Marbled beef has long become almost synonymous with luxury and equates to dishes such as caviar and truffles. But what is its peculiarity? Why is beef with fat so expensive and so appreciated all over the world?
Where does marble beef come from?
There are several breeds of cows in which muscle marbling is genetically incorporated. This includes the Wagyu and Angus cows. Beef cannot be called marbled if it is not one of those breeds of cows that are classified as marbled. That is, if you see a steak with a lot of greasy threads in a supermarket, it does not mean that it is marbled beef. Steaks made from this sumptuous meat are not easy to find. And they are not cheap.
By the way, many people think that for marbling, cows are forced to eat constantly, as, for example, happens with geese for foie gras. However, cows have a fatty structure of meat not at all because they do not move, it is their innate feature of muscles. Moreover, it is believed that these cows should be free from any stress from birth to slaughter. After all, cortisol has a bad effect on the taste of meat. Therefore, many producers of marbled beef create conditions so comfortable for cows that they can hardly be envied.
Why is marble meat so appreciated?
Since the marbling is, in fact, the fat inside the meat, the piece will always be juicy. Marbling maintains moisture during cooking, so natural juices do not evaporate in the pan. It is a large number of fatty threads that is the greatest value of meat. Indeed, in a regular steak, this fat is on the side and usually in a large piece. But marbled beef is covered with thin fatty threads along with the entire muscle. Accordingly, every millimeter of meat will be moist, it will almost dissolve on your tongue. The only caveat is that you need to know how to prepare such a delicacy. If you overcook it, you just get a piece of tough and inedible product, because all the fat will flow out and leave the fibers dry.
How to prepare marble steak?
- Take out the piece 20-30 minutes before you start cooking it. If the meat is cold, the cooking time and taste will be very different;
- Season with salt and seasoning just before cooking. Keep the steak salted for no more than 3 minutes. Place it in a very preheated skillet immediately afterward;
- For medium-rare, cook the steak at a temperature of 45-50 °C (provided that the thickness of the piece is 2 to 3 cm), turning it over on each side after 1.5-2 minutes;
- Since the steak has a lot of fat, you don’t need to add extra oil. However, you can add a lump of butter at the end of cooking for flavor. And if you like crust, then turn up the heat under the pan and fry the steak in oil for 10 seconds until golden brown;
- Further — a very important stage, you need to give the steak rest. If you cut it at once, all the juice will flow out. Give it at least 5 minutes to fix the moisture in the fibers. And then you can cut it.
In marble steaks, the most important thing is not to be mistaken with the choice of meat. After all, the delicacy has become so popular that there are enough unscrupulous producers who sell ordinary beef with fat at the price of marbled beef. Therefore, choose a piece carefully to fully enjoy one of the most expensive types of meat.
By the way, in our stores, you can buy such steaks as Ribeye, Tibon, and Cowboy. Each of them is the best sample of Ukrainian marbled beef, which we purchase for real gourmets of the capital. You can buy them in all our branded stores.
