Hello everyone, I am Li Yajuan, is the market and sales director of China region, Australia's largest mutton producer and the fourth largest beef producer. He has 10 years of experience in the imported meat supply chain.
Today, I will teach you how to choose a steak that suits you and help you become a smart consumer.
I will share it from the perspectives of cattle source, cattle breed, cattle age, feeding method, snowflake level, and beef area.
Finally, beef cooking tips will be attached.
Generally, beef in the "cold temperature" area has a firmer meat and a fuller and richer gravy.
For example: Southern Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Russia, Ireland and other countries.
But the beef in the "hot temperature" area has a relatively old meat and the gravy is not that sufficient.
For example: Beef imported from northern Australia and various countries in South America will be worse in meat than imported from colder areas.
From the perspective of cattle breeds, it is roughly divided into four categories: wagyu, Angus cattle, ordinary flat-back cattle, and numb cattle.
Wagyu: is huge in size, black in whole body, soft and tender in flesh, rich in snowflakes.
Most of the Wagyu beef we eat in China mainly comes from Australia because our country does not allow Japanese Wagyu beef to be imported.
Angus cow: is black all over, just like Wagyu, but it is smaller in size than Wagyu, with a flat back and cold-resistant.
Angus cattle and the ordinary flat-back cattle below are mainly produced in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Ireland.
Ordinary flat-back cattle: includes Hyford, Charlotte, Limuzan and other varieties. This type of cattle species is similar to that of Angus cattle, but the color of ordinary flat-back cattle is brown-yellow and is also cold-resistant.
Tumor cattle: includes Brahman cattle, Bremont Red Bull, drought-resistant king cattle and other varieties. This cattle is heat-resistant. There is a bulging hump on the back, so it is collectively called a bulb.
tumor cattle mainly come from India and Brazil and other countries.
Combined with wagyu breeds, you will find that Angus cattle originating from colder areas such as Australia, the United States, and Canada, it makes sense that it is highly concerned. Beefs of
0-36 months old have the best meat quality.
calf growth cycle chart
After birth, calves will eat breast milk for 8 months, and then start to feed with breast milk and forage until all of them are fed in the end.
When the cattle are only about 18-25 months old, it is necessary to decide whether these cattle are placed in the fattening farm for grain feeding, or continue to feed grass, or choose some cows to breed the population (bringing babies and breastfeeding).
Generally, cattle will be slaughtered when they reach 30-36 months of age.
And those cows sent to breastfeed and give birth will also be eliminated after they are over 40 months old.
These beefs are not suitable for end consumers to purchase, so they are often sent to the processing factory for secondary processing.
cattle feeding methods are divided into two types: grass feed and cereal feed .
grass feed, means that the cow only eats grass or forage throughout his life.
cereal feeding, means that cattle start feeding with oats, barley, corn and other grains around 18-25 months, and no longer feeding with grass or forage.
cucumber feeding days are 100 days, 120 days, 150 days, 200 days, 270 days and more than 300 days respectively.
The longer the grain feeding days, the more expensive the beef is, because raising grains requires extra money to buy. How do we choose the feeding method?
For ordinary consumers, if you eat it, choose grass-fed beef products, and if you want to stew it, choose all grain-fed beef products.
The three most important countries that supply cereal-fed beef are: Australia, the United States and Canada.
The grains fed by these three countries are slightly different. Australia mainly uses oats, the United States mainly uses corn, and Canada mainly uses barley.
Personally, I think that beef raised with corn will be sweeter, but overall, the difference is not big.
From the supply chain point of view, the supply of Australian beef is relatively stable and the supply volume is also large, so the price will be cheaper.
What impact will the texture of beef have on the taste and taste of beef? What level of beef is good beef?
These must be judged from the color.
The above picture shows the darkest color at each level, and is for reference only. Not true color standard.
ripe beef, the color is normal around No. 3.
The color of fat can be distinguished from feeding methods. The whiter fat is grain-fed cattle, and the yellower fat is grass-fed cattle.
Then, take a look at the snowflake distribution. Snowflakes refer to the intermuscular fat of beef, and the professional name is: Marbling (marble).
Because it looks like falling snowflakes, it is called snowflakes or frost drops more vividly. The more snowflakes, the more expensive beef.
For health, you can eat more lean meat on a daily basis. If you want to eat it, you can satisfy your satisfaction by choosing m0-m3.
m3-m6 is a light luxury grade, and it is not a large number and is usually available in high-end catering. The m7-m9 level is also relatively scarce, and most of it is still used in high-end catering.
