think of #SteakChat as a group of friends having a discussion about steak while standing around a backyard grill or dining in a steak house.

For information about how to participate in #SteakChat, see our Blog on How to Participate in #SteakChat.

MORE QUESTIONS?

If you have any more questions, send them by DM, tweet or other way (see below).
JOIN US AT #STEAKCHAT ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
STEAKPERFECTION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. Also, please let us know if you see any errors. We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites. Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/cXpbkD

How To Participate in #SteakChat

2010-06-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS #STEAKCHAT?

#SteakChat is the name of a conversation held on Twitter every week.

#SteakChat invites everyone who wants to discuss and share ideas about steak.

#SteakChat covers topics such as the many different tastes and textures produced by different cooking methods, cooking fuels, steak cuts, steak marbling, cattle breeds, cattle feed, and even different farms.

#SteakChat takes place every Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET (every Thursday at 0000 GMT) and lasts about one hour.

#SteakChat may be very fast-paced. It takes place in real time, as a streaming conversation. Think of #SteakChat as a group of friends having a discussion about steak while standing around a backyard grill or dining in a steak house.

WHO SHOULD JOIN?

#SteakChat welcomes everyone with an interest in the enjoyment of steak. This includes diners who love steak, professional chefs and backyard grillers who cook steak, butchers who prepare steak, farmers who raise beef cattle, and everyone else who is interested in steak.

WHAT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO JOIN?

Joining and participating in #SteakChat is easy for beginners.

The easiest way for beginners to join #SteakChat is to go to the Tweetchat website at http://www.tweetchat.com -- and then type #steakchat as the 'room.'

You will then be able to read the conversation and to post your own responses.

WHAT IS A HASHTAG?

A hashtag is how people follow conversations and everyone's tweets.

Our hashtag is #SteakChat. This is the # sign followed (without any space)by the name of our conversation. We have registered our hashtage #SteakChat officially for our weekly conversations.

Note that #SteakChat and #steakchat (different capitalizations) are exactly the same in all of these sites.

Every tweet must contain the #SteakChat hashtag. You can type it yourself or, if you use Twubs or Tweetchat, the hashtag will be typed automatically with every tweet, so it is not necessary for you to type it separately.

The hashtag is often put at the very end of the tweet, but it will work correctly no matter where in the tweet it is placed.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER MORE DIFFICULT WAYS TO JOIN?

Some advanced users follow #SteakChat on Twitter itself by typing #SteakChat in the Search window on the right side of the screen. This is a little more difficult, however, because you will have to refresh the screen regularly, plus you have to type the #SteakChat hashtage in each tweet.

More advanced or regular participants may prefer to join through http://twubs.com/steakchat.

The most advanced users may select another browser or program, such as TweetDeck, which is available on computers and mobile devides like the iPhone.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF

The very first question at the beginning of #SteakChat will be to ask people their names, locations and interest in steak. Most participants will introduce themselves with something like (for example): "Q1. Hi. I'm Jane in Tokyo. I love to cook steak for my friends." (See the next section for the meaning of "Q1".)

Some people prefer not to tweet. They are called "lurkers", because they follow the conversation ("convo") without tweeting themselves. It's okay if you'd prefer to lurk, but it's usually more fun and informative if you participate by tweeting.

WHAT IS THE Q-NUMBER?

During #SteakChat, the moderator asks a series of questions. Each question has a question number (Q-number), such as Q1 or Q2 etc.

These numbers are used in the archives so that others will be able to follow the questions and answers. Therefore, to make it easy for everyone, participants should begin each of their tweets (their answers) with the same question number.

For example, suppose that the Moderator's tweet is, "Q2: What is your favorite steak cut?" In this case, a proper response would be, "Q2 My favorite cut is the rib cap steak, because it is so beefy and tender and juicy."

So please use the Q-number with each of your tweets during #SteakChat.

In fact, this means that each of your tweets should begin with the Q-number and end with the hashtag #SteakChat.

MORE QUESTIONS?

If you have any more questions, send them by DM, tweet or other way (see below).

STEAKPERFECTION

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. Also, please let us know if you see any errors. We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites. Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/bv3fuc

Wagyu: American Cattlemen To Rescue Japan's Wagyu?

2010-05-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Will United States cattlemen be asked to rescue the Japanese beef cattle industry?

SUMMARY

Wagyu beef cattle in Japan are being decimated by foot-and-mouth disease. The Japanese government has ordered thousands of the most valuable Wagyu cattle to be destroyed, in order to contain the highly-contagious disease.

The same Wagyu breed are raised in the United States. Will American cattlemen come to the rescue of the Japanese beef industry, just as American farmers rescued the French wine industry 150 years ago.

WAGYU CATTLE

Wagyu beef cattle produces among the most valuable, highly marbled steak in the world.

When the cattle are raised in the Japanese Prefecture of Kobe, the cattle are called Kobe beef. The price for the highest quality of Kobe beef is significantly more than $100.00 per pound.

The Wagyu breed was developed originally in Japan. Today, Wagyu beef cattle are raised not only in Japan but in several other countries, including the United States.

2010 CRISIS IN JAPAN

Much of Japan's Wagyu cattle are now being decimated by foot-and-mouth disease. As a result, Japan's cattlemen are in danger of losing their Wagyu entire Wagyu seed stock.

Japan's cattlemen are facing the greatest disaster in their history. ABC News is reporting today that "Japan will slaughter dozens of its top Wagyu stud bulls as a foot-and-mouth outbreak continues its rapid spread through the country's south."

There is a real danger that the entire Japanese beef cattle industry will be destroyed.

1865 CRISIS IN FRANCE

In the mid-19th Century, a similar agricultural crisis occurred in France. A disease in the vineyards spread throughout France and much of Europe. The blight became the greatest disaster in the history of wine. Called grape Phylloxera, the disease decimated the French vineyards.

In 1882, American scientists at the University of California discovered a method to prevent the blight. They found that grafting the French vine (Vitis vinifera) onto the Californian vine (Vitis californica) prevented the Phylloxera from spreading.

With this discovery, American farmers came to the rescue of French farmers. Americans grew and sent thousands of vines to France, where French farmers planted the vines and then the grafted onto them the dying French vines. The solution worked. See the history of the great epidemic.

Today, French farmers owe their roots (literally) to American farmers.

2010 AMERICAN RESCUE?

As the Wagyu beef cattle crisis looms in Japan, farmers there face the prospect of losing their entire herds and stock.

American farmers may be called on again to come to the rescue of fellow-farmers. Like their predecessors 150 years ago, American farmers, if called upon, stand ready, willing and able to come to the rescue of their Japanese counterparts.

SteakPerfection

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. Also, please let us know if you see any errors. We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is both accurate and supported by credible cites. Thus, please let us about any errors, so that and we can correct them immediately.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/9rMFfp

Cuts: What is a Sirloin Steak?

2010-05-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

The biggest problem that steak lovers have is learning the many different words for different steaks.

None is more complicated that the "sirloin steak".

What exactly is a sirloin steak?

SUMMARY

A "sirloin steak" can mean any of eleven different steaks. One of these is the very best and most expensive steak. The other ten are not nearly as good and should be much less expensive.

Some markets, butchers and steak houses may foist off, on buyers who do not know better, one of the ten, inferior quality sirloin steaks as being a much better steak. Therefore, steak buyers should never order a "sirloin steak".

Instead, steak buyers should order the specific "sirloin steak" that they want.

Informed buyers always ask questions, so they get the exact steak that they want and expect.

STRIP LOIN STEAK

In the UK and often in the US, the word "sirloin steak" is synonymous with the steak known variously as a strip steak, New York steak, Kansas City steak, etc. In the US, the official name is "Beef Loin, Strip Loin Steak, Boneless", IMPS/NAMP Item No. 1180.

Many steak masters, including SteakPerfection, consider the strip loin steak to be the very best. The strip loin steak, when the highest quality and properly aged, is the most expensive: more expensive than a comparable ribeye, tenderloin or porterhouse steak.

For more information on this meaning, see our blog on "What is a strip / New York / Kansas City steak?"

TEN STEAKS FROM THE SIRLOIN SUBPRIMAL

In most of the US, the word "sirloin steak" does not mean the strip loin steak but instead means one of ten different inferior quality steaks. All ten steaks are cut from the subprimal "Beef Loin, Sirloin", IMPS/NAMP 181. The names and IMPS/NAMP item numbers of these ten steaks are as follows. The first four are bone-in sirloin steaks, and the last six are boneless sirloin steaks.

Beef Loin Sirloin Steak, Pin Bone, first anterior bone-in cut from IMPS/NAMP 181
Beef Loin Sirloin Steak, Flat Bone, second anterior bone-in cut from IMPS/NAMP 181
Beef Loin Sirloin Steak, Round Bone, third anterior bone-in cut from IMPS/NAMP 181
Beef Loin Sirloin Steak, Wedge Bone, four anterior (so last or posterior) bone-in cut from IMPS/NAMP 181
Beef Loin, Top Sirloin Butt Steak, Boneless, IMPS/NAMP 1184
Beef Loin, Top Sirloin Cap Steak, Boneless (also known as the Coulotte), IMPS/NAMP 1184D
Beef Loin, Top Sirloin, ‘Baseball Cut’ Steak, IMPS/NAMP 1184F
Beef Loin, Bottom Sirloin Butt, Flap Steak (also known as the bavette steak), IMPS/NAMP 1185A
Beef Loin, Bottom Sirloin Butt, Ball Tip Steak, IMPS/NAMP 1185B
Beef Loin, Bottom Sirloin Butt, Tri-Tip Steak, IMPS/NAMP 1185C

(Note that the Beef Loin, Top Sirloin, ‘Baseball Cut’ Steak, IMPS/NAMP 1184F, is a newly designated sirloin steak in the 2010 IMPS from the previous 1996 IMPS.)

