June 27th, 2017

Yesterday we talked about it, and today we continue the topic - marbled beef.

Marbled meat simply cannot be cheap, this is due to the fact that raising animals for preparing marbled beef and the cooking process itself is a labor-intensive and expensive task. Where did such a romantic name come from - marbled beef? The meat owes its appearance to them.

The fact is that the veins of fat in the meat are located in such a way that the cut produces a beautiful pattern, reminiscent of the pattern on marble slabs.

However, this meat is valued not for its interesting appearance, but for its surprisingly delicate taste, uncharacteristic of ordinary beef.

It is important to note that only beef can be marbled. Unfortunately, from time to time, scammers sell marbled pork or lamb tenderloin to naive and ignorant people. Such meat is obtained only through special processing after slaughter. The appearance in this case corresponds to marble, but that’s where the similarity ends. Initially, marbled beef was produced only in Japan from the meat of young bulls of a special breed of Tojima or cows of the Wagiu breed.

Both of these breeds were considered almost sacred in Japan, since, according to legend, higher powers contributed to their appearance. For this reason, they could not be exported from the country; only very recently these two breeds began to be raised for marbled meat in Australia. However, until now it is Japanese marbled beef that is considered the best. Now about the process of raising animals for marbled meat. This process is costly and difficult. For a positive result, it is necessary to strictly adhere to a certain regime, menu, and special procedures. Animals are kept in narrow stalls to prevent them from moving around too much. The fact is that movements have a harmful effect on the taste of meat. And to prevent bedsores from forming, they are given vibration massage. In addition, they play classical music.

Nutrition also plays an important role. Until the age of six months, the animals are fed only milk, then they are grazed in wild meadows. Afterwards they are transferred to a separate room, where they are fed with selected grains, and for appetite they drink beer and sake. This is roughly what the growing technology looks like. However, each manufacturer has its own secrets that they do not reveal to anyone. And those treatments to which meat is subjected immediately after the slaughter of animals are protected like the apple of one’s eye. All these manipulations create that wonderful taste, for which all gourmets of the world value it. How is marbled beef prepared? Recipes, or rather their details, are also kept secret. The peculiarity of preparing marbled meat is that it is fried in the presence of the client. At least that's how they do it in Japan. A special roasting pan is installed next to the client’s table, and he can observe the process. In addition, there is such a popular dish as "Sukiyaki nabe", which is boiled marbled beef combined with egg noodles, bean curd, vegetables and raw egg. This dish is served in an even more interesting way: the client himself cooks pre-prepared pieces of marbled meat, and then eats them with sauce while the rest of the ingredients are cooked in the meat broth. Noodle chowder completes the meal.

There is another interesting recipe: marbled beef steak. For this you will need, in fact, a piece of marbled meat and spices.
The thickness of a piece of meat should not exceed 2 cm. The meat should be washed and wiped with paper napkins to get rid of excess moisture. Place pieces of meat on a dry, hot frying pan. They are fried on each side for about 4 minutes. The marbled beef steak is ready. What side dish to choose for marbled meat is up to everyone to decide for themselves. However, it must be taken into account that there is no point in combining such an exquisite delicacy with ordinary and boring side dishes. It's better to choose something more interesting and tasty.

When talking about beef, Steak immediately comes to mind. Steak (from the English steak - piece of meat) is a thick piece of fried meat. A steak made from the best cuts of beef is usually called simply steak (sometimes also beef steak).

The history of steak.

Sometimes the history of steak dates back to the times of Ancient Rome, “where in temples, during the ritual of sacrifice, priests fried large pieces of beef on grates in order to place them on the divine altar.”

In medieval Europe, beef had a low reputation: it was almost exclusively the meat of old cows and bulls. Excess cattle were slaughtered at an early age, so veal was quite common in the cuisine of the wealthy.

The widespread practice of castration of young bulls and their intensive fattening for meat began in England and only later spread throughout Europe, which explains the fact that almost all European languages, including Russian (via German), borrowed the basic names of fried cuts of beef from English: steak and roast beef.

In Great Britain, steak gained recognition only in the 15th century; in 1460, its description appeared in a recipe book, and three centuries later, the technology for preparing a piece of meat fried over an open fire became known on the mainland. The starting point for the birth of the modern beef industry in America is considered to be the moment when Columbus brought Longhorn cattle to the New World across the Atlantic.

