sirlion steak?

Question

i have always bought british sirlion steak from tesco's and never from a butcher.Now i have always wondered wot the fuss was about because it never taste's of anything,just tasteless juice and chewy fat,but now i have found a highclass butcher that sells shropshire bred and killed meat and this is totally melt in the mouth ecstasy,how can the best cut of beef taste so much different from one cow to another.

Answer 1

Mainly in the aging.

A good, tender, melt in your mouth piece of beef has been cut from a carcass that has hung for about a month. It develops a thick rind of dried-out flesh and mold on the surface, which must be discarded, adding to the cost (as well as the space it takes up and occasional inspection). The "roots" from the mold go all through the meat and exude enzymes which predigest the meat for you, that is what makes it tender. You have to start with quality well marbled beef to begin with, but the difference is in the aging. Absolutely fresh beef will be much tougher, and a much lighter color.

Answer 2

Different cows do have different taste. The way they are raised and what they are fed makes a difference. The way they are processed makes a big difference as well. I'm not familiar with Shropshire meat (living in the US) but I have never met a cow I didn't like either. A cow feed higher quality grain and well maintained in a calm environment will always have better tasting meat than one given bottom level cheap grain and forced to live in a dirty stall its whole life. Cattle raised in your typical meat farm are literally forced to eat junk and hormones to get big faster to keep costs down and provide a higher return on the farms investment quicker. Which ruins the taste of the meat. As for processing if the animals are highly stressed before they are killed, which is the case in most major processing facilities, this stress causes the animals body to release hormones and enzymes that literally ruin the flavor of the meat.
**I'm almost done :)**
A good butcher can make a difference in the meat as well when he cuts it. Cutting meat is an art form. A good butcher can take what would be an average meat and turn it into something awesome just by the we he cuts it.

Answer 3

There are many variables that determine the taste of meat -- what the cow has been fed, the part of the cow the meat comes from, how it's aged and processed, and how it's butchered. Here in the States, meat is graded according to its quality and tenderness, and government standards. Prime cuts are considered the best, and are usually the most expensive. Choice is considered good, and is the most common grade of meat. There are lesser grades that are used in most commercial products where tenderness is not required. The lowest grades of meet are used in products like dog food or other animal foods. Apparently your butcher uses a much better grade of meat than Tesco's. You didn't mention whether or not it was more expensive than Tesco's, but I'm fairly certain it was.

Answer 4

How can beef taste different from Cow to Cow ??

It depends on what the beef is FED !! Here in the US, beef cattle are fed a very rich diet and get little exercise... this makes the muscles (meat) more tender and fatter...

We also load the cattle up on corn, sugar beets and even beer in the weeks before slaughter... it just improves the taste of the meat.

My Brother has a small sheep/ goat ranch... and WOW the difference of taste depending on what the animals have been eating in the month before slaughter !!

Answer 5

Steve,

I'm so HAPPY for you! You have discovered a good steak, and now you are a steak snob!!!!! Welcome to this wonderful club!

Steak, like any other food, takes a process. The longer and more intensive the process, the better the quality.

The steak that you got was from a corn fed steer, was aged for a long time, and was handled a certain way by the slaughterhouse and butcher.

If you think your sirloin is good, ask your butcher for a rib eye.

Answer 6

It has to do with the grade of the meat. A butcher generally has higher grade meats than grocery stores.

Answer 7

I'M NO EXPERT, BUT HAVE NOTICED THE SAME. BEING THAT I HAVE BEEN A COUNTRY PERSON MY WHOLE LIFE AND HAVE RAISED OUR OWN BEEF-I BELIEVE IT HAS ALOT TO DO WITH WHAT YOU FEED THEM . I KNOW ALOT OF RESTAURANTS WILL SAY CORN FED OR RANGE FED. THE MAJORITY OF BEEF IN SUPER MARKETS ARE FROM FEED LOTS THAT FEED THEM JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. IT'S VERY DISGUSTING , WHAT THEY FEED THEM.
SIRLOIN IS ONE OF MY LEAST FAVORITE CUTS, GIVE ME A RIBEYE, PORTER HOUSE OR T-BONE.

Answer 8

I think you are gay. Too much mouth ecstasy for me. Did you go to a boarding school? Of course you did.