Last Meat Post

Due the last day of class, we were assigned one page about each kobe beef and kurobuta hog. I'm a little aprehensive posting this because it's so weak and half assed. It's interesting though so, enjoy!

Traditional Kobe Beef

The term “Kobe Beef” refers to the meat from a particular breed of cattle traditionally raised and slaughtered in accordance with the strict specifications of the Kobe region of Japan. It is highly prized for its extensive intra-muscular fat or “marbling.” Since USDA grading is largely based on visible marbling, Kobe beef is considered better than prime grade. It is very expensive – in Japan over $100 per pound - and coveted as the most tender and flavorful beef in the world.

The meat in question comes from the “Wagyu” cattle, which is genetically predisposed to marbling (Morgan Ranch). Imported breeds of cattle were isolated by the country’s unique geography and crossbred to create the Wagyu cattle breed. The animals are slaughtered at ~24-30 months and can yield up to 40% marbling (Mcgee 138). The name Wagyu originally referred to all Japanese beef cattle.

Kobe, Matzukya and Hokkaido are all notable Wagyu beef producing regions of Japan, Kobe being the most notable. The Japanese government imposed strict export regulations in order to protect its beef industry and until 1976, the Wagyu was not exported (O’Connell).

The process of raising the cattle includes feeding them beer, as the yeast was thought to increase the appetite and marbling. The limited space for the cattle to move required the muscles to be hand massaged to decrease stress and offset the likelihood of toughness. The resulting meat is flavorful, tender and rich (Mcgee 138).

Kobe Beef Today

Due to limited space In Japan, today most Kobe producers contract with cattle ranchers in either California or Australia. Most Kobe beef today comes from these two places. The Wagyu are fed and raised according to very specific Kobe specifications and sent to Japan for slaughter and fabrication.

The same Wagyu cattle is used for “American-Style” Kobe beef but production methods do not include the beer feeding and massaging. The quality comparison is debatable. In some places in NYC it can be found for less than $20 per pound.

According to meat scientists, only about 1/3 of the flavor, tenderness and juiciness of meat comes from the marbling. The rest is due to the breed, age, exercise, diet and stress at time of slaughter (Mcgee 137).

Though I have never tasted kobe beef, It is my opinion that the high prices probably have more to do with marketing than actual flavor.

Kurobuta Hog

Pork 100 years ago and up until the 50's contained large amounts of fat, both intra-muscular and inter-muscular. At one time it was the most popular meat in the US, but started losing ground as people became more health conscious. To combat the trends, pork farmers started breeding hogs with up to 1/5 as much fat as in 1980 (Mcgee 139). This resulted in a much leaner meat, but it also robbed the pork of it's marbling and it became dry and flavorless. This is the pork we know today. The Kurobuta hog is closer to those bred a century ago in that they contain marbling and are said to be the juiciest and most flavorful available. The Kurobuta/Berkshire hogs however are still lean, like those of today, they just contain the marbling that is so desired among chefs and consumers.

Kurobuta black hog is the Japanese name for the English “Berkshire hog.” It was reputed to have been discovered by Oliver Cromwell's Army in Reading, England. The hogs were bred for specific characteristics in the 1800's and have remained purebred ever since (SRF). Some time later Berkshire hogs were given to the Japanese government by England as a diplomatic gift, where it became the “Kurobuta” hog we know today (McAllister).

The Berkshire hog was larger than others of its time and was renowned for exceptional quality and flavor. The breed is genetically predisposed to marbling (McAllister). Because it is naturally moist and tender, chemicals commonly added to pork to help it retain flavor and moisture are never added to Berkshire.

The Pork is in high demand these days both by restaurants and consumers. Restaurants such as Spago and The French Laundry go to lengths to acquire purebred hogs, claiming it has a “very specific taste” (Greenwood). Hogs are unique in that they acquire the flavor of the feed they eat (Greenwood). Most Berkshire hog farms use natural methods of raising to maximize the flavor.

MEAT madness

Overpriced Meat Cuts:
Flank Steak
Skirt Steak
Hanger Steak

These cuts are low quality but have become popular because of their flavor and are now overpriced. Originally the appeal was their cheapness.