There is an opinion that classic steaks are a purely American national dish and perhaps the only valuable contribution of the United States to world cuisine. It is no coincidence that it was here that a real cult of steak was created, which became part of the national culture. And today this country is one of the leading exporters of beef. In the USA, its production is under government supervision. There are very high criteria for selecting meat for steaks: strict gradations and strict standards for fattening, slaughter and veterinary control of livestock. In addition to the United States, Australia and Argentina are major beef producers.

Steak meat

Steak meat is always a product of elite animal husbandry. To obtain a high-quality dish, only meat from young bulls (from one to one and a half years old) of certain breeds is suitable. The best meat breeds are Hereford and Angus, and the most valuable is pure meat. certified angus beef.

Animal fattening

The method of fattening animals is of great importance. Grain-fed steers are the most prized (in America, corn is preferred, in Australia - wheat), since they develop delicate fatty layers inside their muscle fibers. This type of beef, called marbled beef, is more tender and juicy during cooking than grass-fed bull meat. Of the marbling standards, preference is usually given to the highest (prime) and choice (choice) categories.

Carcass cutting

Pieces for steaks are cut from those areas of the animal carcass that were not involved in muscle movement. The meat is separated into thick (no less than 3 and no more than 5 cm) slices in the transverse direction. Such cutting will then allow the heat to pass evenly through the “pores” of the fibers, quickly heating the meat to the desired temperature.

Meat aging

Steaks are never cooked from fresh meat; beef should be aged for 15 to 23 days. This period is necessary so that during the fermentation process the muscle tissue becomes looser and more tender.

Types of steaks

Beef steaks themselves are an expensive dish, since the meat for them is taken from the best parts of a bull carcass. About 7-10% of the entire animal carcass is suitable for their preparation. Modern cuisine distinguishes the following types of steaks, the name of which depends on which part of the carcass the meat was cut from:

• ribeye steak, cut from the subscapular part of the carcass and having a large number of fatty streaks;


• club steak, cut from the back at the thick edge of the longissimus dorsi muscle and having a small rib bone;


• T-bone steak (T-bone steak), cut from a section of the carcass on the border between the dorsal and lumbar parts in the area of ​​​​the thin edge of the longissimus dorsi muscle and the thin edge of the tenderloin, therefore consisting of two types of steak meat at once - filet mignon on one side bones and “New York” on the other;


• Porterhouse steak, cut from the lumbar region of the back at the thick edge of the tenderloin;


• striploin steak (New York strip), cut from a boneless strip of the lumbar region;


• sirloin steak, cut from the lumbar back in the area of ​​the head of the tenderloin;


• roundramb steak, cut from the top piece of the thigh;


• filet mignon - a transverse thin cut of the central part of the sirloin with the most tender meat, not cooked “rare”;


• chateaubriand - the thick edge of the central part of beef tenderloin (fried whole or portioned, most often for two), essentially the same large filet mignon, but not served standing up, but laid out lengthwise on a plate;


• tornedos - small pieces from the thin edge of the central part of the tenderloin, used to prepare medallions;


• Skirt steak is not the most tender, but a very tasty piece of meat from the diaphragm.

Cooking steaks

At first glance, steak appears to be a rather simple dish in the form of a piece of meat fried on both sides. But not all chefs know how to cook this dish correctly. The process of working on it hides many subtleties, starting with the correct selection and preparation of meat and ending with the technology of frying it.

The equipment for cooking steaks is an oven or charcoal oven, where heat coming from all sides creates pressure inside the piece. In order for the meat to turn out tasty and meet the wishes of the guest, it is necessary to maintain the required degree of frying of the steak, which meets a certain temperature regime.