For more information and pictures of these ten different sirloin steaks, see our SteakPerfection website.

CONCLUSION

Your local butcher, market or steak house may sell a "sirloin steak". But that can mean any of eleven different steaks. Maybe it means the highest quality, strip loin steak, but it could also mean a much lower quality tri-tip steak.

We at SteakPerfection love our tri-tip steak, but, all things being equal, we would never expect a tri-tip steak to be as flavorful, tender or juicy as a strip loin steak. Nor would be pay nearly as much for a tri-tip steak as we would for a strip loin steak, which may cost six times more per pound.

Therefore

Never order a "sirloin steak"!
Be an informed buyer.
Know your steak cuts.
Ask questions.
Order the specific "sirloin steak" that you want and expect.

Enjoy!!

SteakPerfection

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. We try to ensure that all of the steak information that we provide is accurate and cited, so please let us know if we make any errors, so that we can correct them.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
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Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/9i1yEA

Your Steak Info: Farm Name

2010-05-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

What do you know about your steak?

What should you know about your steak?

Let's looks at the many things that you should know about your steak.

We'll begin with this blog and focus on what you should know about the beef cattle farm where your steak came from.

Because we are interested in SteakPerfection, we will concentrate on the best steaks, which come from the best beef cattle, which (as we shall learn) is limited to young steers.

FARM NAME AND ADDRESS

The first and most obvious fact that you should know about your steak is the name and address of the cattle farm where it came from.

Is the farm where the cattle was raised located in the Nebraska, Texas, Colorado, California, or another of the great beef cattle states? Knowing the farm and its address are important questions for evaluating the quality of your steak.

In the "old" days, beef cattle were bred, weaned, pastured and fed at a single ranch. Nowadays, the beef cattle industry has changed, and it may be necessary to know the names and addresses of three separate farms, where the beef cattle was raised and where your steak came from.

COW-CALF

Most beef cattle today are bred at a cow-calf farm. This is a specialized farm, where beef calves are bred, raised, weaned and then usually sold.

When the calves are born, the male calves weigh about 75 pounds, and they are castrated (thus becoming steers). They are fed a diet of milk for about eight months, when they weigh about 600 pounds.

(Note that these and the following age and weight estimates vary according to the breed and other factors.)

At this time, the steers are weaned and transported to a stocker.

STOCKER

The stocker is a specialized farm that permits cattle to feed on grass in pastures and fields.

The adolescent steers eat grass and other forage for about five months. During this period, they gain in weight to about 900 pounds.

FEEDER

The feeder (also called a feedlot or CAFO, for concentrated animal feeding operation) is a specialized farm where cattle are fed a high-protein vegetable diet, which allows them to gain weight quickly.

The diet is based on corn and other grains, so the steers are then called "corn-fed" or "grain-fed" cattle.

Steers remain at the feeder farm until they are about 18 months old and weigh about 1,200 pounds. Then the steers are transported to the slaughterhouse.

PROBLEM

Knowing where your steak comes from today means knowing the names and locations of three farms: cow-calf, stocker and feeder. But the problem is that very, very little of the best quality steak in the United States can be traced back through the system to the farm(s) where the cattle was raised.

To find out where your steak comes from, ask your butcher. If your butcher does not sell steaks that can be traced back to the farms where the cattle was raised, then ask your butcher to do so, or search for a butcher who can.

Carrie Oliver of The Artisan Beef Institute gives a perfect example. Every bottle of expensive wine shows the name and address of the winery, as well as the type of grape and the year it was bottled.

We who love steak are entitled to the same information about our steak. So ask your butcher for steak that comes from a known farm.

CONCLUSION

We all love great steak, and we have to learn from each other how to identify and purchase the best steak, starting with the name and location of the farm where the steers were raised.

Enjoy!!

SteakPerfection

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Cuts: How to Learn Different Steak Cuts

2010-05-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

We at SteakPerfection of often asked where a consumer can find basic information about the different cuts and names of steaks.

BASIC INFORMATION

The best way for a consumer to obtain accurate information about steak cuts is to ask us. Consumers can send their questions in any of the usual ways -- email, tweet, blog, facebook, website (see below) -- and we will answer as soon as possible, often immediately.

In addition to the SteakPerfection website, another excellent online site for beginniers is Beef: It's What's for Dinner. For each of the major retail cuts of beef, this site provides a description, pictures and an explanation of how best to cook them.

MORE ADVANCED INFORMATION

A more advanced site is the Gayot's Steak Cuts. The site includes information on where steak comes from, a description of some of the major cuts, and information about many of the beef cattle breeds.

IMPS/NAMP

The most advanced source of information is the official, USDA 2010 Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications ("IMPS"). This is a large PDF file site which includes the official names, descriptions and identification numbers for all recognized beef cuts in the United States.

The companion publication to the IMPS is the "Meat Buyer's Guide", which is published by the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP). This is a required reference book for butchers, chefs and other serious cooks, but it is expensive. The book contains detailed descriptions and pictures of the beef cuts, as well as lamb, veal, pork and poultry.

Both the IMPS and the NAMP are used together, and the identification numbers for steaks and other cuts are usually given in the formation of IMPS/NAMP. For example, the New York steak is known officially as IMPS/NAMP 1180. (See our blog about the many common names for the strip, New York and Kansas City steak.)

CONCLUSION

We all love great steak, and we have to learn from each other how to identify and purchase the best steak. There are many different steak and other beef cuts, and we welcome your questions about them.

Enjoy!!

SteakPerfection

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
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A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/bgsF6c

Cuts: What is a strip / New York / Kansas City steak?

2010-05-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

When you visit your butcher or market to purchase a great steak, do you know the difference between a strip steak, a New York steak and a Kansas City steak?

The answer: there is no difference. These and many others are all different names for the same steak.

MANY NAMES

There are many names for this steak, including the following names, and all mean exactly the same steak:

strip
New York
Kansas City
top loin
Ambassador
hotel
club
shell
sirloin
veiny
IMPS/NAMP 1180 and 1180A

In the US, the best way to ensure that you have the correct cut is to use its official designation, "IMPS/NAMP 1180". The IMPS/NAMP refers to the official, USDA designation for this exact steak. Unfortunately, butchers and markets are not required to use this number on the label.

However, the label must use the official, complete name for this steak, which is, "Beef Loin, Strip Loin Steak, Boneless". This is often in very small print, so look carefully.

Be especially careful about ordering any steak called a "sirloin". This word is commonly used to describe two completely different steaks: either the IMPS/NAMP 1180, or a very inferior quality steak from a different subprimal.

CONCLUSION

We all love a great steak, and the strip / New York / Kansas City steak may be the best of the best, no matter what it is called, because

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Enjoy!!

SteakPerfection

SteakPerfection welcomes your comments. Please share them below. SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
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How Many Different Steaks Are There?

2010-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

We love steak -- all kinds of steak. And we are always in the search for SteakPerfection. So here's a thought experiment.

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

Suppose that we want to compare all the different possible steaks in the world, in order to find the absolutely best tasting one. How many steaks would we have to taste in our blind taste test?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

If you don't have time to study the following calculations, here is the bottom line:

The number of possible steaks, based upon all the possible breed, feed, marbling, aging, cooking and other options is 229,790,030,170,071,000,000,000,000,000,000. That is more than 229 nonillion possible steak options -- more than all the grains of sand on earth.

With so many possible steak options, our love for steak can never be quenched, nor can the perfect steak ever be found.

Each of us can argue that we have discovered the "PERFECT" steak, and we need never fear being proven wrong!

BREED

Different breeds of cattle produce steaks that have different tastes, even if everything else (like feed, age, etc.) is the same. So part of our Thought Experiment requires comparing all the cattle breeds that are used to produce steaks -- which are called "beef cattle".

In the United States, there are about 250 beef cattle breeds that are "recognized". Worldwide, there are about 950. About half of all beef cattle is purebred and half is hybrid. If we limit our calculation only to purebred and 50-50 hybrids, the number of possible beef cattle breeds equals 902,500 (= 950^2).

But that's not the end of the Thought Experiment, because we have to add other variables that affect the taste of a steak.

SEX

Steaks come from beef cattle that can be divided into four sexes: bulls, which are uncastrated male cattle; steers, which are castrated male cattle; cows, which are female cattle which have born a calf; and heiffers, which are female cattle which have not born a calf.

Most steak masters believe that the very best steak comes from steers, but our Thought Experiment requires us to chack all the possibilities. So we have to compare all four "sex" possibilities.

AGE

Steaks come from beef cattle that can be almost any age over 9 months.

Steak from beef cattle that is under the age of 9 months is called veal, which is so completely different from beef that we exclude them altogether from our Thought Experiment.

