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.

Argentina’s Relationship with the Parilla

The Argentine asado is something so fundamental to Argentine Culture it should have its own place on the Bandera Nacional (National Flag).

This blog is going to be all about Argentine beef and how this important food has united Argentine families, friends, acquaintances, strangers and enemies for centuries. It is something much more important than just a meal. Going from cow to carniceria (butcher) to parrilla (grill) to dinner table and finally to your stomach, this process happens everyday, everywhere here in this large, diverse country.

This is the official first blog post, so it is going to focus on asado. Why? Because this mix of really good meat is regularly served for celebrations here in Argentina. So, with that…may this blog be a resource for everyone and anyone interested in this tasty topic – SALUD!

What exactly is Asado in Argentina?

A typical asado is a smorgasbord of bife de chorizo (sirloin strip steak), bife de lomo (beef tenderloin), entrana (skirt steak), tira de asado (short ribs), ojo de bife (rib eye), vacio (flank steak), plus chorizo (pork sausage) and morcilla (blood sausage).

If this sounds like a lot for one meal, that’s because it is.

The only way to cook this meat is on a parrilla, or grill in English. However, this is no ordinary grill. An Argentine will tell you that if you don’t have a parrilla in your house, then, it can’t really be called a home. Fittingly, houses, apartments, public spaces and even office buildings have them.

It is tradition that the men gather around the parrilla during the asado. However, while many may gather around the parrilla, there can only be true asador (grillmaster)! This special individual is the master of ceremonies for the social event. He controls the heat of the parrilla, how long each cut is cooked for on each side and when it’s time to take everything off the grill and put it onto the table.

It is the people, however, that participate in the asado that really make this the meaningful cultural experience that is.  Many Argentine’s trace their ancestry back to Europe, especially Italy, and it is clear that the mother country has had a big influence on how people interact with one another. People are very family oriented… and what better way to get family together than grill a whole lot of meat on a sunny Sunday afternoon?

This first blog post is coming to an end. All of the topics mentioned above, as well as many more, will be elaborated on – even analyzed in future posts.  There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to Argentine meat.