Degrees of doneness

According to the American classification system, there are seven degrees of doneness for steaks:

• extra-rare (from English . extra rare, Also blue rare or English . blue) - heated to 46-49 °C and quickly “closed” on the grill, moist, but not cold;


• with "blood" (red juice) rare) - uncooked meat (fried on the outside, red on the inside) with red juice, heated to 49-55 °C (cooked for 2-3 minutes at 200 °C);


• medium rare . medium rare) - uncooked meat, with bright pink juice and heated to 55-60 °C (cooked for 4-5 minutes at 190-200 °C);


• medium rare . medium) - medium-roasted meat with light pink juice inside and heated to 60-65 ° C (cooked for 6-7 minutes at 180 ° C);


• almost cooked medium well) - meat with clear juice and heated to 65-69 °C (cooked for 8-9 minutes at 180 °C);


• fried well done) - fully fried meat with almost no juice, heated to 71-100 ° C (cooked for 8-9 minutes at 180 ° C with additional cooking in a combi oven);


• deep fried too well done, overcooked) - fully fried meat without any juice and heated to a temperature of over 100 ° C.

Sources:
wikipedia.org

Today we will tell you how to cook marbled beef in a satisfying and tasty way. But before you reveal the secrets of creating unusual dishes using such meat, you should find out what this product actually is and why it has such an original name.

General Product Information

Marbled beef is the most famous meat delicacy throughout the world. It received its name due to its great similarity to the stone of the same name. After all, a cut of such meat is also dotted with various veins. It should be noted that this effect is achieved due to the presence in this product of thin layers of adipose tissue, which are located in the muscular system of the killed animal. This fact makes the piece of meat surprisingly juicy and tender.

Marbled beef: how is the animal raised?

How such animals are raised should be discussed separately. After all, if you have been farming for a long time, then this information will help you independently produce the presented delicacy.

Compared to other parts of the carcass, marbled beef is quite expensive. It should be noted that such meat can only be obtained from bulls that were raised using special technology. Its peculiarity is that the animal is fed exclusively grain for 3-4 months before slaughter. At the same time, the bulls are limited in their movement as much as possible.

It should also be said that high-quality marbled beef, which is especially tender, is taken only from the carcasses of young animals.

What can be prepared from the product?

Cooking marbled beef does not take much time from housewives. After all, as mentioned above, such meat is taken only from young animals, which means that, by definition, it cannot be tough and sinewy.

From such a piece, fried steaks are very tender and tasty, as well as goulash, chops, and main courses with vegetables on the stove and in the oven.

Marbled beef steak: step-by-step cooking recipe

Cooking such meat is a pleasure. After all, to fry it properly, there is no need to stand at the stove for a long time. It should also be noted that there are several stages of frying marbled beef steaks. Which one to choose is your personal choice. We will only tell you how to make the Well don dish. When cut, such a steak should have a uniform gray color and no blood should be visible on it.

So, before I tell you how to cook marbled beef, we should list all the ingredients that we will need to create the above-mentioned dish:

• marbled meat - about 1 kg;
• French herbs (savory, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, basil) - add to taste;

Preparation of the main ingredient

The marbled beef steak, the recipe for which we are considering, turns out equally tasty in a frying pan, in the oven, or over hot coals. We decided to tell you how to cook such a dish on a regular kitchen stove. After all, this method is the simplest and fastest.

How to properly fry marbled meat? For this purpose, beef is purchased without bones. It must be rinsed well in cool water and then dried with paper napkins or waffle towels. Next, the large piece should be cut into wide steaks across the grain using a sharp knife. Moreover, the thickness of all products should be the same (about 2 centimeters). Otherwise, the steaks may turn out to be at different stages of frying.

Pickling process

To make marbled beef steak as tasty, juicy and aromatic as possible, it is recommended to keep the sliced ​​meat in a dry marinade for some time. To do this, each piece of chopped product should be seasoned with French herbs, salt and a mixture of peppers, and then placed in a bowl, covered with a lid and left in this state for 30 minutes.

Heat treatment process

After the marbled beef has absorbed all the aromatic spices and herbs, you can safely proceed to frying it directly. To do this, you need to put a deep saucepan on medium heat and pour a sufficient amount of olive oil into it (about 1-1.2 centimeters). Next, carefully place a piece of meat flavored with spices into a heated bowl and fry it until all the blood is baked. It is recommended to turn the steak regularly using tongs. This is necessary so that it cooks evenly.

All remaining pieces of marbled meat should be thermally treated in a similar manner.

How to properly present a dish to the dinner table?

