The Meat Speech

Our much anticipated Passport dinner this week, a multi-course tasting spanning several countries specifically planned to coincide with a special celebration, was unfortunately cancelled due to scheduling issues amid the whimpered soundtrack of my heart breaking. So instead, while we regroup and reign in our disappointment, I’d like to take this brief interlude to talk about beef.

The old adage is true; you are what you eat, so courtesy of our friend Fleur at Craftsteak, here it is, the meat speech:

Corn-fed beef is the style that most American consumers are accustomed to. Corn helps to fatten the cows more quickly, resulting in higher levels of marbleization and therefore a more tender cut of meat.

Whereas corn-fed beef gains much of its flavor from the higher fat content, the flavor of grass-fed beef is contained within the meat itself. Leaner and therefore firmer in consistency, a grass-fed steak tends to have a more concentrated beef flavor with slightly herbaceous and nutty tones. Due to the leaner texture, grass-fed beef should never be cooked more than a medium temperature or else firm will soon become tough.

Dry aging goes a long way to concentrate the flavor of the sometimes bland corn-fed beef, although the less-common dry aged grass-fed beef once again stands apart as a more flavorful option. The usual rules are reversed where dry aging is concerned. In such cases the older the meat the better.

And then there is Wagyu. Prized for its intense marbleization, the velvety texture and sweeter notes of Wagyu are a result of breeding rather than diet. Buttery and melt-in-your mouth delicious, Wagyu falls far beyond the traditional USDA rating scale of tenderness, juiciness and flavor and usually ranks around a 10 on the Japanese scale of 1-12.

Our 43-day dry aged, corn-fed strip was toothsome with a delightfully crispy exterior. Butter truly is a beautiful thing. The strip was also served with a marrowbone that curiosity insisted we try. Unfortunately the diced chives sprinkled on top overpowered the marrow to the point that after this first experience, I’m not sure whether I like it or not.

Other meats of note include the Wagyu carpaccio, which required no chewing and simply dissipated on the tongue, and the fresh bacon, thick-cut pieces of crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside fried pork belly that looked like a layer cake of happiness. If I had any room left for dessert, I would have had another helping of bacon.