Most steak masters believe that the very best steak comes from beef cattle that is between 9 and 29 months old, but our Thought Experiment requires us to chack all the possibilities -- or at least all the possibilities that are likely to result in significantly different steaks.

We begin by dividing the age of beef cattle into the following five major categories, in comformity with the USDA categories:

A: 9 thru 29 months old;
B: 30 thru 41 months old;
C: 42 thru 5 years old;
D: 6 or 7 years old; and
E: 8 years and older.

Then we subdivide the first category into each of the ages of the first category, because many steak masters believe that a steak from a steer that is, for example, 16 months old will taste significantly different, when all other variables are equals, from a steak from a setter that is, for example, 29 months old.

Accordingly, we subdivide the A category in to each of the months: A-9, A-10, A-11, A-12, etc. through A-28 and A-29. This totals 21 subcateries, plus the remaining four categoreis, for a total of 25 different ages to test in our Thought Experiment.

FEED

From the time they are born until they are weaned at about the age of 9 months, all calves are fed a cows milk. What the mother cow eats will affect the taste, texture and juiciness of the steak that the calf eventually produces. However, for this Thought Experiment, we ignore this variable.

Feed then includes the following options:

27 grass options;
19 legume options;
5 silage options;
46 hay options; and
7 grain options.

None of these feed options is exclusive, and we assume that there may be two feed options for beef cattle. Accordingly, there are over 600 billion possible combinations (exactly 682,160,364,900, which equals (27*19*5*46*7)^2.

MARBLING

Marbling is a measure of the fine specks and streaks of fat inside a steak. It does not include the often-thick layer of fat outside the steak.

Marbling is divided into ten major categories, from Very Abundant Marbling (Vab) down to Practically Devoid Marbling (PD). In addition, we add two "extremely abundant" categories, to conform with the Japanese Kobe Beef marbling categories. Each of these twelve categories is divided into 100 degrees but, in practice, the categories are divided into 10 subcategories, from 00 through 90.

Thus, there are 108 (= 9*12) degress of marbling.

AGING

Today, there are three major aging methods: dry aging, wet aging and hybrid (which combines dry and wet, in succession) aging. Aging periods run from no extra time to 10 weeks. In dry aging, the beef is aged in a special room or locker at a temperature of about 34°, at a relative humidity of about 80%, at an air-flow of about 20 linear feet per minute, and with ultraviolet or comparable bacterial control.

Thus, there are 90 (=3^2 * 10) different, major, aging options.

CUTS

There are 16 major cuts of steak, which include the following:

anterior boneless top loin steak;
other boneless top loin steak;
bone-in top loin steak;
anterior boneless rib steak;
other boneless rib steak;
bone-in rib steak;
tenderloin steak;
top sirloin cap (culotte) steak;
pin bone sirloin steak;
flat (or double) bone sirloin steak;
round bone sirloin steak;
wedge bone sirloin steak;
hanging tender (or hanger) steak;
flank steak;
flap (or bavette)steak; and
top blade (or flat iron) steak.

We have not included the porterhouse or t-bone steak, since these are combinations of the top loin and tenderloin. Nor have we included the rib-eye steak, since it is derived from the rib steak. We have not included the five boneless sirloin steaks, wince their bone-in counterparts are included. Finally, we have not include other non-prime steaks, such as the round steak.

Thus, there are 16 different, primary cuts of steak.

THICKNESS

There are many different thickness options for steak, which range from one-half inch (or even less) to two-inch thickness. For purposes of this Thought Experiment, we will divide thicknesses in half-inch increments:

1/2" thick;
1" thick;
1 1/2" thick;
2" thick; and
2 1/2" thick.

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, there are five different thicknesses that will be considered.

TRIM

There are three different trimming methods before cooking a steak.

First is the close removal of all visible fat. Second is the removal of most visible fat. Third is cooking the steak with the normal amount of fat.

PRE-SEASONING

There are several major pre-seasoning options. These include no pre-seasoning whatsoever, or pre-seasoning with some of the following: salt, pepper, one of the common herbs, butter or oil.

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, we will consider 20 different pre-seasoning options.

COOKING

There are three major, basic cooking methods for steak: grilling, infrared, pan frying, pan broiling, pan roasting (moving to the oven after searing), roasting and braising.

In the case of grilling (including broiling) and in addition to gas, there are at least twenty major fuels, including hardwoods and lump charcoal from alder, apple, apricot, birch, cherry, hackberry, hickory, lemon, lime, maple, mesquite, mulberry, peach, pear, pecan, orange, red oak, walnut and white oak.

We will not include, in this Thought Experiment, other methods of cooking steak, such as stir fry and sauté, which require cutting the meat into thin slices before cooking.

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, we will consider 25 different cooking methods.

RESTING

There are three major resting options: none, five minutes and ten minutes.

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, we will consider three different pre-seasoning options.

TEMPERATURE

There are ten temperature levels for cooking steak:

125° to 212° (sous vide)
212° to 250°;
250° to 350°;
350° to 450°;
450° to 550°;
550° to 650°;
650° to 750°;
750° to 900°;
900° to 1200°; and
1200° to 1600°,

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, we will consider 10 different cooking temperature intervals.

TIME

There are eight major time increments for cooking the steak. These include the following total cooking times:

5 to 8 minutes;
8 to 10 minutes;
10 to 12 minutes;
12 to 15 minutes°;
15 to 20 minutes;
20 to 30 minutes;
30 to 60 minutes; and
one hour or more.

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, we will consider eight different cooking time intervals.

POST-SEASONING

There are several major post-seasoning options. These include no post-seasoning whatsoever, or post-seasoning with some of the following: salt, pepper, one of the common herbs, butter or oil.

Thus, in this Thought Experiment, we will consider 20 different pre-seasoning options.

CALCULATION OF OPTIONS

Based upon the foregoing options, there are 239 nonillion possible steaks. 239 nonillion is 229 followed by 30 zeroes, or 229,790,030,170,071,000,000,000,000,000,000. Even without all of the feed options -- all of the grass and grains -- there are 337 quintillion possible steaks -- which is 337 followed by 18 zeroes.

Finally, even without all the cattle breed and feed options, there are 373 billion steak options.

CONCLUSION

The obvious conclusion from this calculation is that our love for steak can never be quenched, nor can the perfect steak ever be identified. Each of us can argue that our personal favorite is the "PERFECT" steak without any fear that we can ever be proven wrong!

So enjoy the wide diversity of steak.

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Does Black Angus Steak Taste Better?

2010-04-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Brett Hodges posed this question on March 12, 2010, at KnowYourBeef.com

SCIENTIFICALLY VALID TASTE TEST

SteakPerfection is aware of no scientifically valid blind taste test that compares steaks that are different in breed but alike in all other respects (i.e. the same age, feed, marbling, etc).

There are three possible outcomes to a valid test:

Black Angus steak tastes better;
non-Black Angus steak tastes better; and
Black Angus steak and non-Black Angus steak taste the same.

SteakPerfection will be undertaking these kinds of valid tests to compare the tastes of steak from different breeds. However, such tests are both expensive and time consuming.

To be valid, the blind taste test must be reproducable. This means that the testers must be able to repeat the results accurately and consistently.

INFORMAL TASTE TESTS

In the meantime, steak masters are invited to conduct their own tastes tests to compare the taste of steak from different breeds of cattle. Those who conduct these tests should be sure that the steak comes from different breeds but is otherwise identical, so that the taste test compares "apples with apples".

For example, a comparison of a Black Angus steak with a Friesian steak would be valuable, if both steaks came from cattle that had the same feed, were slaughtered at the same age, and that were graded the same (e.g. USDA Choice Grade) with the same marbling score, the same cut (e.g. top loin), the same thickness, and were cooked in exactly the same way. Again, to be a valid test, both steaks must be identical, except as to the cattle breed.

Please share the results of your blind taste tests in comments here and at KnowYourBeef.com

CONCLUSION

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Does Your Steak Cause Global Warming?

2010-03-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

Updated 032410@1854

For those who want to know whether or not livestock (especially beef cattle) are responsible for global warming, read the latest CNN news report and the latest FoxNews report. Much of the information in these articles was taken from a scientific, peer-reviewed study last year, as reported in a blog by Dr. Chris Raines, of PennState.

In summary, claims that livestock produces significant greenhouses gasses have been discredited by new evidence. In fact, "raising animals for food accounts for about 3 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., while transportation creates an estimated 26 percent."

Celebrities like Paul McCartney, an outspoken vegetarian, may be "well-intentioned" but "not well-schooled in the complex relationships among human activities, animal digestion, food production and atmospheric chemistry." Many who promote the "meat = heat" misinformation are hard-core vegetarians and vegans who strive to eliminate meat from everyone's diet.

Their emotionally-driven, anti-scientific approach led to climate-gate, in which true-believers in global warming knowingly and intentionally used fraudulent data to cover up the evidence that there has been no global warming in the UK over the last 15 years. Even the U.N.'s own researchers had to admit that their forecasts of melting Himalayan glaciers, disappearing polar ice caps, and dwindling Amazon rainforests were based on shoddy evidence.

The extremists' response? Do they apologize for their errors? No, of course not. Like true-believers throughout history, when proven wrong, they deny any error, they attack the messenger, and they change their words but not their message. Thus, they no longer call it "global warming": it's now called "climate change". If new, real scientific evidence shows that there is no change in "climate change", extremists will deny that fact, attack the science and scientists, and rename "climate change" to -- what?.