After the steaks are evenly fried, they should be placed on large portion plates, and some side dish should be placed next to them. For example, such meat turns out very tasty together with fresh or stewed vegetables, herbs, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Cooking marbled meat chops together

What other dishes use marbled beef? Many people know the recipe for making chops. But not everyone knows that such a dish using the mentioned meat turns out incredibly tender and tasty. After all, marbled beef itself is very soft, and after beating it literally melts in your mouth.

So, to prepare delicious chops ourselves, we will need the following components:

• marbled meat - about 1.5 kg;
• a mixture of peppers in a grinder - use as desired;
• breadcrumbs - use as desired;
• salt is not very coarse - use to taste;
• Refined olive oil - use for frying (add at discretion).

Meat processing

Before preparing tender and juicy chops from such meat, it should be well processed. To do this, the product must be washed in cold water and then dried using paper towels. Next, the marbled beef must be cut into wide pieces (across the grain) 3-4 centimeters thick. After this, each piece must be carefully beaten using a ribbed hammer. Finally, season the beef chops with a mixture of peppers and salt. In this state, it is advisable to keep them at room temperature for about half an hour.

Frying on the stove

How is marbled beef prepared? The chops recipe recommends using special breadcrumbs to create this dish. They need to be poured into a large plate, and then carefully roll all the chopped and spiced pieces of meat into them.

We decided to cook this dish in the oven. But if you immediately place marbled beef there, it will “shrink” quite quickly, forming an ordinary baked piece of meat. Thus, to prevent such a situation, it is recommended to first fry the product in a frying pan and only then place it in the oven.

So, to prepare chops, you should take a deep saucepan, pour oil (1-2 centimeters) into it and heat it very high. Next, each piece of beef needs to be fried at maximum heat on both sides for 1-2 minutes.

Cooking in the oven

After all the chops are superficially fried, they should be placed in an even layer on a baking sheet and then placed in a preheated oven. It is recommended to bake this dish for no longer than 40 minutes.

How to present it to guests?

As you can see, there is nothing difficult about making delicious and tender marbled beef chops yourself. After cooking the meat, it should be placed on a plate and served to guests along with any favorite side dish. So, mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables, herbs, pasta, buckwheat porridge, boiled rice, etc. are ideal for it.

Making a delicious beef roll

We talked about how to make steaks and chops from such meat. However, marbled beef (how bulls are raised to produce this product was described a little higher) is ideal not only for preparing the mentioned dishes. For example, it makes a very tasty and tender roll baked in the oven. To prepare it we will need:

Meat preparation

To prepare the roll, you should purchase a fairly large piece of beef. It needs to be washed well and then cut so that in the end you get a thin, but fairly wide layer. If desired, you can beat it slightly using a culinary hammer.

After all the described actions, the layer of marbled meat needs to be seasoned with a mixture of peppers and salt, and then set aside for a while.

Preparing the filling

Creating any roll involves using filling. We decided to use pickled mushrooms and vegetables for this. They should be finely chopped, placed in a frying pan with oil and fried until golden brown for 15-17 minutes.

Formation process

In order for the marbled beef meatloaf to turn out not only very tasty, tender and juicy, but also beautiful, it must be formed correctly. To do this, you need to take a large cutting board and place a layer flavored with spices on it. Next, the piece of meat must be greased on both sides with low-fat mayonnaise. After this, it should be covered with a small layer of fried mushrooms and vegetables. It is also advisable to use finely chopped fresh herbs as a filling.

Finally, the beef layer must be tightly wrapped in a roll. To prevent it from opening during heat treatment in the oven, it is advisable to tie it tightly with rope or secure it with toothpicks.

To obtain a more aromatic dish, you need to make shallow cuts in the surface of the formed marbled meat roll, and then carefully place thin pieces of garlic there. To ensure that this dish is covered with a beautiful golden brown crust during baking, it is also recommended to grease it with fresh honey.

How to bake in the oven?

To bake meatloaf in the oven, carefully move it into a deep pan or onto a baking sheet. If desired, such a dish can be prepared both in foil and in a cooking sleeve.

It is recommended to bake meat with mushrooms in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees for 45-55 minutes. During this time the roll should be well baked.