Beef is roughly divided into three parts: Beef front beef, beef back beef and beef middle beef .
Front meat: more tender, suitable for roasting, roasting and shabu.
The back meat: tougher, suitable for sauce, braised and roasted, that is, making beef jerky.
Central meat: suitable for stewing.
Let’s get to know each other:
front meat
front meat is divided into two parts: shoulder blades and spine.
Part 1: scapular part
The brain, plate tendon, tender shoulder and perpetual shoulder above the scapular part, these four products are mainly used.
Of course, there are also meat on the shoulder blades, but it is not suitable for retail to consumers and is generally sent to the processing factory for secondary processing.
I recommend brain and plate tendons. You can fried steak or eat it with shabu.
Part 2: The dorsal spine
This part is the most essential part in the whole cow.
This part of the products mainly include: tenderloin, sirloin, eye beef, beef chops, juvenile bones and beef ribs.
tenderloin, sirloin, and eye meat are our common three musketeers of steak.
There are three names for tenderloin: tenderloin, beef, and fili.
Silenne has three names:Silenne, Sirenne, and New York.
Eye meat has three names: eye meat, naked eyes, and rib eyes.
Beef Steak: Snowflakes are richer, have a better taste, and the price is more expensive than sirloin and eye meat.
Denim bone: is the small beef steak with bones , is mainly fried and eaten.
Beef Ribs: meat between beef ribs. The meat in this part is very fragrant and can be eaten while frying or stewing. I personally like this part the most.
For health, Teacher Tian Xue has always recommended everyone to eat lean meat, , then beef tenderloin is the best choice.
However, beef tenderloin (filament) is a bit expensive. You can consider the upper brain, perfume shoulders, and tender shoulders in the front meat. They are also relatively thin meat and have a higher cost performance.
The back meat
The thinner three pieces of meat
Niu Lin:
can be sliced and shabu hot pot, or cut into beef cubes and stewed.
But it is very thin and it will taste better when stewed with beef brisket.
Rice Dragon:
Snowflake distribution is good, suitable for making steak.
But the meat in the rice dragon part has fascia, so it tastes not as tender as the front meat. It is also recommended to stew it.
Xiaomi Long:
is relatively regular and can also be used to make steak. Use shaved slices to rinse hot pot, cut into pieces and stew it.
In short, these three parts are relatively thin and are very suitable for making beef jerky.
The well-known beef tendon
Beef tendon is divided into two categories:
One type is called: whole tendon, it contains all the tendon meat.
A type is called: money tendon (bovine tendon core), It is a patterned tendon flesh separated from the whole tendon.
Whether it is the whole tendon or the money tendon, it is suitable for stewing.
And because there are tendons in the middle of the money tendon, there are more patterns and rich texture after stewing.
or above are the 4 main parts of the back meat.
The rest of the meat, such as buttock meat, is mainly supplied to catering channels.
and other parts left will be sent directly to the processing plant for secondary processing. For example, beef slices, beef jerky, beef filling, etc.
Middle meat
Middle meat is divided into three parts: front chest, back chest and beef brisket.
The front and back chests are mainly used for hot pot, and the original cut fat beef slices come from these two parts.
Be sure to pay attention to it and buy "original cut" meat.
is not a raw cut fat beef slice. Most of it is made of shaved beef tiles after pressing the ground beef into beef bricks, and the quality is much worse. How to identify raw cut beef?
Just look at the ingredients list on the back of the product packaging.
If only beef is written in the ingredient list, this product is raw cut beef.
If there are various other seasonings in the ingredients list, this product is not raw cut beef.
In addition, front breast, back breast and beef brisket can be cut into beef pieces and stewed.
Finally, let’s add some knowledge.
Because there are differences in the division of Western beef and the division of Chinese beef, there will be situations where the numbers are not matched.
is the translation table for the name of Chaoshan beef. You can show off after eating Chaoshan beef hotpot. You will definitely be the most beautiful baby on the table.
Finally, I will summarize a list for you.
As long as everyone masters the following principles, they can choose the beef that suits them.
