Meat Master Can Tell Cow's Age, Gender, and Breed After One Bite
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Lauren Vernet of the University of Bristol is known for having a "perfect palate for tasting meat." In this feature at The Independent, Kate Hilpern does a steak tasting with Vernet to learn about their different flavors (mushroom, malt, sour milk, and more) while getting Vernet's insight on how maturation period, breed, sex, and feed affect the flavor of beef.
What's the best kind of beef? Vernet says it's based on individual preference: "Provided it's good-quality well-reared beef, you can't (as some butchers and chefs do) say one type is categorically better than another." He does say that a good steak should give three to four chews per mouthful: "You chew beef at the back of your mouth and if it's too tough, you get beyond about four chews and automatically bring it forward. That's when you know you have a problem."
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15 Comments:
I can't eat a piece of steak that still has fat attached to it. Makes me gag.
redfish at 2:04PM on 10/17/09
@redfish - that must suck for you.
grampart at 4:23PM on 10/17/09
Wow. Can he also tell what the cow's name was?
@redfish- bummer.
sailordave at 5:04PM on 10/17/09
Yeah...and pigs can fly!
dmcavanagh at 6:08PM on 10/17/09
I should have said "that's a lot of bulls#@t".
dmcavanagh at 6:11PM on 10/17/09
Serious Eats has spammers now? Shame on you jayne.
schmonsequences at 6:59PM on 10/17/09
Beautiful steak -- pure pleasure in every bite. Nice picture. But this isn't a hamburger post.
jkdrummer at 10:57PM on 10/17/09
@jkdrummer: I know it's not a burger post, but I think it's safe to say that many people who are into burgers are also interested in beef. (I'm not a steak eater, but I am interested in learning about the different flavors found in beef.) Hence, not a post in AHT, but cross posted to AHT.
Robyn Lee at 11:18PM on 10/17/09
I read the above comments to my wife and she made a point . That is: if you've ever done farm work , which starts at 4:00 am and continues til 7 :00 pm [if you milk cows] and later during crop harvest .Her point is alittle fat on the edge of your steak was not an issue. If you got steak. Most likely Baked Steak [Swiss Steak] and boiled potatoes with sides and damned glad to get it .These *ussies that gag over some flavorful fat on the edge of their NYStrip are a joke. Barney Frank is very careful about what he puts in his mouth especially if it has a little fat on the edge .
jfitz at 5:52PM on 10/18/09
What was that about Barney Frank?
Oh, cause he's gay. I get it, totally relevant too.
Keep your politics off the site.
Prairie at 6:01PM on 10/18/09
@sailordave you made me chuckle!
pooch at 9:22PM on 10/18/09
Interesting article, I am sure he is right on some points.
pookguy at 10:59PM on 10/18/09
Can he tell the difference between a left-handed and a right-handed brisket?
PhotoKirk at 12:07AM on 10/19/09
Yea have him taste a 1/4 pounder @McD's and tell me what it is?
burgerboy at 1:01PM on 10/19/09
Can we say BULLSHIT on this site? 'Cause if we can, I'm calling it.
syd888 at 2:17PM on 10/19/09