Properly presenting a dish to the dinner table

To have the right effect on your guests, meatloaf should be presented correctly. To do this, you need to carefully remove it from the oven and place it on a large plate. Next, you need to remove all the toothpicks or rope from the stuffed piece of meat, and then cut it into portions 1-1.6 centimeters thick.

It is advisable to serve this dish to invited guests along with a side dish or salad of raw vegetables and herbs.

Let's sum it up

As you can see, cooking marbled beef at home is not very difficult. It should also be noted that dishes using such meat turn out incredibly tender, tasty and juicy.

If you want to get a more flavorful steak, chops or roll, then it is recommended to pre-process the purchased piece of beef, season it with spices and leave it aside for soaking. I would also like to say about the choice of this product. For frying in the oven or on the stove, it is best to purchase chilled meat. But if you can’t find one, then you can take frozen beef once. As for fresh meat, it is not suitable for creating fried dishes. This is due to the fact that dishes made from such a product turn out tough, even though you used a young piece of marble.

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than cooking for yourself))

Content

This is a special product, characterized by the presence of many layers of fat, which make the meat very juicy and tender. The tenderloin looks unusual - the pink color is permeated with white streaks, which forms the marbling of the meat. During cooking, the fat layers melt, filling the dish with juice, due to which it acquires a unique softness and aroma. The most expensive meat is the one that has the maximum number of such layers.

What is marbled meat

More often this term is used for beef, but can also be used for pork, horse meat (Yakut horse tenderloin). Marble meat is a piece of red fillet that contains a sufficient amount of intramuscular fat, arranged in layers, and resembles a marble pattern. Marbling is rare in young cows and bulls, since in veal fat develops first in the area of ​​the heart, kidneys, and near the pelvis (under the skin). Only after the animal matures, fatty fibers begin to form in the intermuscular space and directly inside the muscles.

What is the difference between marbled beef and regular beef?

There are two main types of cows – beef and dairy breeds. The latter are designed to give milk, which is what they do all their lives. When a cow of this breed gets old, it is sent to slaughter. Such meat is sold in markets and supermarkets. Beef cows are bred specifically to be slaughtered after a certain period of fattening (grain or grass). Such animals are genetically predisposed to the growth of intramuscular fat, due to which the beef has a marbled pattern.

The meat with streaks of fat is very soft, juicy and tender. Marbled veal does not often appear on store shelves; it is highly valued because it requires strict adherence to rearing technology. Marbled pork, like beef, is considered a delicacy due to its small share in the total volume of meat products produced, while the demand for it is increasing. Selected beefsteak with layers of fat cooks very quickly - young meat only takes a few minutes.

How marbled beef is raised

In the Russian Federation, the selection of beef cattle is only gaining momentum. One of the leaders in this agricultural segment is the Zarechnoye group of companies, which produces products under the Primebeef brand. This marbled meat is obtained from Aberdeen Angus bulls, which are grazed and fed in the ecologically clean region of the Kaluga and Voronezh regions.

During the year, the animals live in an environment close to natural; they eat meadow grasses on free range, after which they are transferred to feedlots. The manufacturer gives them a special multi-component cereal mixture based on wet corn for six months. As a result, high-quality marbled meat ends up on the shelves, from which juicy steaks are made. To ensure that the flavor of the beef has time to fully develop, it undergoes two weeks of wet maturation before delivery to stores.

Factors affecting marbling

This term determines the presence of intramuscular fat in meat. Evaluators look at the volume and distribution of fatty fibers in the longissimus dorsi muscle between the 12th and 13th ribs. The degree of marbling is one of the main criteria for determining the quality category of a product. This indicator depends on the breed, genetic data of the animal, and selection. Beef cattle (Wagyu, Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn, etc.) and dairy cattle (Holstein, Jersey) have more fatty tissue in their muscles.

You won't get marbled meat without proper nutrition. The longer cattle are fed high-calorie feed, the greater the chance of obtaining the highest possible quality indicators of beef, but at the same time a significantly smaller amount of marbled tenderloin will be produced (the ratio of lean meat to marbled meat changes in favor of the former as the animal ages). Feeding cows and steers large quantities of grains such as corn and barley will change the color of the live from yellow to white. In addition, the chances of obtaining higher quality in accordance with accepted standards will increase.