Extremists are not concerned with science or truth. They are driven by their emotions and beliefs. They will continue to use unfounded claims to attack steak lovers, farmers, and everyone else connected with livestock and the meat industry.

For extremists:
Earth is their god.
Mankind is their devil.
Veganism is their religion.

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Film Review: Food, Inc.

2010-03-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Food, Inc. is the 2009 film about the food industry. It was was nominated but did not win Best Documentary at the 2010 Academy Awards.

The film goes far beyond even propoganda by making intentional misprepresentations, lies and distortions.

Propoganda means "a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda." See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda

"Food, Inc." goes beyond propoganda because it lies: that is, the film knowingly misrepresents facts. Many of these lies are documented in the film review by SafeFoodInc.org.

Because the SafeFoodInc review details the film's lies and distortions in such detail and with scientific citations, the lies and distortions will not be repeated here. Suffice it to note that, if the film makes even one statement that is knowingly false, then no rational person will bother to examine the other claims in the film, since its other claims are suspect.

Finally, click here to see the rational reason that hog farmers keep sows in individual stalls rather than let them live together in the open or even in pens.

Please share your comments, below.

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Terminology: "Artisan"

2010-03-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

The word "artisan" is often used to describe some steak, beef and other food. But what exactly does it mean?

There is no legal defintion of "artisan" in the United States. Neither the United States Department of Agriculture nor any other federal or state authority has defined the word or regulates its use.

However, most steak consumers do not know that the word has no legal meaning. They assume that a steak with an artisan label means that the steak has been produced and butchered by a highly skilled indivual craftsman. But this is wrong. The artisan label has no legal meaning.

Seak vendors often intentionally misuse the artisan label. As a result, steak consumers should place little importance on the artisan label itself. Instead, steak consumers should look beyond the label to determine exactly how the steak was actually produced and butchered. It is up to the consumer to determine if the steak meets a meaningful definition of artisan.

Although the word "artisan" has no legal meaning, its general, non-legal, dictionary meaning is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft.

As applied to steak, the word means the following:

Please review and update these definitions. Post a comment below or email us.

Artisan farmer means a family farmer, who owns the farm and who cares personally for the livestock and/or crops raised on the farm.

Artisan farm means a farm owned by an artisan farmer to raise artisan livestock and/or crops.

Artisan cattle means cattle raised by an artisan farmer on an artisan farm.

Artisan beef means beef which comes from artisan cattle and which is slaughtered and processed by an artisan beef processor.

Artisan beef processor means a skilled beef processor, who owns the slaughterhouse and processing facility and who personally processes artisan cattle.

Artisan beef slaughterhouse and processing facility means a slaughterhouse and processing facility owned by an artisan beef processor to slaughter and process artisan beef.

Artisan beef butcher means a skilled butcher who personally butchers artisan beef.

Artisan steak means steak which is cut by an artisan butcher from artisan beef.

Carrie Oliver founded The Artisan Beef Institute, whose website has more information about the meaning of Artisan Beef. She has written the Artisan Beef Institute Cheat Sheet, which describes preferred attributes of artisan beef, including the identity and location of the farm, cattle breed, cattle feeding history, etc. She also defines artisan cattle as having received no preventative antibiotics, no artifical hormones and a high-quality, all-vegetable diet.

Again, please give us your thoughts and comments on these definitions.

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Great American Steak Out: March 20

2010-03-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Join the Great American Steak Out!!!

This Saturday, March 20, is the first day of Spring. Enjoy a great grilled steak. Then take a picture of your SteakPerfection and share it with us, send a copy to the Governor of Michigan, and enter it in the Earth Day Photo Contest.

Why send a steak pic to the Governor? Because Governor Granholm told Americans not to eat meat on this Saturday, March 20th, "Michigan Meatout Day”.

Let's stand shoulder-to-shoulder with America's farmers.

So on Saturday:

(1) Set up your backyard grill for the first steak of Spring. (If it's too cold, then pan-fry a steak on the stove.)

(2) Take a picture! This is important.

(3) Email the picture to the Governor of Michegan.

(4) Post your picture on Twitter. Tell us your cut of steak (top loin, tenderloin, ribeye, or?), how you cooked it, and how good it was!

(5) Post your picture to enter it into the Earth Day Photo Contest (see details at the National Beef Ambassadors website)!

The Great American Steak Out was created by Dewey Mann.
See more information at @Farm3rsDaught3r

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8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

2010-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

Previous blogs describe (1) how to measure the temperature of a grill at the grill level and (2) how to measure the distance from the grill level to the live coals.

With these two measurements, the ideal distance from the grill level to the live coals can be calculated. As described in a blog on how to calculate this ideal distance, the calculation is complex. This blog describes the complex formula, for those who are comfortable with math.

One of the fundamental laws of thermodynamics, as applied to a backyard grill, states that temperature varies in inverse proportion to the square of the distance between the grill and the coals. This is called the inverse square law.

The formula of the inverse square law is as follows, where:

d1 = original distance

t1 = temperature at d1

d2 = new distance

t2 = temperature at d2

Using these variables, then the basic formula of the inverse square law is:

t1 / t2 = d2^2 / d1^2

Since d1, t1 and t2 are known, the formula for solving for d2 is:

d2 = ((t1 / t2) * d1^2)^0.5

In a previous blog, we show that the ideal cooking temperature at the grill level is exactly 750°. Applying this temperature to the formula assumptions, t2 (the new temperature) always equals 750°, so the formula may be resolved as follows:

d2 = ((t1 / 750°) * d1^2)^0.5

As an example, if the original distance of the grill above the coals is 5” (d1), and if the temperature at this distance is 370° (t1), then, in order to increase the temperature to 750° (t2), the formula may be applied, and the result shows that the distance of the gill above the coals must be changed to 3.5” (d2).

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7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height

2010-03-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

If the temperature of your backyard grill is too low at the grill level (which is usually the case), then you should make a modification to change the distance between the top of your grill and the top of the live coals.

Previous blogs describe (1) how to measure the temperature of an unmodified grill, (2) how to measure the distance from the grill level to the live coals, and (3) how to calculate the ideal distance from the top of the grill, at the meat level, and the top of the live coals. With these calculations, you can determine the distance to raise the level of the charcoal grate. In most cases for a Weber Kettle, this distance will be about 1 1/2".

In most cases, there is no easy way to lower the grill level by this amount, so it is usually easier to raise the level of the charcoal grate (the metal grate on which the charcoal burns) by this amount.

Use bricks or balls of alumunium foil to raise the charcoal grate to the correct amount by using bricks or balls of aluminum foil. For most, the charcoal grate will have to be raised about 1 1/2",

It is very important to raise it my the exact amount, within 1/8”. The reason for the needed precision is that a tiny change in the charcoal level translates into a huge change in the temperature. For example, an error of 1/8” changes the temperature 20°.

After the grill level has been adjusted to the ideal distance, and before cooking a steak, light the normal amount of lump charcoal and let it come to the correct temperature (after about 30 minutes). Then measure the temperature at the meat level. (See how to measure the temperature. Verify that the temperature at the grill level is 750°. If the temperature is not between 720° and 780° (which is within 5% of the ideal temperature), then repeat the process.

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6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height

2010-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

Previous blogs describe how to measure the temperature of an unmodified grill and how to measure the distance from the grill level to the live coals.

With both the temperature and the distance of your grill, one can calculate the ideal distance between the top of the grill (the meat level) and the top of the live coals.

The calculation of this ideal distance is complicated. A future blog will describe the formula for this calculation.

The ideal distance between the top of the grill and the top of the coals differs for every grill. SteakPerfection uses a special computer program to calculate the ideal distance. Because the math is so complicated, SteakPerfection is offering as a free service to calculate the ideal distance.

To take advantage of this offer, email the two numbers you calculated above:

(1) The first number is the temperature at meat level, when you’re grilling with good lump coals. For most people, this will be about 370°.

(2) The second number is the exact distance -- to one-eigth of an inch -- between the top of the grill (where the steak rests on the grill) and the top of the burning lump charcoal. For most Weber grills, this is a distance of about 5”.

Email these two numbers to Joe.OConnell@SteakPerfection.com and then I will run the calculations and email back the ideal distance for your grill to cook at 750°, using your normal amount of lump charcoal.

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5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height

2010-03-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

After you have measured the temperature at grill level, you have to measure the distance between the grill and the top of the coals. This is an extremely precise measurement, so do it correctly!

If the charcoal is still lit, find the exact spot on your grill where the temperature is hottest. (See How to Calculate the Temperature.) Being careful not to burn yourself or anything else, take a long screwdriver or butter knife, and use it to mark the distance between the top of the grill and the top of the burning coals. Don’t burn yourself!! When you’ve found the exact distance on the butter knife, use a ruler to find out this distance to an accuracy of 1/8”.

REASON: The reason you have to be so precise is because of the law of thermodynamics (discussed in more detail in another blog). A difference of 1/8” in the distance results in a change of 20° in the temperature. So make a very precise measurement of the distance between the top of the grill and the top of the live coals.

