How Do You Like Your Beef: The Flank

Today’s primal cut of conversation is the flank. The flank can be found below the loin. and is the abdominal muscle of the animal. In the United States, this cut is regularly marinated prior to cook because it it a tougher, but flavorful primal cut. It is regularly grilled, but can also be braised or cooked using moist heat.

The flank is the only primal cut in the entire animal that  is an entire muscle.  Flank steak fibers run across the entire length of the cut and is regularly cut against the grain to maximize tenderness. There are other ways that people tend to tenderize this cut of beef. Along with marinating, the cut can be butterflied, a cutting term where the cut is directly cut in half through the middle, as well as pounded.

There are no bones in this primal cut, which lends itself to some of Argentina’s favorite dishes.

Here in Argentina, flank steak is known as vacio and is regularly served in Argentina asados.  The vacio is cut by butchers here in Argentina with the thin layer of fat on the outside. The asador, or master grill man, will place vacio fat side down. With all those nice coals beneath it, the layer of fat becomes crispy  and the meat inside soaks up all this juice and flavor, making it extra delicious.

Vacio can be eaten by itself, but is also a favorite for what many Argentines call vaciopan. With vacio meaning flank, and pan meaning bread, it is pretty easy to put the two together. Vaciopan is a big fat steak sandwich. These bad boys can be eaten by themselves, but they are also regularly given a nice spoonful of chimichurri, lettuce and tomato. This is as close to a salad as you’re going to get when eating meat in Argentina.

 

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Rib

The rib is a primal cut that’s ever present for both the Argentine and American diet. Today were going to drill down into this primal cut and discover why it’s such a staple for the traditional Argentine Asado here in Argentina.

The rib primal cut, as many would imagine, is exactly where you’re going to find your ribs. There are 13 pairs of ribs, however, only ribs six through 12 belong to the rib primal. In the United States, this cut includes parts of the short rib and prime rib. These cuts are favorites for many barbecues, and can be cooked in a variety of ways because of how tender this meat is. One of the most popular in the United States is using dry heat, creating that smokey, barbecue tastes. Along with this, cuts include back ribs, standing rib roast, ribeye steak and ribeye primal. The cuts are tender, and have additional added flavor of being cooked with the bone.

Down here in Argentina, the rib is worshiped as one of the most important primal cuts in the animal. This is because from this primal cut comes two very important cuts for the typical Argentine Asado… the actual cut, asado, as well as tira de asado.

 

Asado and tira de asado are like big brother and little brother for any Argentine barbecue extravaganza. They are big, thick and meaty cuts that are left to soak up heat from hot embers on the parrilla. Asado means rack of ribs, while tira de asado would be the short ribs for cuts in United States.

Just like in the United States, the presentation for these ribs here in Argentina is sacred for any Argentine barbecue. Asado and tira de asado can be purchased as cuts at grocery stores and butchers. They are layed on the parrilla like a carpet and left to cook. On any Argentine grill, this cut is immediately recognizable.

 

Tira de asado and asado are cooked in this way for multiple reasons. By not cutting the ribs individually, the cut maintains juiciness and moisture and cooks together as an entire rack of ribs. As the embers heat this carpet of meat, the bones and bone marrow give the cut that extra taste and flavor.

When making your guest list for your asado party, the cuts tira de asado and asado must be on the VIP list. These cuts of meat are imperative parts of the Argentine culture, not to mention that they are extra tasty!

 

 

 

The Rituals of Asado, Part 1: The Picada

One of the things that you will never get on any parrilla tour in Buenos Aires is an experience or even a close up look at how real Argentines actually do asado. At a parrilla restaurant (best translation would be steakhouse, but this is actually a totally different concept), you will see an asador (grillman) or group of asadores tending to the parrilla. On the parrilla you will find any number of cuts of beef, pork and chicken, roasting nicely over a bed of hot coals.

But what won’t happen when you walk in the door, is the critical first step in what is a traditional Argentine asado, which is the picada. The picada (which comes from the word picar in Spanish which means “to bite”… so these are little bites) usually comes on a nice wooden platter, campo style (countryside) and is full of meats and cheeses otherwise referred to as fiambres (cold cuts or deli meats). Usually the picada will have ham in many forms: traditional ham, prosciutto ham, salami and perhaps other choices, but basically never turkey or chicken. Turkey in fact, is desperately difficult to find in Argentina 😦

Interlaced with the fabulous cuts of ham and salami are various cheeses, usually stemming from Italian origin: reggianito, romanito, fontina, sardo (which actually takes its name from the island of Sardenia in Italy) and the one outlier of the group that is supremely overrepresented in Argentina and underrepresented in the USA, roquefort. Along with this bounty of meats and cheeses usually comes sliced baguette, chips and or/peanuts.

