Please Explain Differences in Steak
Jun 28, 2012 | 9:18 am
#16
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: BMI Diamon Club
Posts: 322
I may be crazy but I swear "a punto" in Argentina is slightly less cooked than "no ponto". I have no empirical evidence to back this up, but would be perfectly willing to start a 'study'
Jun 28, 2012 | 9:20 am
#17
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Programs: AA / AV
Posts: 647
Some tips from Marcos Bassi:
1. Choose the best quality cut of meat, with less, but not completely trimmed of fat. This is shown in one of his videos.
2. When slicing, use the knife to make one sharp cut down, rather than sawing strokes.
3. Prep the meat at room temperature before cooking, near the grill if possible.
4. Lightly salt the meat, primarily into the fat. The opposite is usually found at Churrascarias with a truckload of sale corso, (coarse rock salt), thrown onto the steaks. This we were told has been used to hide poorer cuts of meat in some restaurants.
On one of our visits years ago, Mr. Bassi joined us for a few minutes. He said that Brasilian beef is better than North American or European as the cattle is run, rather than standing around getting fattened. He stated that many Brasilians preferred Argentine beef, when Brasilian beef was as good, or better. He also mentioned that the best but most simple of sauce to accompany steak is made using garlic (alho), rosemary (alicrim ), and the cooking juices themselves.
1. Choose the best quality cut of meat, with less, but not completely trimmed of fat. This is shown in one of his videos.
2. When slicing, use the knife to make one sharp cut down, rather than sawing strokes.
3. Prep the meat at room temperature before cooking, near the grill if possible.
4. Lightly salt the meat, primarily into the fat. The opposite is usually found at Churrascarias with a truckload of sale corso, (coarse rock salt), thrown onto the steaks. This we were told has been used to hide poorer cuts of meat in some restaurants.
On one of our visits years ago, Mr. Bassi joined us for a few minutes. He said that Brasilian beef is better than North American or European as the cattle is run, rather than standing around getting fattened. He stated that many Brasilians preferred Argentine beef, when Brasilian beef was as good, or better. He also mentioned that the best but most simple of sauce to accompany steak is made using garlic (alho), rosemary (alicrim ), and the cooking juices themselves.
- If you're going to cook it in a moist environment (such as a pan), or on a contact grill, then what Mr. Bassi said applies, otherwise you will end with a too salty meat.
- If you're going to cook it on dry heat, as on a wire grill or as the churrascarias do it, on skewers, you can use lots of coarse salt: it (the salt) will be absorbed in the right quantity, only by the meat juices that go to the surface of the given piece. To serve, you just discard the excess, not dissolved salt. Mr Bassi's restaurants serve very good beef, but he is not a "churrasqueiro".
As for the use of garlic (or any other sauce), I know that there are people that like it, but to me it is an heresy. The only seasoning that goes with a good piece of (grilled) meat is salt.
And for the comment about the origin of the meat, in the past most beef sold in Rio and So Paulo came from Minas Gerais' cattle, which is a mountainous region, where the cattle roamed free. As a consequence, their meat was savory, but too firm and fibrous. With the introduction of cattle raised in the Pampas (Rio Grande do Sul) and new farming techniques, the quality of the beef raised and sold in Brazil now is much better than in the past.
Jun 28, 2012 | 9:33 am
#18
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Programs: AA / AV
Posts: 647
ah, perhaps that's it then - that's the standard, and it's overcooked for my carnivorous tastes.
I may be crazy but I swear "a punto" in Argentina is slightly less cooked than "no ponto". I have no empirical evidence to back this up, but would be perfectly willing to start a 'study'
I may be crazy but I swear "a punto" in Argentina is slightly less cooked than "no ponto". I have no empirical evidence to back this up, but would be perfectly willing to start a 'study'
And take in account how the meat is cooked: it is more difficult to cook the meat using a contact grill. At some places the cook keeps pressing the meat against the grill to accelerate the cooking process. This easily results in a drier, overcooked meat. On a contact grill, the less handled the better the meat: you should turn it only once, and never press it. Heat air dry cooking, as the churrascarias do, is much more forgiving to the meat.
Jun 28, 2012 | 9:45 am
#19
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,667
Brazilians seem to like beef that is (over) cooked to well-done shoe leather, salted of course. Maybe it stems from generally observed poor hygiene standards for meat storage prior to purchase in many places.