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4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature

2010-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

The ideal temperature for a backyard steak master to cook a steak on a grill over live coals is 750°, as measured at the grill level. As described in a previous blog, most grills are designed by the manufacturers for a temperature of only 370°.

In order to determine whether the grill owned by a backyard steak master needs modification, the temperature at the grill level should be measured. The easiest and most accurate way to measure this temperature is to use an infrared thermometer.

An infrared thermometer is the same one used by car mechanics to check disk brakes. It is also often used by backyard cooks to check the temperature of the oil when deep frying a turkey. If possible, the grill owner should borrow rather than purchase an infrared thermometer, since it is needed only once. If this is not possible, an infrared thermometer may be purchased online or at a local auto parts store for about $30.00.

Before measuring the grill temperature with an infrared thermometer, check its calibration with boiling water. To do this, bring a pan of water to a boil, and use the infrared thermometer to measure its temperature. It should measure 212F -- the boiling point of water at sea level. (If the altitude is significantly higher than sea level, then the boiling point of water will be higher. To find out the temperature for calibrating to boiling water, call a competent local chef, since all chefs should know the boiling point of water in their location.)

After calibrating the infrared thermometer, light the grill, using the same amount of charcoal as “normally” used.

What is the “normal” amount of charcoal? Every backyard steak master must learn how to use the same amount of charcoal, measured by weight, every time. To learn how much a “normal” amount weighs, fill a paper bag with this amount of lump charcoal, and then use a scale to weigh the bag. A bathroom scale works well: without holding the bag of charcoal, note the weight; then weigh, while holding the bad; the difference is the weight of the bag of lump charcoal.) Use this procedure to ensure that the “normal” amount of lump charcoal is used.

Light the lump charcoal, using no lighter fluid. After lighting, wait until the charcoal reaches its maximum temperature: when all the lumps of charcoal are covered with a layer of ash. Then use long tongs to break up any large the lumps and distribute the love coals evenly in the center of the charcoal grate.

Next, place the cooking grill over the live coals, and allow the temperature of the cooking grill to rise and stabilize, which may take 5 minutes. At this time, place a thin metal object (an empty beer can works perfectly -- just stomp it flat first) on the cooking grill, and allow it to heat up completely, which may takes 5 minutes. When it has reached its maximum temperature, use the infrared thermometer to measure its temperature. Move the metal object to different sections of the cooking grill, wait 5 minutes for the temperature to adjust, and take the temperature again. Repeat this several times, writing down the various temperatures and sections. This list will be useful in the future, so retain it.

The temperature on the hottest spot is the grill’s “current temperature” -- which means the temperature at grill level using a normal amount of lump charcoal.

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3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height

2010-03-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

The biggest mistake made by backyard steak masters is grilling steaks at too low a temperature.

The single most important thing that a backyard steak master should do to improve steak quality is to modify the grill to reduce the distance between the top of the grill (i.e. meat level) and the top of the coals. As discussed in a previous blog (see http://bit.ly/dixHpA), the correct temperature for cooking steak, when measured at the level where the steak sits on the grill (called the meat level or grill level) is 750°.

Most grills are designed to cook at a temperature of only 370°, using a normal amount of charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal. The way to increase the temperature to 750° is to reduce the distance between the grill level and the charcoal level.

The problem for most backyard steak masters is that most popular grills, such as the Weber Kettle, do not have adjustable grills, so the distance between the grill and the charcoal cannot be changed up or down. Grills usually have a fixed distance at 5” between the grill and the top of the charcoal. At a distance of 5", the temperature of a "normal" charcoal fire will be between about 370°.

REASON: Manufacturers design their grills for 5" between the top of the grill and the top of the layer of charcoal briquettes, so that the temperature will be about 370°. A temperature of 370° is ideal for cooking hamburgers all the way through. At a higher temperature, the hamburger would burn on the outside before cooking thoroughly on the inside. So it is safer for manufacturers to design their grills to cook at a lower temperature, where hamburgers will be safely cooked on the inside. But 370° is much too low to cook a steak perfectly, because it would not develop an exterior crust and would be overdone on the interior.

So that’s the problem. You want your hamburger grilled at 370° but your steak grilled at 750°.

The backyard chef has three major options to achieve these two temperature variants.

One option is to purchase a new grill -- one which can raise and lower the grill and/or charcoal grate. The problem with this solution is money: variable grills are very expensive, compared with non-variable grills.

A second option to reach a higher temperature on a grill is to use much more charcoal than normal. But that wastes charcoal and might even overheat the grill to create a fire risk. More importantly, however, the goal is to reach a grill temperature of exactly 750°, so adding more charcoal does not solve the problem of achieving the exact temperature.

A third option is for the backyard steak master to modify the grill to reduce the distance between the top of grill (the meat level) and the top of the coals. The next blog will explain how to modify the grill to increase the cooking temperature to the ideal steak cooking temperature of 750°.

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2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?

2010-03-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

This is the second in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

As discussed in a previous blog, the correct temperature to achieve SteakPerfection is 750°. See http://bit.ly/dixHpA

If the temperature for SteakPerfection is 750°, why do steakhouse chains claim that they cook their steaks at a much higher temperature? For example, Ruth’s Chris advertises on its website that "Our famous steaks are seared to perfection at 1800° and topped with fresh butter so they sizzle all the way to your table."

Advertisements like this are true but misleading. The truth is that the temperature 2” from the walls of the oven is 1800°. But this is misleading, because the steaks are cooked 3” from the oven walls, where the temperature has dropped down to 750°. Yes, that single extra inch results in the temperature difference. This is the result of the inverse square law, which will be described in more detail in a separate blog.

The steaks at Ruth’s Chris and most other steakhouse chains are not cooked over live coals. Instead, they are cooked inside a specialized infrared oven. The oven uses natural gas to heat the ceramic top and bottom walls from the outside. The steaks are cooked inside the oven with the infrared heat from the tiles on the roof and on the floor of the oven. Thus, the steaks cook from the top and bottom at the same time.

There are three major advantages for steakhouse chains to use infrared ovens. First, because the steaks cook from the top and bottom at the same time, they do not have to be flipped and thus cook in half the time and with no flipping necessary. Second, because the cooking temperature, distance from the heat and steak thickness are constant, the ovens are automated with timers. The cook puts the steak into the oven, hits the start button, and takes it out when the buzzer sounds. Therefore, the oven can be operated by lower-skilled workers. The third advantage to using a specialized oven is that the steak does not acquire the metallic off-taste from natural gas, because the natural gas burns outside the oven.

On balance, infrared ovens produce a much better steak than gas grills (which cook with gas heat from below the steak) and gas broilers (which cook with gas heat from above the steak), because infrared ovens impart no gas-taste. However, because the infrared ovens do not impart a distinct taste to the crust, most steakhouse chains season the steaks before cooking them, so that the exterior crust acquires a complex layer of flavor.

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1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature

2010-03-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

What is the correct temperature to achieve SteakPerfection?

Food scientists have conducted extensive tests, which show that the perfect temperature for cooking a high-quality steak over live coals is 750°. That is, the temperature at the meat level (where the steak sits on the grill) is 750°. This is a very high temperature for a charcoal grill and is a real challenge for backyard chefs, because most grills are designed to cook at a temperature of only 370°, using a normal amount of charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal.

Some steakhouse chains claim that they cook a steak in an infrared oven at 1,800°, but this is misleading. If a steak is cooked at 1,800°, it would be inedible, because, by the time it is cooked medium-rare on the inside, it would be burnt to a crisp on the outside.

There are two ways that steakhouse chains make the 1,800° claim but do not burn the exterior. One way is to use an 1,800° oven but place the steaks 3” from the heat, where the temperature at the meat level is only 750°. A second way is to use an 1,800° oven to cook the steaks for only a minute or two, to give the exterior a rich crust, and then remove the steaks to an ordinary oven for finishing at a much lower temperature. Both these ways are regularly used by steakhouse chains.

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Myth: Sealing in Juices

2010-01-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

A prevalent myth in grilling steaks is that "Searing the outside of a steak seals in its juices."

Fact: Searing the outside of a steak creates no “seal” or waterproof barrier to prevent juices from escaping from the inside.

Reason: Steaks do not have pores. Pores exist only in the skin (epidermis) of an animal. Searing the outside of a steak does not close any pores or create any seal or waterproof barrier. In fact, rather than sealing in the juices, searing the meat does almost the opposite: it dries out and removes the moisture near the meat's surface, so searing causes a loss of moisture rather than protecting against it.

Note: In fact, there is a valid reason to sear the outside of a steak, but it is not to "seal in" the juices. Instead, the reason to sear the outside of the steak is to caramelize the surface (i.e. use the Maillard or browning reaction) to create an exterior crust. When steaks are grilled in the heat and smoke of a wood fire, the result produces wonderful contrasts: contrasts between the surface crunchiness and the soft, buttery interior; contrasts between the surface dryness and the juicy interior; and contrasts between the surface’s complex grilled flavors and the interior’s beefy flavor. In short, searing intensifies the taste, tenderness and appearance of the exterior while keeping the interior rare and juicy.

Harold McGee, the esteemed author and food scientist, explains, in "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen", p. 112:

SEARING IN JUICENESS AND FLAVOR

There is one misconception about meat cookery that still enjoys great popularity, even though it has long since been discredited. Does the gist of this description of cooking sound familiar?

