What did you eat last night for dinner?

[Fabienne]

Barbecued chicken drumsticks, some plain, some with barbecue sauce
Jardinière de lÃ

gumes persillade.
Day old Shiraz.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Why would somebody take a beautiful piece of meat and then cook it well done?

I prefer mine rare to medium rare.

Jon is correct in his assessment of thickness vs. temperature.

Here's the thing though, even though it's well done, it's still insanely juicy. Imagine the juiciness of medium rear with the through cooking of well done, and you get an Argentine steak.

Jon.

 

[Fabienne]

Do these: estradiol, melengestrol acetate, progesterone, testosterone, trenbolone acetate, and zeranol make US beef generally better tasting than European beef, or should we attribute this fact to some other factors?

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

Do these: estradiol, melengestrol acetate, progesterone, testosterone, trenbolone acetate, and zeranol make US beef generally better tasting than European beef, or should we attribute this fact to some other factors?
I can’t recall the taste of European beef, but for the most part Argentinean cows / meat tends to contain a lot less of the chemicals than is found in American cows. Jon.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

Do these: estradiol, melengestrol acetate, progesterone, testosterone, trenbolone acetate, and zeranol make US beef generally better tasting than European beef, or should we attribute this fact to some other factors?


GOOD American beef is better than GOOD European beef because they have more land to graze and the feed is generally a bit better. Bad, chemically enhanced American beef is not very good, but it is no worse than most European beef.

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by iammatt

GOOD American beef is better than GOOD European beef because they have more land to graze and the feed is generally a bit better. Bad, chemically enhanced American beef is not very good, but it is no worse than most European beef.

I can see that. Still, I have yet to understand how, since in Europe quality of products is essential, the good kind of American beef wouldn't have been emulated.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

I can see that. Still, I have yet to understand how, since in Europe quality of products is essential, the good kind of American beef wouldn't have been emulated.


I am not sure - I think that it is a matter of taste. I prefer grass fed beef, and that is pretty rare in the US, and not the common preference. I think that the best european beef is grass fed, and the best american beef is corn fed, and each is different and has its own fans.

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

I am not sure - I think that it is a matter of taste. I prefer grass fed beef, and that is pretty rare in the US, and not the common preference. I think that the best european beef is grass fed, and the best american beef is corn fed, and each is different and has its own fans.

That's true, the feed has an impact and, depending on the cut of beef (and we know they often don't compare), the taste can be vastly different in Europe, in a good way. Truly, I don't eat much steak, and beef in sauces don't allow you to evaluate properly, so my opinion is very limited.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

That's true, the feed has an impact and, depending on the cut of beef (and we know they often don't compare), the taste can be vastly different in Europe, in a good way. Truly, I don't eat much steak, and beef in sauces don't allow you to evaluate properly, so my opinion is very limited.


I don't eat steak that often my self, but I find that I prefer italian steak to american - smaller, a little less soft, and a little less marbled.

 

[Fabienne]

I was making a Belgian carbonade, a couple of weeks ago, and after sauteeing the beef cubes, I was left with maybe a third of the meat volume and lots of liquid. Supermarket bought. Hormones?

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

That's true, the feed has an impact and, depending on the cut of beef (and we know they often don't compare), the taste can be vastly different in Europe, in a good way. Truly, I don't eat much steak, and beef in sauces don't allow you to evaluate properly, so my opinion is very limited.

Well, another issue is what the meat is raised for. American beef is raised to be eaten as steak first. French beef is used more commonly in stew. For a stewing cut you would want something a bit tougher and more flavorful so that the gelatin and extra flavor can enhance the sauce. For steak, you want something as tender as possible since it is not going to be cooked for a long time, rather just seared. I remember reading an interview with the famous Chef Joel Robuchon, and he said that the thing he always wants when he visits the US is a great steak.

One year, a couple of teenagers from the village my mother lives in in Franc came and stayed with us for a couple of weeks during the summer. They were shocked to find out that we actually eat corn, and consider it to be one of the real summer delacacies. One of the kids brought home corn seeds to plant back in France, and her family still laughs about it. They just do not see corn as fit for human consumption.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

I was making a Belgian carbonade, a couple of weeks ago, and after sauteeing the beef cubes, I was left with maybe a third of the meat volume and lots of liquid. Supermarket bought. Hormones?


I don't know if this is hormones, but I understand that meat, when packaged, can be injected with a certain amount of water. since it is legal to inject a certain amount, everybody does it (except for the really high quality ones that are significantly higher prices) to have a level playing field in terms of weight of the meat. so you need to expect some water in your meat.

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Well, another issue is what the meat is raised for. American beef is raised to be eaten as steak first. French beef is used more commonly in stew. For a stewing cut you would want something a bit tougher and more flavorful so that the gelatin and extra flavor can enhance the sauce. For steak, you want something as tender as possible since it is not going to be cooked for a long time, rather just seared. I remember reading an interview with the famous Chef Joel Robuchon, and he said that the thing he always wants when he visits the US is a great steak.

One year, a couple of teenagers from the village my mother lives in in Franc came and stayed with us for a couple of weeks during the summer. They were shocked to find out that we actually eat corn, and consider it to be one of the real summer delacacies. One of the kids brought home corn seeds to plant back in France, and her family still laughs about it. They just do not see corn as fit for human consumption.

Well, yes, Europeans who come to visit always want to have steak, that's the one thing they really enjoy. As for the corn story, it must have happened many years ago. Nowadays, the perception is no longer the same. We can purchase cans of "GÃ

ant vert".

Now, catfish...

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

Well, yes, Europeans who come to visit always want to have steak, that's the one thing they really enjoy. As for the corn story, it must have happened many years ago. Nowadays, the perception is no longer the same. We can purchase cans of "GÃ

ant vert".

Now, catfish...
It was actually only a few years ago. Perhaps it was corn-on-the-cob that they had never eaten. I have a dear friend who is 82 years old and refuses to eat catfish. She always says that things never got that bad for her family during the depression. She actually gets quite indignant about it.

 

[Fabienne]

Yes, corn on the cob is harder to get. Although, my cousin emailed a week ago, saying she'd barbecued at my uncle's house, and on the menu was corn on the cob. I left her all kinds of packages of "exotic" American seeds to plant in her new garden when I went to France in April.