Insufficient physical activity is a factor that also affects the cultivation of marbled meat. Steers and cows that were raised in cramped stalls have softer meat than animals that were allowed to roam a lot. Thus, animals limited in movement easily accumulate fat inside the muscles, and their tenderloin becomes soft. Free-range cattle eat a lot of fiber-rich grass (instead of grain) and have a lot of force on their muscles when walking, so the muscle tissue becomes dry.

The world's generally accepted technology for raising and feeding livestock to produce marbled meat is feedlots, which are areas for fattening high-calorie feed for at least 4-5 months before slaughter. The animal's initial growth period is during free grazing. The Kobe breed of bulls is fed milk until they are six months old, after which they are transferred to pasture, where they grow with virtually no human intervention on free grazing.

Grown-up cattle are transferred to individual rooms with soundproof walls and suspended on reins so that they cannot move, but also do not lie, since then the muscles will be under tension to evenly layer the tissues with fat. At this time, the bulls receive selected grain and high-quality beer (the latter is needed to improve appetite). This diet increases fat deposition. The average standard for grain feeding is 200-300 days. In order for the fat to penetrate deeper, forming thin layers in the muscles, the bulls are periodically given vibration massage.

Types of marbled steaks

Beef steaks are an expensive dish, the meat for which is taken from the best parts of beef carcasses. Only a tenth of the entire cow is suitable for their preparation. Modern cooking distinguishes the following types of steaks, the names of which indicate the place of the carcass from which the meat was cut:

• club steak - cut from the back at the thick edge of the longissimus dorsi muscle, has a small rib bone;

• ribeye steak – taken from the subscapular part of the animal’s body, has a large amount of fatty tissue;

• T-bone steak - meat on a T-shaped bone, cut at the border between the lumbar and back parts near the thin edge of the longissimus dorsi muscle and the thin edge of the tenderloin, due to which it consists of two different types of fillet (New York bone and filet mignon) ;

• striploin steak – taken from the strip of the lumbar region, without bones;

• porterhouse steak - cut from the loin of the cow at the thick end of the tenderloin;

• roundramb steak - cut from the upper part of the hip area;

• Sirloin steak is marbled meat that is cut from the loin in the area of ​​the head of the tenderloin;

• screet steak - a very tasty, expensive piece from the diaphragm of an animal;

• filet mignon - a transverse thin cut of the central region of the sirloin with the most tender meat;

• tornedos - small slices from the thin edge of the central part of the tenderloin, which are used to prepare medallions;

• Chateaubriand is the thick edge of the central part of the tenderloin, which is fried whole, not unlike filet mignon, but is not served standing on a plate, but laid out lengthwise.

How to cook meat

To fry marbled fillet on a grill or frying pan, use the rib cut, which has a high degree of fat and juiciness. This version of the dish in restaurants is more valuable than others. Steamed beef is not recommended. When cooking steak, it is better not to rush, otherwise the inside of the piece will remain raw. The optimal temperature for marbled beef according to the classic recipe is 160 degrees.

When cooking meat over low heat, turn it often, heating the product evenly on all sides. You will get not just a beautiful crust, but also a well-fried dish inside. You should not allow the muscle fibers to contract from the shock of the heat, as they will quickly release all the moisture and the steak will come out dry. If there is a fat rim on the piece, do not cut it off when cutting the fillet, but leave it while it is fried, then the steak will be as juicy as possible. Excess fat can be trimmed off after cooking. Vegetables or potatoes serve as a side dish for marbled beef.

Price

The cost of this type of meat differs depending on where it is purchased. You can buy marbled steak at the market, in the supermarket and even on the Internet. Let's imagine the average prices for the product in Moscow:

type of product		Cost in rubles
Thick edge on the bone, back cut, frozen
Chilled ribeye piece

Told by Ivan Shishkin, March 4, 2013

1 0 0 131795

Marbled meat is considered to be a standard product for quality. Special beef breeds of cattle and a carefully selected feeding regime provide the ideal combination of muscle fibers and fatty inclusions in the meat, which ensures the standard taste of the finished product. Ivan Shishkin, chef of the Moscow restaurants Delicatessen and Tapa De Comida, believes that all this is nothing more than a beautiful marketing story.

