Posted By Greg on April 9, 2008

Originally published in the Tampa Tribune/ Flavor April 9, 2008 Edition

Where’s The Beef Quality Of Yesteryear? In Montana.

“Do you remember the days of Butcher Shops?

They were not located in major grocery stores and were manned by folks who knew what every part of a cow was and how to cook it right. They would divulge their family recipes and tell you exactly what cut you needed to make your Sunday roast. Most wouldn’t sell you the wrong cut, even if you demanded it, out of sheer principle.

Most importantly, the meat tasted like meat. That deep beefy flavor of a well-aged New York strip steak and the buttery tenderness of a well-marbled rib eye were expected flavors. Anything else would be uncivilized.

Oh, the glorious days of the local Butcher shop, a lost art form.

We’re sure some are still out there. Hidden in the small towns of Florida’s yester-year. Guarded by the townsman, like a deep seeded secret for fear the City dwellers will take it over.

Are you there Mr. Butcher? Can you hear our cries for mercy!

Silence.

Instead we are forced to buy our beef at major grocery chains by people who are more concerned about what time their break is than helping you decide if a rump or a London broil is the right choice for Chili Con Carne, of which, neither is by the way.

As for where the beef came from? Forget about it. Not even the Regional Butcher Manager can tell you that. Why? Because they don’t know. Some buyer, somewhere, haggled a deal with a broker in another state who represents a collection of beef producers.

A bigger question; why do you even care where the beef came from?

FLAVOR. Let’s say it again. FLAVOR. One more time: FLAVOR.

Feed and region are big factors in the flavor of beef. In the same aspect that “terroir” is important in the flavor and quality of great wines. If cattle have had a corn fed, strenuous life, the beef will be tough and very dull in flavor. If the cattle have been grass-fed and allowed free range, the beef will taste meatier, deeper in flavor and tender. It would also be healthier.

Because cows aren’t supposed to eat corn, the introduction of antibiotics had to come into play, hence, diminishing many of beef’s natural vitamins and minerals, such as Omega-3 fatty acids. What the antibiotics did do was ‘beef’ up the amount of Omega-6 fatty acids. The bad fatty acid. The fatty acid linked to cancer, heart disease and depression.

Great. All of those truck stops serving up steak and eggs are only breeding cancer ridden, heart diseased, depressed truck drivers. Like we need that on the roads.

So what do we do folks; just stop eating beef? We, for one, well two, are not willing to sacrifice our carnivorous rights. After the whole cow/forklift episode, we set out to find a healthier, tastier supply of beef, that used old-school ranching methods, believed beef should taste like beef, and didn’t require you to buy an entire cow.

Enter La Cense Beef.

These guys have been ranching the same way since 1869. Their stock is 100% grass fed, ships directly to you from the ranch (meat in a box), and just plain kicks butt. The New York strip tastes bold and rich. The rib eyes are fork tender and marbled perfectly. Even the burgers melt in your mouth.

Aren’t exactly sure how to cook your Prime Rib? No biggie, they send recipes with your beef and are happy to answer your culinary calls. They’re the modern local butchers, if you consider Montana local.

Because we care what you eat, we contact La Cense Beef to see if they would be willing to offer some kind of discount, so that everyone could try this amazing bovine. They happliy agreed. Go to www.lacensebeef.com/TAMPA3 for $25 off a purchase of $55+. It’s okay if you don’t live in Tampa. We won’t tell.

With such a great starting point it would be a shame to mask the pure flavors of the beef with rubs or sauces. We took the simple approach, which can be done with lesser-quality beef, of course and will still be……(insert deep sci-fi movie announcer voice) THE GREATEST STEAK EVER!

THE GREATEST STEAK EVER

2 NY strip steaks
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter (unsalted, of course)
2 ea shallots – sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Take the NY strips out of the refrigerator and let them warm on the counter for about 15 minutes prior to cooking (this will lessen the “shock” of cold meat being thrown into a hot pan)
Season the NY strips well with salt and pepper
In a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, add the canola oil and 1 tbsp of butter
Place the pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop
When the butter becomes foamy and starts to brown, place the steaks in the pan and cook for 2 minutes
After 2 minutes, the bottom side of the steak should be nicely browned and crisp. Turn the steaks over and cook for another 2 minutes, basting the tops of the steak with butter from the pan.
Discard the excess grease in the pan.
At this point, the steaks will be rare. If you desire a different temperature, place the skillet into a heated 400-degree oven, for about 2 minutes per degree (medium rare – 2 minutes, medium – 4 minutes, etc)
Remove the steaks from the skillet and let them rest.
Add the remaining tbsp of butter to the pan along with the shallots and the thyme and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the shallots have softened.
Season the shallots with salt and pepper and top the steaks.”

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: grass-fed beef, La Cense Beef, New York Strip Steak, steak recipe, tastes like real beef, the perfect steak