"Thus as the exterior pores contract, the moisture contained in the object cannot escape any more, but is imprisoned there when the pores close."

This quotation comes not from a blurb for convection ovens, but from Aristotle's treatise on meteorology (Book 4). The theory has changed little except for the terminology -- today we would say that the food's juices are "sealed in" by high temperatures, keeping it moist and tender.

We know today that most of [Liebig's science] is simply not true. . . . Any crust formed around the surface of the meat is not waterproof. . . . But in its day, Liebig's account answered the unspoken need for some rational, systematic approach to cookery. . . . But even after Liebig's rationale for the early-searing method had been disproven, the method itself lived on under various guises, often rather eccentric. . . . [T]he grounds of the argument have shifted since Liebig's time. The issue is no longer nutritional value or juiciness, but taste. And here we are on firmer ground. We do know for a fact that whether done early or late, searing does not seal, but it does brown: it won't prevent flavor from escaping, but it creates flavor via the complex browning reactions. . . . So there is a good reason to sear meat, but it has nothing to do with nutrition or juiciness. The many recipes and ads that perpetuate Liebig's theory probably do so because the image it evokes is vivid and appealing.

Perhaps it is understandable that laymen and amateurs wax poetic about how high heat "sears in" their steaks' flavor and juiciness. But steakmasters and other experts should dispel this prevalent myth and teach others the basic science of SteakPerfection.

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Terminology: "Grass-Fed"

2010-01-22T19:46:00.000-08:00

In the United States, the term "grass-fed" has been defined legally and clearly. In summary, "grass-fed" means that the steak or other meat has been raised only on milk, prior to weaning, and then on grass.

The USDA has adopted the following regulation concerning any "grass fed" claim or label:

Claim and Standard:

Grass (Forage) Fed – Grass and forage shall be the feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning. The diet shall be derived solely from forage consisting of grass (annual and perennial), forbs (e.g., legumes, Brassica), browse, or cereal grain crops in the vegetative (pre-grain) state. Animals cannot be fed grain or grain byproducts and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. Hay, haylage, baleage, silage, crop residue without grain, and other roughage sources may also be included as acceptable feed sources. Routine mineral and vitamin supplementation may also be included in the feeding regimen. If incidental supplementation occurs due to inadvertent exposure to non-forage feedstuffs or to ensure the animal’s well being at all times during adverse environmental or physical conditions, the producer must fully document (e.g., receipts, ingredients, and tear tags) the supplementation that occurs including the amount, the frequency, and the supplements provided.

Grass (Forage) Fed Marketing Claim Standard (October 16, 2007, Federal Register Notice (72 FR 58631)) - PDF

Citations:

Grass Fed Marketing Claim Standards

For the formal notice, including comments and information, see Federal Register Notice

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Food Myths and Legends

2010-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

What are today's food myths and legends? On January 19,2010, this was the #FoodChat topic in a discussion hosted by Michele Payn-Knoper (@mpaynknoper) on Twitter.

The discussion was organized into nine questions.

What resources can help identify healthy foods?
What are some of the myths and legends about organic food?
How accurate are food healing myths/legends like chicken soup and ginger ale for a stomach ache?
How can we dispel the food myth to teens that eating ANY kind of fat is bad?
Should there be regulations on dollars spent to market/advertise food products to fight obesity?
What specific food myths or legends concern you most?
How does food labeling perpetuate or dispel food myths?
How can agriculture overcome food myths spread by marketing in the food industry?
What are you going to do differently or better as a result of being on #foodchat tonight?

The discussions about these questions are available at the #AgChat archives.

#FoodChat takes places once per month on Twitter. The discussion occurs every third Tuesday of the month, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm EST. To participate in the online chat session, use your Twitter name to log into Twubs.com or TweetChat.com

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@SteakPerfection: Who Should Follow Us, and Whom We Follow

2010-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

THOSE WHO FOLLOW US

Those who should follow @SteakPerfection include those interested in learning about steak. Our tweets focus exclusively on steak-related topics, including the following:

Breeds of beef cattle;
Feed for beef cattle;
Sex for beef cattle;
Age of beef cattle at harvest;
USDA Inspection, including health and safety issues;
USDA Grades for beef;
Marbling scores;
Cuts of steak;
Aging methods and time;
Trimming and pre-cooking preparation;
Cooking methods at home and restaurants;
Online steak sellers;
Steakhouses and restaurants;
Science; and
Scientifically valid blind taste tests.

Every steak cooked at home or ordered in a restaurant cannot always be the most expensive available. However, our goal is to help our followers learn how to cook and order an inexpensive steak that is as close as possible to steak perfection.

Since we limit our tweets solely to steak-related topics, we limit the topics of our tweets as follows:

No non-steak tweets;
No idle chit-chat;
No jokes;
No non-steak recipes;
No politics; and
No flames.

In summary, we tweet about steak, and only about steak. We learn about steak and help others to learn about steak. We do not tweet about other topics.

Our philosophy @SteakPerfection is that consumers should know as much as possible about the steak that they purchase so that they can make informed decisions. In the case of steaks at steakhouses and restaurants, we focus on the steak rather than on other entrees, side dishes, service, ambiance, prices or restrooms (see e.g.

THOSE WHOM WE FOLLOW

@SteakPerfection limits the number of those whom it is following, so that we can read their tweets and process their information.

We will be pleased to follow you, and we invite you to notify us if you tweet regularly about any steak-related topics, including the following:

Agriculture, farming and ranching;
Breeds, numbers and markets for beef cattle;
Grass-fed and grain-finished cattle ranchers;
How age, sex, feed, geography and other variables of beef cattle affect the look, taste and texture of steak;
USDA Inspection, including health and safety issues;
USDA Grade issues;
Marbling scores;
Cuts of steak;
Aging methods and time;
Trimming and pre-cooking preparation;
Cooking methods at home and restaurants;
Online steak sellers;
Steakhouses and restaurants;
Science; and
Scientifically valid blind taste tests.

Every week, @SteakPerfection uses the Tweepi cleanup tool to review and edit the list of those whom we are following. We do not strive to inflate the numbers of our followers and therefore limit those whom we are following to those who provide information about steak and steak-related topics.

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Cuts: London Broil

2010-01-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

London Broil is not a steak or cut of meat. Instead, London Broil is a method of cooking. Moreover, London Broil is not a method of cooking a steak. Instead, London Broil is sometimes used as a method of cooking a roast.

The confusion over London Broil is one of many examples of the confusing terms that are used to label beef. Butchers avoid this confusion by not relying on common terms. After all, depending on the location or restaurant, a "Delmonico Steak" may mean 8 different steaks. Therefore, to avoid confusion, butchers and other experts use the "Meat Buyers Guide", which has a standardized set of definitions with photographs and diagrams, so there is no confusion about the steak or cut of meat. It is published by the North American Meat Processors ("NAMP").

In the case of London Broil, cooks have used traditionally a variety of cuts. Today, cooks often use a top round roast for London Broil. Traditionally, however, cooks use a flank steak. There are many different recipes for London Broil. One of the better recipes follows.

Begin with a flank steak, approximately 2" thick and weighing 5 to 6 lbs. Dry its exterior, and place the steak into a shallow dish.

Prepare the marinade as follows, in order to tenderize and flavor the steak. In a covered jar or blender, combine the following ingredients:

1/4 cup of salad oil
1/4 cup of dry red wine
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bay leaf, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. crumbled fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1 sprig of parsley, for garnish.

Blend the ingredients thoroughly.

Pour the marinade over the steak, turning the steak to coat it well. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, at least 8 hours.

Approximately 30 minutes before cooking, remove the steak from the refrigerator, remove the steak from the marinade and set it aside, covered with foil, so that its temperature can rise to room temperature (approximately 70F).

Take the remaining marinade, cover and return to the refrigerator.

Prepare a grill of live coals for cooking.

When the temperature at the grill level is 750F, place the steak on the grill. Retrieve the marinade from the refrigerator, to use it for basting. After the steak has been on the grill for two minutes, flip the steak and brush it with marinade.

Every two minutes, flip the steak, rotate it so that it acquires distinct grill marks, and baste it with marinade.

After a total cooking time of approximatley 20 minutes -- until the steak is rare with an internal temperature of 115F -- remove the steak from the grill and cover with foil. Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes.

After the steak has rested, remove it to a cutting board and slice it very thinly, at the diagonal across the grain at a 45 degree angle.

Arrange the sliced steak on a platter, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

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2010 National Survey of Online Steak Vendors

2010-01-01T21:27:00.001-08:00

(Updated January 15, 2010 at 8:04 pm PST)

The 2010 National Survey of Online Steak Vendors will be completed this month. Every January, SteakPerfection publishes its annual survey, and this year's survey will be completed and available beginning on Monday, February 1, 2010.