Jun 28, 2012 | 9:51 am
#20
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: BMI Diamon Club
Posts: 322
I usually end up saying something like "medio/mal passado" with a variety of hand gestures to try and put across the level of "medio" and "mal" i'm after.... Despite all said here, I'm not that fussy
Originally Posted by VidaNaPraia
cooked to well-done shoe leather
Last edited by galego; Jun 28, 2012 at 10:00 am
Jun 28, 2012 | 10:16 am
#21
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Sous-vetements civilises, BAEC Gold
Posts: 576
I find that asking for "mal passado" (literally "badly passed")usually gets me a piece of picanha that is medium rare. Usually I have to ask for "muito mal passado, quase crua" ("very badly passed, almost raw") to get the very rare beef I enjoy best, though, and it always comes with a "crazy gringa" look from the server/carver. rsrsrsrs/hahaha
Brazilians seem to like beef that is (over) cooked to well-done shoe leather, salted of course. Maybe it stems from generally observed poor hygiene standards for meat storage prior to purchase in many places.
Brazilians seem to like beef that is (over) cooked to well-done shoe leather, salted of course. Maybe it stems from generally observed poor hygiene standards for meat storage prior to purchase in many places.
.
Jun 28, 2012 | 10:55 am
#22
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,305
About points 1, 2 and 3, I agree with everything in them. About point 4 (salting), there is difference based on how you are going to cook the meat:
- If you're going to cook it in a moist environment (such as a pan), or on a contact grill, then what Mr. Bassi said applies, otherwise you will end with a too salty meat.
- If you're going to cook it on dry heat, as on a wire grill or as the churrascarias do it, on skewers, you can use lots of coarse salt: it (the salt) will be absorbed in the right quantity, only by the meat juices that go to the surface of the given piece. To serve, you just discard the excess, not dissolved salt. Mr Bassi's restaurants serve very good beef, but he is not a "churrasqueiro".
As for the use of garlic (or any other sauce), I know that there are people that like it, but to me it is an heresy. The only seasoning that goes with a good piece of (grilled) meat is salt.
And for the comment about the origin of the meat, in the past most beef sold in Rio and So Paulo came from Minas Gerais' cattle, which is a mountainous region, where the cattle roamed free. As a consequence, their meat was savory, but too firm and fibrous. With the introduction of cattle raised in the Pampas (Rio Grande do Sul) and new farming techniques, the quality of the beef raised and sold in Brazil now is much better than in the past.
- If you're going to cook it in a moist environment (such as a pan), or on a contact grill, then what Mr. Bassi said applies, otherwise you will end with a too salty meat.
- If you're going to cook it on dry heat, as on a wire grill or as the churrascarias do it, on skewers, you can use lots of coarse salt: it (the salt) will be absorbed in the right quantity, only by the meat juices that go to the surface of the given piece. To serve, you just discard the excess, not dissolved salt. Mr Bassi's restaurants serve very good beef, but he is not a "churrasqueiro".
As for the use of garlic (or any other sauce), I know that there are people that like it, but to me it is an heresy. The only seasoning that goes with a good piece of (grilled) meat is salt.
And for the comment about the origin of the meat, in the past most beef sold in Rio and So Paulo came from Minas Gerais' cattle, which is a mountainous region, where the cattle roamed free. As a consequence, their meat was savory, but too firm and fibrous. With the introduction of cattle raised in the Pampas (Rio Grande do Sul) and new farming techniques, the quality of the beef raised and sold in Brazil now is much better than in the past.
Nothing heretical intended with your filet.
Molho de Campanha, perhaps ?
Jun 28, 2012 | 5:46 pm
#25
Join Date: Jan 2008
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The cows are different too. Brazilian cows are derived mostly from Indian breeds that evolved for high temperatures and were imported to Brazil mostly from Goa, with Garcia d'Avila being the first major importer. Rib eye comes mostly from very sedentary temperate climate beasts, mostly matured in closed lots. That process is uncommon in Brazil so the seriously unhealthy cuts are harder to find.
Jul 13, 2012 | 8:31 am
#26
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
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The cows are different too. Brazilian cows are derived mostly from Indian breeds that evolved for high temperatures and were imported to Brazil mostly from Goa, with Garcia d'Avila being the first major importer. Rib eye comes mostly from very sedentary temperate climate beasts, mostly matured in closed lots. That process is uncommon in Brazil so the seriously unhealthy cuts are harder to find.
