Book Review: Steak by Mark Schatzker
Introduction
This is the first book that Mark Schatzker wrote (I have read all 3- you could say I'm a fan). It was more of a “fun” read and was pretty interesting. Essentially Mark traveled around the world looking for the best steak that he could find. Although everyone's taste preferences are different, it is clear that good steaks generally have stuff in common.
Thoughts/Takeaways
There are 1000s of different breeds of cattle in the world, and they all have slightly different tastes and textures
Grass Finished beef has a much stronger flavor (more beefy) than grain fed and would be considered superior in taste (and also nutrition haha)
Grain finishing cattle is much cheaper and easier for the producer, and they are becoming more common (even in places like Argentina which are known for grass finished).
No one really knows where the flavor in beef really comes from, the best guess is it comes from the soil that the cattle graze on. It could also be from the grass, or the omega 3/6 ratio
Most grain finished beef in the United States is the same and probably owned by the same major cooperation. It does taste consistent, but also it has no flavor.
Beef like Kobe (Wagyu) are graded from A3-A5, and do melt right in your mouth, however they do have less flavor than grass finished beef (however much nicer texture).
Cattle just like chicken and pork over the past 200 years has been raised to get as big as possible as fast as possible to be as profitable as possible. The beef with the most texture is generally older when butchered (30+ months) and the average feedlot cattle is 12-14 months). Being older provides more flavor.
Conclusion
Mark Schatzker’s other books had more food and nutrition implications than this book. However, I did learn a lot about cattle production and the thoughts behind what makes beef taste good. Just like with anything, there are no shortcuts and I would argue that grain finishing beef is a shortcut to producing high quality beef (hence why it’s bland). https://amzn.to/3zQ0tzW
Cover of Steak by Mark Schatzker