This step is NEVER observed at a parrilla restaurant. You can order one of these if you must, but having an asado at someone’s house requires this. Also involved in the first step is some Argentine malbec or Fernet, the national drink of Argentina.

Step 2 of the Rituals of Asado to come in our next installment.

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Plate

The plate, or pechito, as it is referred to here in Argentina, is a primal cut that can at times, be grouped together with the brisket and the flank primal cuts. We’re separating them today to be able to go into more detail on the sub-primal cuts that this cut contains.

The plate is located just below the ribs of the steer and is a flavorful cut. It is regularly more inexpensive than primal cuts such as the sirloin and the ribs, but as you’ll see, this cut is used regularly in the United States as well as here in Argentina.

Subprimal Cuts:

Ribs:

Plate Short Ribs are a common cut that comes from this subprimal cut. The plate includes the sixth to the twelfth ribs of the animal. This cut  typically only includes the flat ends of the sixth through the ninth ribs and are a few inches long. These ribs are chosen rather than the  tenth through the twelfth because they tend to have less fat. They can be cut with or without bone. In Argentina, the entire ribs are cut from the animal and used for asado. The ribs would simply be placed over an open grill or parrilla and carefully watched.

Beef Plate:

Skirt Steak have become increasingly popular because they have more marbling than flank steaks. All this marbling makes this boneless subprimal cut more flavorful. The Skirt Steak is also known as Outside Skirt Steak, Inside Skirt Steak and Philadelphia Skirt Steak in the United States. Here in Argentina, it is appropriately called Falda, meaning skirt in Spanish, as well as Tapa de Asado. This is a regular subprimal cut that can be found everywhere here in Argetina and is an important cut of beef for asados. We’ll elaborate on asado, and the typical Argentine beef used for these social events, more in the future.

The Hanger Steak is a large muscle that hangs between the loin and the last rib of the steer. It is also known today as Hanging Loin, because of how close it is to the loin primal cut. It is known for its flavor, and in the past it was called Butcher’s steak because butchers would keep this cut of meet for themselves rather than sell it.  It is a very tender subprimal cut and is much more popular in Mexico for fajitas and Europe than in the US.

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Shanks

Continuing with our series of different primal cuts, today we are focusing on beef shanks, or osobuco as it is called here in Argentina.

Cow shank is the leg portion of the steer. And can be found on the front and hind legs of the animal. This muscle does a lot of work over the steer’s lifetime, making it extremely tough, sinewy and full of connective tissue.  It is commonly used in ground beef and outside of the United States and Argentina, it is called gravy  beef in Australia and stew beef in Great Britain.

The names that certain states give to this primal cut says it all, including Argentina! This primal cut is regularly used in stews because the connective tissue in the meat turns into gelatin when cooked slowly, making it extremely flavorful and more tender.  Beef shanks are extremely lean, making it perfect for low-fat ground beefs. Along with these, the primal cut is ideal for making the french dish, beef bourguignon, and the Italian dish, osso buco.

So why does Argentina call this primal cut of meat osobuco, the name of a famous and luxurious dish in Italy? The name has everything to do with Argentina’s history and serious italian heritage.

Up to 24 million Argentines today have some percentage of Italian descent. That is a big number for a country of 42 million people. The major wave of immigration to Argentina happened between 1880 – 1920. In 1914 alone, 25% of the population in Buenos Aires was made up of Italian immigrants.

Statistics like these make sense today. It is clear here in Buenos Aires that Italy has influenced this population. From the porteno accent, family customs, hand gestures and food, the Argentine culture definitely has a little Italian in it.

With all that, it makes sense that Argentina would adopt the name of this famous Italian dish, osso buco, and call it osobuco. It is a result of Italian emigration and and love for all things italian here. Just like in Europe and the US, this meat is regularly slow cooked here in Argentina or used as for stews, called guiso.