Country:
When the same is grain feed: Australia/US/Canada Europe South America
When the same is grass feed: Australia ≥ New Zealand ≥ Europe South America
I recommend Australia the most, followed by the United States, then Canada, and finally New Zealand.
cattle breed:
cattle breed: Wagyu Angus ordinary cattle breed
At the cattle breed level, Wagyu is of course very good, but the number of Wagyu cattle is very small and expensive, and it is not easy to buy. So, I recommend Angus Cow more.
feeding method:
feeding method: Grain feeding grass feeding
Grain feeding duration: Grain feeding 270 Grain feeding 200 days Grain feeding 150 days Grain feeding 100 days (the longer the number of days, the more expensive the price)
At the feed level, the longer the grain feeding, the more snowflakes, the more expensive the price. You can make choices based on actual conditions.
At the number of days, it is recommended to choose cereal cattle that are more than 100 days old.
The part of the cow:
The part of the cow: Popularis Beef Small Steak Eyes and Meat Silent on the Brain Beef Ribs Money Tendon Back Chest Chest Perpetual Shoulder Back Chest
or above is not all parts, but most of the regular parts that you will encounter. Please remember three sentences for the choice of
: tender at the front, tough at the back, and stew at the middle.
Due to the different breeds of cattle, age of cattle and feeding methods, the price of beef will affect the price, resulting in a huge gap between different parts and levels.
Therefore, when referring to the order above, two points need to be paid attention to:
❶ The higher the rank of , the higher the price.
❷ should be compared under the same conditions, such as: the same part, the same age of cattle, the same country, the same number of grain feed days, etc.
has roughly shared what cooking methods are suitable for different parts.
Now, let me share with you a few key tips that can be used when cooking beef.
helps you improve the taste of the beef while cooking steak or beef, making every penny you spend is worth the money.
Slowly suffocated
Frozen beef must not be violently suffocated, it needs to be slowly suffocated.
Before cooking beef, you need to take the beef or steak from the freezer in the refrigerator to the refrigerator's refrigerator 12 hours in advance, and slowly melt the packaging bag without unpacking it.
During the entire thawing process, do not press the beef to check.
This is because, pressing will cause the small ice crystals condensed in the cell fluid to pierce the cells, causing the gravy to be lost, thereby reducing the taste of the beef.
Fry steak correctly
❶Don't wash steak.
After slowly rinse and before cooking, if the gravy seeps out, gently suck it dry with a kitchen tissue. Do not rinse with water or press hard.
These are the essence of deliciousness.
❷The maturity of steak is divided into: 1 point cooked, 3 point cooked, 5 point cooked, 7 point cooked, and 9 point cooked.
is only odd, not 2 points, 4 points, 6 points, 8 points, etc.
is recommended to eat 5 points or 7 points. It is not recommended to eat 9 points, because when it reaches this level, no matter how good the steak tastes as hard as the old leather soles.
❸ The blood in the steak is not blood.
The scientific name of blood is: myoglobin.
contains rich nutrients, and the correct common name should be called: gravy.
For example:
The orange juice in orange contains a lot of rich nutrition. But if you are asked to squeeze out the orange juice and eat the orange again, you will definitely think it is dry and not delicious. The same is true for
steak. It is precisely because of the rich gravy that the steak tastes soft and tender and savory.
❹ When frying steak, be sure to fry it over high heat, which is the kind of high heat that makes the pan smoke, and there is no need for extra fuel.
Do not use medium-low heat, because medium-low heat will force the gravy in the beef, and the steak will not have a soft and tender texture.
The steak itself is rich in oil and generally does not need to be refueled. If it is a part like filet, the snowflakes are not that rich. You can heat the pan and pour a little olive oil. Never fry it in butter!
Because the smoke point of butter is very low, it will make the steak black.
In the food video, you can see that many chefs use butter, but they all put it when it is about to be released from the pot. because the chef uses butter as a condiment, not as a cooking oil.
❺ To determine how much steak is, is mature, I have a small formula called "finger count".
Keep the right index finger pressing the left hand large ores position:
When the left hand is opened, the hardness of the large ores is one-minute cooked ; when the left index finger lightly presses the thumb, the hardness of the large ores is three-minute cooked ; when the left middle finger lightly presses the thumb, the hardness of the large ores is five-minute cooked ; when the left ring finger lightly presses the thumb, the hardness of the large ores is seven-minute cooked ; when the left little finger lightly presses the thumb, the hardness of the large ores is full cooked .
or above is all my sharing content.
I hope everyone can master more beef knowledge through my sharing, consume rationally and wisely, cook delicious food correctly, and make our lives better.
This cow is fully dismantled!
can't help but stand up as the third guest - Li Yajuan Monica applauded. If you feel that you benefit very much, please tell her in the message area!