The survey provides information for consumers about online steak sellers. The compilation includes basic information about each online steak seller, including the following:

Company name
Company location
Farm and geography where cattle were raised
Cattle breed
Feed for cattle (whether grass-fed only or finished on grain)
Whether the cattle were treated with antibiotics and/or artificial hormones
Company which processed the cattle
Types of steaks sold
Whether the steaks are USDA inspected
Whether the steaks are USDA graded and, if so, the range of grades offered
Whether the steaks are scored for marbling and, if so, the scoring range
Whether the steaks are dry-aged or wet-aged and, if so, for how long
Whether the steaks have been blade- or otherwise mechanically tenderized
Whether the steaks are or have ever been frozen
Approximate steak price range
Website address
email address and contact info

So far, SteakPerfection has compiled information concerning 84 known online national steak sellers. Each year, SteakPerfection adds several new companies to the survey, including smaller companies and others which commence online operations. In addition and unfortunately, every year a few companies cease their online operations, and these are removed from the survey.

Please email SteakPerfection (or use Twitter or post a Comment) to provide the names of newer and smaller online steak sellers which sell on the national market. All companies will be included in this year's survey, whose names are received by SteakPerfection no later than the close of business on Friday, January 29, 2010 .

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Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

2009-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, VIRGINIA, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, VIRGINIA, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Elements Affecting Taste and Texture

2009-12-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

(Updated Jan 18, 2010 at 4:30 pm PST)
Dozens of important elements affect the taste and texture of steak. Some of the important elements include the following:

Breed or hybrid of the cattle (e.g. Angus, Limousin, Texas Longhorn, Wagyu etc.).
Sex of the cattle (e.g. steer).
Age of the cattle at castration (e.g. castrated at birth or later).
Growth of cattle (e.g. whether born in the Spring and weaned in the Fall).
Climate where the cattle are raised (e.g. Midwestern plains).
Terrain where the cattle are raised (e.g. California Central Valley).
Feed of the cattle at each stage of their lives (e.g. , including the types of grasses, grains and other food.
Physical care and exercise of the cattle at each stage of their lives.
Health care and treatment of the cattle at each stage of their lives, including the administration of antibiotics, vaccines, hormones and other drugs and medicine.
Age of the cattle at slaughter.
Grade of the cattle, if graded by the USDA.
Marbling score of the beef, if scored by the USDA between the 12th and 13th rib.
Brand of the beef, if branded (e.g. Certified Angus Beef).
Aging method and time, if applicable (e.g. 28-day dry aged).
Cut of the steak (rib, strip, tenderloin, etc).
Thickness of the cut.
Trimming method (i.e. how much fat is removed before cooking).
Seasoning before cooking (i.e. which, how much and how long before cooking are seasonings applied to the cut before cooking).
Cooking method (e.g., grilled over live coals, cooked over a gas grill, cooked in a Montegue oven, etc.).
Temperature of cooking at the steak level.
Time of cooking.
Actions during cooking (e.g. flipping, covering with a lid, basting and similar steps).
Resting time and method after cooking (e.g. placing in 150F oven for 5 minutes).
Seasoning after cooking (i.e. which, how much and how long after cooking are seasonings and other ingredients applied.
Slicing of the steak (where, when and how is the steak sliced).
Seasoning at the table (e.g. sea salts).

If each of these has only five alternatives, then the number of different taste profiles is 1.5 quintillion (that is 1.5 followed by 18 zeroes)!

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Steakhouse Reviews: Goodman - Best Steak in London?

2009-12-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

At SteakPerfection, we research, study and try to discover and to share with our friends the best steaks in the world. Today we learned that one of the very best steaks in London may be found at Goodman.

Named after the legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman, this London restaurant is located just off Regent Street near Oxford Circus. Goodman offers a New York strip steak which meets the three most important requirements for a great steak:

(1) USDA Prime Grade;
(2) Dry aged 28 days on premises; and
(3) Grilled over live coals.

These three elements alone may elevate Goodman to one of the best steakhouses anywhere, and the quality of its steaks may rival its London competitors, Maze Grill, Gaucho and Sophie’s.

Goodman contact info:

Address: 26 Maddox Street, London W1S 1QH
Phone: 020 7499 3776
Website:
Executive Chef: John Cadieux

In 2003, the original Goodman was founded in Russia Mikhail Zelman. There are now nine branches in Russia, one in Ukraine, and this newest branch in London.

SteakPerfection welcomes your views and reviews!

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Dry Aging Secret #6

2009-12-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

Dry Aging Secret #6: Sides of beef today are rarely dry-aged.

Beef carcasses today are rarely dry-aged. The best cuts of meat on a side of beef will not be visible and thus are not exposed to the air during aging in a meat locker. This means that it takes much longer to age the best cuts in a whole side of beef. Moreover, aging an entire side of beef wastes money, because only a fraction of the meat will benefit from aging.

For these reasons, sides of beef today are rarely aged in tact. Instead, the sides of beef are cut into primal and sub-primal portions, such as the short loin, and the dry-aging method is reserved for only the best sub-primals. Most butchers “break” carcasses into primal portions (like the entire Top Loin) or, even more commonly, into sub-primal portions (like the bone-in Top Loin).

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Salt: A Steak's Third Layer

2009-12-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

Contemporary cuisine teaches that each individual dish of great food should have three distinct layers of flavor: the dominant flavor, a complementary subdominant favor, and a third flavor "echo".

To attain SteakPerfection, the steak master creates three layers of flavor.

A prime-grade, abundantly-marbled, dry-aged, charcoal-grilled top-loin (New York cut) steak, perfectly trimmed and cooked, will have the three flavor profiles. The dominant flavor is beef, which evolves from the steak's quality and aging. The complementary subdominant flavor arises in the crust, which is imbued with the rich smoke flavors from live coals (e.g. mesquite, apple, red oak, etc.). The steak attains perfection only with a addition of a third layer of flavor. For a great steak, the third layer is a great salt -- a "finishing salt", which accompanies the steak in the small side-dish and which the diner pinches and adds to each bite.

There are many great finishing salts in the world. The best are the sea salts from the different nations and oceans of the world. Each sea salt has a unique chemical composition, which in turn add a different flavor echo.

Black Sea Salt, also called Sanchal, has a very powerful flavor profile. It is harvested in the Black Sea and produced in Turkey and is popular in South Asia and especially in North India. Its unique blend of minerals produces a sulfur-like flavor, which the lighter sea salts of Europe lack. On a great steak, the strong flavor profile of Black Sea Sale adds an intriguing and interesting third layer.

Pink Sea Salt from Hawaii receives its distinct color (more burnt sienna than pink or red) from the iron oxide present in the famous Hawaiian Red Clay. The very large salt crystals carry a strong earthiness flavor which complements a great steak, adding depth and complexity.

Halen Môn Sea Salt is harvested in Wales from the fresh Atlantic waters that surround the Isle of Anglesey - or Ynys Môn (pronounced 'un-iss mon'), as it is known in Welsh. The Halen Môn Sea Salt has very few mineral complexities, so its crystals are particularly white and its texture is very crunchy. Its unique flavor echoes sweetness, which enhances the great steak.

There are more than a dozen other great sea salts. But the greatest Sea Salt of all is indubitably "Fleur de Sel de Guérande" (the "flower of the sea from the City of Guérande"). Guérande lies on the coast of Brittany, where sea salt has been harvested since the Roman Empire. There exists the perfect combination of sun, wind, and lowland marshes, where evaporation intensifies the flavors of the nutrient-rich and trace-mineral-rich waters of the Bay of Biscay. The area includes the world's three most prominent areas for sea salt: Ile de Ré, Ile Noirmoutier, and Guérande, where the flavor complexities add an indescribably flavorful echo to the perfect steak.

For a particularly memorable occasion, each guest may be offered a variety of fine sea salts, served in a small, open container with three or four sections for the three or four sea salts. Each guest may pinch a sampling from one of the sea salts to sprinkle on a bite. The variety of sea salts will introduce the guest to the subtle echoes added by the different sea salts, which enhance SteakPerfection.

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In Praise of: Chris Raines and the New “Public Intellectual”

2009-12-06T22:06:00.001-08:00

Republication of a Blog by Maureen Ogle:
If you’ve read this blog for more than two minutes, you know that I’m all in favor of informed discussion and debate, which means I’m all in favor of what are usually dismissed as “scholars.”

You know: those pointy-head types who spend inordinate amounts of time studying a subject so that when they open their mouths to discuss their subject, what comes out is substance rather than fluff.

However, I adore scholars who then make the effort to share what they know with the rest of us. (The alternative being to remain closeted in their university offices, sharing knowledge only with other scholars.)

People like that used to be called “public intellectuals,” but I think of them as benefactors. Or saints, depending on my mood.

Anyway, that’s why I’m a fan of Chris Raines.

Chris is a professor in the Department of Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State. He’s the model of a new kind of scholar: one who is not afraid of blogs, Twitter, and, gasp, making connections with ordinary people like me.

His blog, Meat Is Neat, epitomizes what scholars can (and, in my opinion, should) be doing with their expertise: sharing it in simple language that non-experts like me can understand.

A prime example (no pun intended) is his recent entry on e-coli and grass-fed beef. If you have any interest in the current debate about food, food safety, and environmentalism, you should take a gander. (Hoof it over there? Paw through it?)

Chris is also a master of what Twitter can and should be. He’s there as @iTweetMeat.

Enjoy!

________________________________

The foregoing is copyright 2009 by Maureen Ogle, historian and author. It was published originally at Maureen Ogle's Blog and is reprinted here with the permission of Maureen Ogle.

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Trim: Ordering Steak at Restaurants

2009-12-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

I had lunch on Saturday at a restaurant in Studio City, California. The restaurant has an excellent reputation for good and sometimes great food. I ordered a top loin (aka New York, strip, strip-loin) steak.

