Steak: Do you really know what your eating?

I have been on a steak kick lately. Obsessed with everything that makes a great steak great. I came across an article on asiaone.com.sg titled "Know Your Steak". While the article had good intentions, the author failed to mention a few key points as well as make a few false statements.

First, on the topic of ageing beef. Beef can either be "dry" aged or "wet" aged. When an animal is butchered it benefits from hanging in a cold room for up to a month or more. This process known as dry ageing, tenderizes the meat, breaking down protein strands and enhancing texture and flavor. Moisture loss is also a factor in defining the beefy flavor which may result in the cut losing up to 40% of its original weight thus increasing the price dramaticly. This method is rarely used in the commercial and retail environments anymore. Partly because of the cost to produce and secondly, because dry ageing really only benefits the best animals graded USDA prime and choice in America.

The term "aged" can also be applied to wet aged beef which is a process of sealing the meat in a vacuum bag, thus eliminating all air. The same enzymatic process occurs during this ageing as well, tenderizing the meat, flavor however is not improved because there is no moisture lost in the process. This is how most steaks are aged, even the ones at Morton's. Famous steak houses like Peter Lugar's in New York, PrimeHouse in Chicago and Berns's in Tampa still dry age thier meat the old fashioned way.

The second misnomer I would like to dispel is that of the "searing" process. The author says that searing a steak will lock in the moisture of the meat which is false. Searing promotes what is called the "Maillard Reaction" or in laymans terms, the beautiful crust, which is basically enhancing the flavor on the surface of the meat by browning all those good bits.

We have experimented recently with dry ageing here at the restaurant and have had very favorable results. In fact I still have a few dry aged steaks left for anyone reading who wants a taste before they all disappear. The ageing produced a highly nuanced piece of beef with great tenderness and texture. We will be bringing you more dry aged meat in the coming weeks and months and hope to start the first meat dry ageing program in Singapore.

If you would like to know more about the subject of meat, please go and pick up "The River Cottage Meat Book" by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. It is without question the quitessential text on all things bovine. Till next time.