Argentina is the land of all good beef. Their cattle has been grass-fed since way before it was trendy to do so, and grass-fed beef is the best you can get. After all, it’s how cows are naturally raised, not pumped full of hormones and fattened up on grain. A few tips for getting the best steak possible:
1) Get to know a good butcher.
How will you know a good butcher? They’ll be able to tell you the age of the cow at slaughter, how much it weighed, what the diet consisted of and what breed it was.
2) know what cut you want
Cuts of beef vary widely in flavor and tenderness, and there’s usually a balance or a trade-off to be made depending on what you want. Most flavorful? I’d choose a rib eye, preferrably bone-in, but you’ll sacrifice some tenderness and have to work for it a bit. Most tender? The filet, without a doubt, but you’ll sacrifice some flavor because it’s so lean. A happy medium? The New York strip or Porterhouse.
3) know what to ask for
This goes back to number 1. If you’ve got a good butcher, they’ll be able to answer all these questions. Here are the answers you want to hear for each one -
How old was the cow at slaughter?
Ideally, you want a cow that was between 2 and 3 years old. At that age, the fat marbling and tissues have fully developed, but haven’t become tough from aging and exercise.
How much did the cow weigh at the time of slaughter?
As long as the cow weighed between 2,000 and 2,500 lbs, you’re good.
What was the breed?
The most common you’ll find are Black or Red Angus, and sometimes Hereford. All of these are good breeds for marbling of the meat. If you can get a hold of Wagyu, you’re in for a treat.
What was the diet?
Here’s a tricky one. Ideally, you want grass-fed beef. However, just because the butcher tells you it’s grass-fed doesn’t mean it was fed on nothing but grass. Ask a few more questions to see if the cow was raised entirely on grass, weaned on grass and switched to grain, or finished on grain.
Now, once you’ve got a good cut of meat, there’s a few ways to prepare it. I’m a fan of pan-searing, simply because that’s the best way to achieve maximum caramelization of the meat, which is where the flavor’s at.
First, salt the meat, both sides. let it sit for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour at room temperature. The salt will start to draw the moisture out of the meat, and then the meat will gradually pull the moisture (and the salt) back in. This will tenderize the meat and add flavor.
Heat up a pan to blistering hot with a little olive oil in it. When the oil just starts to smoke, you know you’re there. Place the steak carefully in the pan, so as not to splash. It’ll burn like a motherbitch if you get even a tiny splash on you, so be careful. Give the steak 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip it, and another 2 minutes or so on the second side for a perfect medium rare.
Now, while you’re waiting for the salt to do it’s thing with the meat, make the chimichurri. Here’s a basic recipe, but feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to taste.
Chimichurri
2 cups fresh parsley and/or cilantro, firmly packed
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
3-6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
Kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Pulse the garlic and onion in the food processor until finely chopped.
Add the parsley and/or cilantro, and oregano if using, and pulse briefly, until finely chopped.
Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl. Add the olive oil, lime juice, and vinegar, and stir. (Adding the liquids outside of the blender gives the chimichurri the correct texture. You don’t want the herbs to be completely puréed, just finely chopped).
Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Once your steak is done, top with chimichurri and enjoy! Argentines traditionally enjoy their steak with a nice crusty bread, like a french baguette and a fresh salad of tomato wedges tossed with olive oil and salt. Now get to it! This is a good meal and it’s relatively easy!