I did not expect SteakPerfection, but I did look forward to enjoying the rich, beefy taste of a well-cooked steak.

I was disappointed: my steak had not been trimmed of fat.

Top loin (New York, strip) steaks have a layer of fat that surrounds the meat. Before cooking, a steak master carefully trims off the fat layer. Why? For two important reasons.

First, when an untrimmed steak is cooked, the fat layer browns like the rest of the steak. That means that the fat is not readily visible to the guest, so the guest invariably bites into a piece of fat.

Second, cooked fat tastes bad - very bad. The taste of cooked fat spoils the taste of fine steak, so steak masters never cook a steak until it has been trimmed of the layer of fat.

Unfortunately, most restaurants today, including some expensive steakhouses, fail to trim their steaks.

The solution: when ordering steak at a new restaurant or steakhouse, ask the server specifically to make sure that the chef trims off the fat layer before cooking.

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Mission: Education

2009-11-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

Education anchors SteakPerfection from pasture to plate. Our mission includes the goal that we educate others about SteakPerfection. We teach others and learn ourselves about the complex elements of cattle, beef and steak which are necessary to achieve SteakPerfection.

What is SteakPerfection? We explain the many elements that result in SteakPerfection. If an important element is eliminated, then the steak may be good or even great, but it cannot attain the pinnacle of true SteakPerfection. Our mission is to educate others about the exact meaning of SteakPerfection.

How can a restaurant guest recognize SteakPerfection? Most steak houses and fine restaurants strive to serve excellent steaks to their guests. Many succeed in serving steaks that are good; a few serve steaks that are great; but few restaurants around the world serve steaks that have attained SteakPerfection. Our mission includes identifying specific restaurants which serve good, great and perfect steaks. In addition, we help diners identify restsaurants and steakhouses which succeed in SteakPerfection.

How can an amateur cook attain SteakPerfection in a backyard setting? Most people love fine steaks, but very few know how to cook a fine steak. We explain the steps to achieving SteakPerfection, and we caution amateurs on the problems that they should avoid.

We explain about how steak is produced, including cattle, breed, sex, geography, feed, age, slaughter, grade, butchery, distribution, dry aging, trimming, cooking and the many other elements that contribute to SteakPerfection. We help others learn about what makes a steak perfect. We show them what makes a perfect steak different from an average steak, a good steak and even a great steak. We explain how a steak should be selected, aged, trimmed, seasoned, cooked and served.

We teach and demonstrate the art and science of SteakPerfection.

In addition, we ourselves are students, and we study constantly to educate ourselves and to learn more about SteakPerfection from farmers, ranchers, producers, feeders, butchers, agers, scientists, chefs and other steak masters and steak lovers.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Mission: SteakPerfection

2009-11-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

"SteakPerfection is our mission."

We organize our mission into four separate functions: education, research, consultion and promotion.

EDUCATION. We teach others and learn ourselves about the complex elements of cattle, beef and steak which are necessary to achieve SteakPerfection.

RESEARCH. We conduct direct research and sponsor, support and report the research of others about the complex elements of SteakPerfection.

CONSULTATION. We provide consultation services to professionals in the cattle, beef and steak-related business in the areas of management, finance, quality, preparation and other areas of SteakPerfection.

PROMOTION. We make media appearances, give interviews, write articles, produce films, conduct seminars and do other promotions of SteakPerfection.

Our SteakPerfection twitter, blog and website are dedicated exclusively to SteakPerfection.

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Cooking: Doneness

2009-11-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

A steak master honors the axiom that we feast first with our eyes.

To achieve steak perfection, the steak master presents the guest a steak which, when first sliced, reveals an interior which is grilled to the exact measure of doneness requested.

This is a challenge, even for a steak master. Success would be much easier if the guest always requested the same doneness. But guests are never constant, so the steak master adapts. To adapt to differing guest preferences, the steak master uses a secret. The steak master varies the steak's thickness in accordance with the requested doneness.

Before cutting a steak, the steak master first learns of the measure of doneness desired by the guest.

Doneness may be one of several ranges. The rarest is called "bleu" by the French and means that the interior is so rare (raw, really) that the center is cool to the touch and the color is dark purple. The next is "rare", in which the center is warm and the color is purple or very dark red. The "medium rare" doneness means that the center is warm and that its color is either red or very dark pink. The "medium" doneness means that the center is hot but the color is medium pink to light pink. "Well done" means that the center is very hot and its color has no trace of pink.

If the guest requests a strip loin steak grilled to "bleu", then the steak master will cut the steak 2" thick or more; for rare, 1.5" to 1.75" thick; for medium rare, 1.25" to 1.5" thick. No fine steak should be cut to less than 1.25" or grilled to medium done or more.

Note: A steak master never wants to serve a USDA Prime+ Grade, dry-aged steak, which is grilled beyond medium rare. When grilled beyond medium rare, fine steaks suffer a loss in texture and juiciness that. Therefore, a steak master tries to educate guests to appreciate the rich taste and texture of a great steak which is grilled perfectly.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Cooking: Grill Marks

2009-11-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

"We taste first with our eyes."

The steak master serves the guest a steak with the perfect exterior: a dark-brown crust, which is highlighted by a criss-cross diamond-pattern of dark grill marks.

To achieve this perfect exterior, the steak master brings the temperature of the grill to exactly 750F. The temperature is measured with an infrared thermometer at the center of the grill level, where the steak will be grilled. If the temperature is significantly hotter, the crust will be overly charred; if cooler, the crush will be too soft. When the grill reaches 750F, the steak is placed on the grill, directly over the live coals. If the steak has been trimmed properly of all major fat, there will be no flare-ups.

The steak master uses a timer and flips the steak at the following times, in four separate steps.

Step 1: First, the steak is placed over the coals and grilled for 2 minutes.

Step 2: Then, the steak is flipped and grilled for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Next, the steak is flipped, rotated 60 degrees (so that the grill marks form a diamond pattern) and grilled for 3 minutes.

Step 4: Finally, the steak is flipped again, rotated 60 degrees, grilled for 3 minutes and then removed to a plate, covered with foil and rested for 5 minutes.

In summary, the steak master grills the steak at 750F over hot coals for a total of 10 minutes, with 5 minutes per side. Each side is grilled first for 2 minutes and then rotate 60 degrees and grilled for an additional 3 minutes. This results in a perfect exterior, with a dark-brown crust and distinctive grill-mark pattern.

Reason: The difference in the grilling times of 2 minutes and then 3 minutes is because the steak's exterior is relatively cool for the first 2 minutes. Thus, during the initial grilling period, the crust and grill marks form quickly. After the flip, however, the exterior has warmed significantly, as the crust has begun to form. As a result, the grilling time is increased to 3 minutes per side, in order to complete the crust and so that the offsetting grill marks (the second set) achieve the same dark color as the first grill marks. Grill marks form as a function of the difference in temperatures between the steak exterior and the grill, not the absolute temperature of the steak exterior. Thus, perfect grill marks require 2 minutes for the first set and 3 minutes for the second.

Clarification: The cooking times given here assume the following:

The ambient temperature is 60F
The relative humidity is 60%
The air is still (no breeze)
The steak is a top loin (New York)
The steak is 2" thick
The steak has been trimmed of all fat
The steak is to served rare
The steak is cooked over live hardwood coals
The temperature at grill-level is 750F

If there is any significance difference in any of these variables, then the steak master will change these cooking times to account for the difference.

SteakPerfection requires perfection in each step from pasture to plate.

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Cooking: Feast First with Our Eyes

2009-11-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

The culinary school axiom teaches us that "We taste first with our eyes".

A steak master applies this lesson to achieve Steak Perfection.

The steak master presents to the guest a steak which looks perfect. The steak looks perfectly grilled on the outside, with a dark-brown crust and a distinct pattern of grill marks.

In addition, the steak master ensures that, when the steak is first sliced, the guest feasts on the steak's interior, which is grilled to the exact measure of doneness requested by the guest.

Thus, to achieve steak perfection for the eyes, the steak master must achieve a triple success for the eyes:

The rich brown colors of the crust;
The dark highlights of the grill marks; and
The purples, reds and pinks of the interior.

With the eyes, the lucky guest feasts first on the steak with these three attributes, knowing that the steak is cooked to the exact doneness requested.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.

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Thanksgiving Wishes to Farmers and Ranchers

2009-11-23T20:39:00.000-08:00

On this Thanksgiving, 2009, I and everyone at Steak Perfection extend our profound thanks and sincere gratitude to all farmers and ranchers.

Without farmers and ranchers, we would have no steaks, no steak masters and none of the pleasure of a perfectly bred, fed, marbled, aged, trimmed and grilled New York steak.

Thanks again to all farmers and ranchers.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

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Dry Aging Secret #5

2009-11-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

Dry Aging takes place over several weeks inside a specialized meat locker, called a dry-aging room. Inside the locker, four different variables are regulated precisely: temperature, humidity, air-flow and bacterial growth. The temperature is maintained at 34°F and at 85% relative humidity. In addition, the air inside the locker moves at a constant rate, and special lighting controls bacterial growth. Thus, the controlled environment inside the meat locker ensures that the beef ages perfectly.