Science Meets Taste
The days of giant porterhouse steaks filling a plate are gone. Consumers want a smaller, leaner cut of meat. Ranchers are obliging by experimenting with cattle breeds, different feeds and new technology.
By Jen Gerson, Calgary Herald August 8, 2010 Wearing a wide-rimmed western hat and matching boots, Fred Taylor leans back and watches customers paw through plastic-wrapped trays of blood-red sirloin, flank, rib-eye and tenderloin.
He doesn't stand too close, mind you, as it might hinder the glorious purchase of meat. But he enjoys watching.
"Most people, they sort through like that," he said, chuckling. "They don't even know what they're looking for."
Taylor is a meat grader. For him, a piece of raw beef is almost sacrosanct -- the product of years of improving technology and delicate breeding programs fine-tuned to increase fat distribution and perfect rib size.
The result, lost on the oblivious masses sorting through refrigerated Styro foam, is that steak has been steadily improving in Canada.
Almost 15 years ago, during the best time of year, only about a third of the beef produced could meet a AAA standard, one of the highest awarded to meat.
Now, packing houses can see up to 70 per cent of meat score the coveted grade.
The standard has improved so significantly that ordinary stores are now selling even Prime beef, the grade that trumps AAA.
The beef is so heavily marbled that Taylor
questions whether it should be offered in stores, rather than high-end restaurants exclusively.
"It takes a consumer only 30 seconds to ruin two years of a farmer's work," he said. And most people would be unable to tell the difference.
Taylor devotes part of his time to teaching shoppers how to spot a Prime, AAA and the lesser grades of AA or, god forbid, A beef.
Building that better steak starts on the cutting floor.
Taken at about 16 months old when their flesh is still tender and their bodies are the right size to yield a 10-pound sirloin flank for under $100, the cows are led to the slaughterhouse where they are killed and strung.
Taylor's job begins here, when a meat saw cleaves the cadaver between the 12th and 13th ribs.
First, he checks the colour. It must be bright red; neither purple nor dark. Such aberrations could indicate a distressed cow. One in heat perhaps, or a creature startled by a sudden hailstorm.
Taylor grades the distribution of the fat. Called marbling, the white curds must be small and scattered throughout fine muscle. The further down the rib, the thicker the fat becomes, until it grows into a web-like connective tissue that will make the steak more difficult to eat.
A well-marbled cut of meat will lead to a tastier, juicier steak. The marbling also determines the grade; a raw prime steak has noticeably more flecks of fat than AAA.
Taylor also checks the colour of the fat. It should be white and firm, indicating the animal had been fed a grain like barley. There's nothing wrong with a corn-fed cow per se, he said. But the carotene in that plant tends to turn the fat into a less palatable mushy yellow. White fat looks better on the tray.
The last 180 days of a cow's life will be spent at a feedlot where they are fattened with grain.
In recent years, health-conscious consumers have called for more grass-fed beef, believing it to be more natural.
Greg Keller, manager and part owner of the Bon Ton Meat Market, said the exultation of grass-fed cattle is unfounded.
"Cattle in every different region are fed whatever there's an abundance of. In Alberta, barley is what we have and we have to finish them with grain because that's what gives it the marbling," he said.
"Nothing is cleaner than grain. There's a bit of a stigma with it, but there's nothing to worry about."
Whether the flesh is finely marbled is a matter of feed, luck and genetics.
That's why farmers experiment with various cattle breeds, favouring those with a good yield and a high-quality carcass.
Like trends in skirt lines, breeds have become de rigueur at high-end restaurants and among backyard barbecue jocks. In the past, larger, continental cattle were popular for their plate-crunching steak sizes.
Now, educated tasters tend toward the smaller, more flavourful British stock, like Black Angus.
But at this year's Calgary Stampede Quality Beef Competition, the carcass of a modest Canadian crossbreed called the Speckle Park took top prize.
"There are good and bad points with the Black Angus. I think we've taken the Black Angus and improved on it," said Ken Malterer, a cattle rancher near Ponoka who raises Speckle Park.
He uses a computer program called HerdMaster to track his beef.
"It's amazing what they can do now," he said. "You could see how patterns of different bloodlines created better carcasses."
Farmers track an animal using a tag on its ear that will yield information on its parentage.
"What we found out is that if you take the poor ones out, the ones that don't grade, that are not the right size or have too much back fat, and you eliminated them from the herd, then you'll bring up the quality of your herd."
Technology has allowed him to shape breeds to customer tastes.
"Now our markets have changed. They're going to smaller animals with a little more compact marbling. The consumer demand is for a smaller steak. We don't want a big steak that goes over the side of the plate anymore."
Satoru Kogo, head chef at Chicago Chophouse in Calgary, agrees that tastes are changing as beef-eaters become more educated about their meat.
"People are starting to understand about the whole marbling situation. Before, everybody was saying that fat was disgusting and not healthy," he said. "I'm surprised. Some of the guests that we get know more about meat than I do.
"They know about meats available in New Zealand or Japan. They've read about Kobe beef and are curious about what they can get."
Kobe, a breed of cow native to Japan, is known for its pale colour, rich flavour and high fat content. It doesn't taste like steak, Kogo says.
"It melts in your mouth, just like chocolate," he says. But the pricey meat doesn't have the traditional feel of a piece of steak, which is why so few restaurants carry it.
"It's turned into such a delicacy. Most people prefer red meat."
Taylor has little patience for Japanese steak. It's a niche product. He would rather see the vibrant red of a quality Albertan cow.
He has one other tip: "Don't overcook it."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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