 

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Chuck

Today’s primal cut in question is the chuck, or chingolo as it is called here in Argentina. The easiest way to think about this large primal cut that sits above the rib and includes the animal’s shoulder. This cut is where the shoulder, a very large muscle, and multiple other muscles that do a large amount of work over the animal’s life time intersect.

We know what this means! The more work a muscle does, the less tender it becomes. That means the chuck, or chingolo, is a much tougher cut, with the grain of the cut switching multiple times in a single cut. So we admit that the chuck is not a tender part of the animal, but does that mean that we cast it off as not being a relevant cut? Not at all!

While the chuck does have a lot of connective tissue, it is also known for being a very flavorful part of beef. The subprimal cuts of this primal cut include, cross rib pot roast,  chuck short ribs, stew meat, ground chuck and flat-iron steak.

 

All of these subprimal cuts as well as primal cuts tend to be less expensive cuts than cuts from the loin, for example. And despite being less expensive, they are delicious.The most important thing with this cut of beef is that you know how to cook it correctly.

Up north this means low moist heat, stewing, braising, proper grilling or frying. With a parrilla here in Argentina, it is much different. As the wood or coals used for asados tend to be dry, this cut of meat is regularly reserved, like brisket, for stews such as locro.

It’s clear that cooking methods over the years have had a big impact on how a culture cooks their meat. With Argentina primarily focusing on grilling with the parrilla, certain cuts of meat that are used regularly in the United States for barbecue or pot roast are overlooked here.

Instead, Argentina focuses on the cuts of meat and sweet breads of the cow that can be plopped down on a hot grill.

 

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Brisket

The brisket, or pecho, as it is called here in Argentina, is located where the breast of the cow is,  directly below the head.

This cut of meat is known to be especially tough, with a lot of connective tissue, however with a little bit of tender loving and slow cooking expertise, this cut can be especially delicious.

There is a reason why this cut of the beef tends to have tougher characteristics.  Let’s remember that the more work that  a muscle does for a cow, the less tender the meat will be due to build up of connective tissue. The chest of the cow supports 60% of the cows weight while standing or walking.

With so much connective tissue, you have to know how to cook this type of cut of meat. An inexperienced asador (grill master) will be left with an extremely tough piece of meat if this cut is cooked to quickly. This is because all of the connective tissue is made up of collagen fibers that  need time to change into gelatin within the meat. If the meat is cooked to quickly, this process doesn’t happen. But if the meat has a longer time to cook, on lower heat, the gelatanized collagen fibers distribute through the cut and create a more tender brisket. This gelatin is helped by a layer of fat that sits atop the meat, which helps the meat from drying during this process.

The pecho of the cow, or brisket, is not commonly used in many dishes here in Argentina. As a tougher cut of beef, it tends to be reserved for common stews, such as locro. This national dish of Argentina is extremely common outside of Buenos Aires.

So why don’t  Argentinians do what people do up north in the United States and slow cook this cut of meat until it is juicy soft, add some barbecue sauce and dive in? Simply put, it is because this isn’t what Argentina does when it comes to meat. Argentinians believe meat doesn’t need barbecue sauce or fancy marinades. When it comes to most foods here in this country, simple is better. Prior to putting meat on the grill, the asador will usually only sprinkle salt on the meat for flavor. For the asador, this is all that is needed to give the meat that flavor that has been uniting Argentines together for centuries. Go meat, keep it up!

 

 

How Do You Like Your Beef? The Loin

Continuing with our series on different primal cuts of beef. We are going to start with the loin. This primal cut,  is a favorite for Portenos and can be found on top of the cow behind the ribs.

The loin is a very tender cut of beef and has little marbling of fat. This is due to the fact that this muscle does little work and has little connective tissue, making it a savory choice for meat lovers. With so much tenderness, sub primal cuts of the loin tend to be more expensive than other cuts of beef.

Let’s get into these different and delicious cuts of beef. If you were to have an entire loin in front of you, you could take a large butcher knife and cut it into three parts. When you do this, you end up with the short loin, the half closer to the ribs, and the sirloin, the half closer to the cows rear. The short loin usually has more tender cuts than the sirloin. In between these two cuts following the spine runs approximately 6 pounds of tenderloin. This muscle is used only to tilt the pelvis of the cow. The muscle is not regularly exercised. This means this meat, surrounded by fat, has some of the most prized cuts.