Under-Utilized Meat Cuts:
Top Round
Flat-Iron Steak
Chicken Steak

These cuts are very tender. The flat iron and chicken steak both come from the chuck portion of the beef critter, but are isolated muscles and second in tenderness only to the tenderloin (seriously). Top Round comes from a tender inner muscle in the leg of 4 legged animals. In beef it is very affordable and makes great steaks and roasts. In lamb it is the really good part of the leg roast and in veal it can run $15+/lb.

Also, be very weary of "Sirloin" steaks at casual dining restaurants. more on all of this below.

Meat can be really confusing because so many identical cuts have different names. Add on to this marketing confusion and it becomes impossible. Here are some key facts:

The PRIMAL cuts are the main sections the carcass is cut into. On a beef animal they are (from head to tail) CHUCK, RIB, LOIN and ROUND.

The loin section (not primal) on a 4 legged animal runs from the top of the hip bone to the last 1-2 ribs. When you cut cross sections of the Loin on hogs, veal and lamb it's called a "loin chop." But the same cut from a beef critter is a t-bone, porterhouse or shell steak. So a lamb, pork or veal "loin chop" could be thought of as a lamb, pork or veal t-bone.

The t-bone, porterhouse and shell steak are all the same cut, the difference is where on the loin section the fall. The porterhouses come from the round or hip end, the t-bones from the middle and the shell steak from the rib end. The names have to do with how much tenderloin appears in the steak.

In beef, the loin is broken down into three different sub-PRIMALS, the tenderloin, the sirloin and the strip loin. Both the strip loin and tenderloin can be left whole as roasts or cut into steaks. From the tenderloin: filet mignon, beef medallions, tournados, noisettes and more. From the strip loin - strip steak or new york strip steak. Steaks cut from the sirloin are often used in casual dining restaurants because they cheap and can be sold for a high price under the name "sirloin." These include "ball-tip" and "Tri-tip" steaks.

The Rib section of 4 legged animals contains the ~6-11th rib. The muscle that runs peripheral to the spinal cord is NOT the tenderloin, but the RIB EYE. (The tenderloin is on the inside of the vertebrae of the loin section and surrounded by a significant layer of fat.) In beef, cuts that come from the rib section are "prime rib", bone-in rib roast, bone-less rib roast. And if you were to cut steaks from the rib-roast they would be rib steaks or if the rib bone is removed, "Delmonico steaks." The same rib section of pork, is sold whole as "pork loin roast" bone-in or boneless. Cross sections cut from the pork loin roast are "pork rib-chops." If you were to remove the rib bone from the pork loin roast you would have "baby-back ribs." The baby-back ribs on beef are referred to as "beef back ribs."

Non-primal cuts are termed "market forms" and in beef include, the plate, the brisket and the foreshank. None of these are particularly useful aside from brisket and are most often ground. Flank steak actually comes from the LOIN primal but is often removed because the excessive fat makes it a bad buy for the money.

Economy cuts sold in restaurants that have become popular are skirt steak and Hanger steak (aka hangar steak, hanging tenderloin, hanging tender, butchers steak, onglet or butcher's tenderloin.) both from the belly muscles of the beef animal. These are generally thought of as low quality cuts of meat but have high resale value because of growing popularity.

ULTIMATE BURGER

Daniel Boulud, former executive chef of Le Cirque turned restuaranteur has created a monster. This is new to me though its been around for at least 5 years.

This burger is ground sirloin wrapped around short ribs braised in red wine with foie gras and truffles. This is pretty anti-thetical to everything I hold near and dear about a burger. However, there's something about the kitsch of putting foie gras and truffles on a burger that taunts me. I'll let you know how it is when I eat it!

You can get this badboy for $29 on 76th st and central park east. Now who wants ice cream?

Food Photography

For the most part I sustain myself, but every now and again I feel a great loss the further I move away from photography. It's interesting to think about these two interests of creating food - something whose beauty lies entirely in it's ephemeral qualities, often down to the minute - and a photograph which is static, 2 dimensional and created to last forever. It's almost contradictory; the whole idea of food photography. But when we take a picture we "appreciate" a certain frame/moment in time space forever the same as we'd enjoy a dish. In this sense a picture has it's own fleeting nature.

I just want a camera, but my azz is broke.

I'm sitting on a balcony in the amber afternoon. The sun barely setting. The servant brings up a bottle of cabernet. He pops the cork and hands it to me. The rich earthy aroma matches that of the vineyard below. A host of new smells flow by on the gentle current. Could life be any better than this?