So what do you know about steak?
What do you know about steak really? its types? How to have it best served? I almost tried all steakhouses in Kuwait but frankly for so long all I knew was Rib Eye, Fillet, well-done and medium-well. Today I’m going to take you all on a journey into steak world that I promise will change your steak choices forever. I got invited by The Meat Co for a “Meatology training” yesterday, meatology means the science behind meat and beef, sounds exciting. I arrived at 5:30 pm exact and met with their international steak expert Mr. Gracious B Sikhosana, you should have seen the look on Meat Co staff, they were so surprised because I’m a regular customer and they didn’t that I’m the guy they were waiting for the trainig.
Cattle Breeds
My first question was about cattle breeds; I was mesmerized to know there are over 800 breeds, but the most famous are actually the Angus, Wagyu, Hereford, Longhorn among others. The Angus cattle are tough and mature around 2 years of age and they are used for beef (not milk) and are known for marbled meat (meat with intramuscular fat). Though what really awed me is the Wagyu, a Japanese breed in which the cows don’t ever move for over 500 days, and get massaging to prevent muscle cramping! They say this will produce highest quality juicy meat and most expensive of course.
Do feeds effect the steak?
Yes what the cows are fed does effect the meat quality, cows are either grain-fed, grass-fed, or milk-fed but most beef on market today is grain-fed because it helps producers to raise and fatten cows rather quickly than if they feed on grass. However, mlik-fed produces the highest quality meat of young cattle.
What’s all about Marbling score thing?
Whenever I’m checking steak menus I see the term Marbling score, rings any bell? Well it turned out that the marbling is the streaks of fat in lean meat, so the more marbling or higher score the more fatty, juicy and flavorful the steak. I can imagine many of you had the “Wide-Open-Eyes” when you read fat, but luckily this is mostly unsaturated fat rich in omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.
Steak Types
The steak type depends on which part of the cow the primal cut was taken from (see above), for example Rib Eye is from the ribs, the fillet from the tenderloin. However most popular types are the Rib (shorts ribs, Rib Eye steak), Tenderloin (most tender and expensive, fillet steak & T-Bone), Chuck (roasts and hamburgers), Sirloin (less tender than loin but more flavorful), Brisket (best for barbecue), Shank (tough and used for stews and soups). I personally prefer fillet steak because it’s lean (low fat) and very tender, others may prefer Rib-Eye or Sirloin because they are more fatty and hence more flavorful.
Steak Doneness?
This is the tricky part that could either make your steak experience truly delightful or miserable one. I for some reason always asked waiters to have my steak served well done but later changed to medium-well, I’m pretty sure many of you did the same maybe because we feel uncomfortable seeing blood? Thing is steak doneness highly depends on type of meat used, so suppose you order Rib Eye steak (which is high in marbling) then it’s fine to have it served well done, but if you are going say for Fillet steak then it’s best to have it served medium well or medium to preserve the tastiness. However, bear in mind that having the steak medium well shouldn’t have any blood (dark pink only) otherwise it means steak was frozen and not grilled properly, also the more the meat is grilled the less nutritional values it preserves.
So now how do you like your steak? and what are the steakhouses that you think serve best steak in Kuwait?
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