The short loin gives you a couple different common cuts that will sound familiar to all of you. The t-bone steak or porter house , strip steak, and filet are all different cuts that come from this tasty section of 100% cow.

The sirloin area also has some common cuts, including the sirloin steak, ball tip steak and tri-tip steak. Many of these names can be confusing as different regions use different names for different cuts.

Sirloin Steak

Finally we have the tenderloin. Sub primal cuts of this part of the cow include filet mignon and roast tenderloin.

Filet Mignon

Next week we’ll be tackling the round and ribs! 

How Do You Like Your Beef?

There is a lot to talk about in terms of cow anatomy. Different cuts of beef have different flavors, textures, cooking methods…the list goes on. Many people go through life not knowing why they prefer one cut of beef over the other, or worse – they miss out on  AMAZING cuts because they are too afraid to ask for something different at the butcher.

Not us! That’s not how it works here in Argentina. Knowledge is power. In this case, knowledge leads to especially tasty type of power. This article is going to make grilling experience that much more meaningful. It will make each bite of steak you have that much juicier. It will change your relationship with your friendly neighborhood butcher and you will sound like an Argentine gaucho at the supermarket. The list of benefits goes on and o.

The following blogs are going to tackle each part of cow anatomy. This first post is going to be all about steaks.

We say the word “steak” all the time to refer to beef, but do we really know what that means? Steak is generally known as a fast-cooking cut of beef.  This is because these cuts are low in connective tissues and require less amount of cooking time. You wouldn’t cook a brisket like you would a strip steak, for example. That would be a sin.

Strip Steak

Two other big characteristics of your beef cuts to take into account are the flavor and tenderness. Tenderness is inversely related to the amount of work that muscle did over a cows life. Cuts such as filet mignon, which comes from the tenderloin, are extremely tender because cows don’t regularly do tenderloin workouts.

Filet Mignon

However, more tenderness does not mean more flavor. This characteristic of the beef is determined by the how much fat a cow has surrounding the muscle. This is why cuts such as rib eye, a highly marbled piece of meat, give you that kick of flavor. It is also why many cooks prefer to cook with butter with cuts that do not have a lot of fat, such as the filet mignon and strip steak.

Keeping these things in mind, the following posts are going to go through cut by cut, dropping tasty knowledge for all of you to appreciate and enjoy. You’ll never look at your favorite cut of steak the same way again!

Steak in Argentina: A History

If Argentina was a monarchy, steak would be king. This post is going to look back on the history of beef and this important industry in Argentina.

Argentina’s relationship with beef began hundreds of years ago with the conquistadors. During the 1500s, these Spanish explorers with questionable morals brought cattle to the new world. While the conquistadors had problems adjusting to the new world, and the indigenous population had an even harder time adjusting to the conquistadors, cattle’s transition to the region was smooth sailing.

The Pampas region of south america is located in today’s central Argentina as well as southern Brazil and all of Uruguay.  This lowland region covers some 750,000 KM . The climate is mild, precipitation is evenly divided through the year, and the soil is fertile. Wildfires in this area ensure that vegetation primarily consists of grasses and small plants.

I just described every cow’s dream.

With this easy living, the cattle population took off over the next couple centuries. During this time, South America’s immigrant population was making leaps and bounds as well.

Gauchos are the original cowboys of the Americas. They were known for being proud, fair, quite and powerful. A gaucho’s horse was seen as a natural extension of the Gaucho, like an arm or leg. Naturally, these burly, masculine men on horseback ate almost entirely one food group for their diet – beef. Herding was a necessity for the gaucho culture to survive.

While all of this was going on in the Pampas, things were happening in the capitals city of Buenos Aires. What had began as a an outpost for the Spanish throne had transformed into a thriving urban sprawl of commerce and culture. Industry had taken off. With this burst in economic growth, Argentina became connected by railroad.

People could now effectively travel from the capital to other parts of the country – and so could livestock. The cattle industry was fundamental for Argentina’s citizens to prosper. All of that cattle in the Pampas and other regions of Argentina could now be herded to depots throughout the country, put onto train cars, and sent to feed the hungry bellies of millions in the capital city.

It is this reason that beef plays such a large role in Argentine culture as well as Argentina’s diet today. Anyone who visits this crazy city will tell you, it is hard to not find a restaurant selling red meat with red meat on the menu.