Ivan Shishkin

About the juiciness and fat content of meat

I'm not against marbled meat as a food product. Such meat is popular in the market, it is in demand, and it is eaten. Another thing is that marbling of meat should in no case be the leading quality criterion.

Pay attention to what people order in restaurants today. An adult man, a healthy boar, enters a restaurant and orders tenderloin - the most textureless, tender, most flaccid meat from a taste point of view. In my opinion, there is no point in frying tenderloin - it's cotton wool. However, men order Filet Mignon or Chateaubriand, which 15 years ago were considered dishes for fragile girls.

This is due to the emerging marketing situation. After the introduction of intensive livestock farming technologies, it turned out that cows that grew up immobilized in cramped stalls (feedlots) produce very soft meat - due to the fact that their muscles do not experience the same stress as those of “free-roaming” cows. A lot of such soft meat appeared on the market, and the people who sold it managed to convince everyone that it was a premium product.

A stall selling marbled beef in Japan.

Japanese Wagyu bulls are given massages, beer is added to their diet for appetite, and they are given classical music to listen to.

To explain the higher price, they began to say that this meat is “marbled” and that it is more tender and juicy, which, of course, is not true - the fat content of the meat does not mean juiciness. Although there is some truth in this statement - intramuscular fat has a soft structure. And its melting point is lower, about two degrees, than that of skeletal fat. Intramuscular fat imparts a certain softness to the finished product.

Where did marbled meat come from?

By and large, the myth about the elitism of marbled meat arose by accident. The technology of “marbling” meat appeared at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries in Japan. When the Japanese first brought cows to the islands (this happened in the middle of the first millennium BC), the animals developed completely independently, the breed did not cross with anyone, that is, it was a monoherd, genetically homogeneous, pure. At that time, cattle were used as draft power; they were not raised for meat.

Raising cows for meat in Japan began in the mid-19th century. And there is very little space for this on the islands, so the animals were driven into these cramped stalls. And the cows began to quickly get fat. More precisely, it’s not cows, but bulls—it’s bulls that are raised for meat. Although now there are several farms producing exclusively cow meat.

Marbling of meat is a consequence of the body’s natural ability to accumulate fat between muscle fibers. But this property manifests itself only in captivity. Animals growing in free conditions almost never accumulate fat, that is, wild animals will never produce marbled meat, because they are constantly on the move, get their own food and do not receive an excess amount of calories.

To obtain marbled meat, the first step was to immobilize the animals, place them in a stall and transfer them from a natural grass diet to a diet containing a large amount of carbohydrates, namely a grain diet. Such a diet is unnatural for a cow - its gastrointestinal tract is adapted to repeated grinding, fermentation and re-fermentation of coarse cellulose feed. And there is much less cellulose in grain than in grass, so fermentation occurs in a completely wrong way - flatulence occurs in animals.

Chianina bulls are the largest on the planet in size and weight

Steak Florentine is often ordered for a large group.

When the Japanese learned to make marbled meat, this knowledge remained within their culture for a long time. The rest of the world was content with cows that roamed freely and were driven over vast distances.

Today, meat growing technologies have led to the fact that it is possible to produce not only marbled beef, but also lamb, pork, and even horse meat. It's quite strange and quite interesting. I actually think marbled ducks will appear soon.

Marbling of meat is not a quality criterion

In Italy, they raise the famous breed of tall bulls - Chianina. These are the largest bulls on the planet in terms of size and weight. The average three-year-old bull weighs one and a half tons, and is up to two meters tall at the withers. Previously, they were used to plow and pull carts with cargo. This breed is not prone to marbling at all. But, nevertheless, the most famous Italian specialty - Fiorentina steak - is prepared from a huge cut of the lumbar part of Chianina. Such a steak cannot be eaten alone - it is a romantic dinner for two, or even for a whole company. I once witnessed how a Florentine steak was successfully divided between eight grown men, who fell away full of it.

So, this steak - a cult meat specialty - does not contain marbling at all. That is, it turns out that quality criteria consist of other components:

— the ratio of meat and fat in the carcass;
- aging, cold ripening;
- of course, the breed. Different breeds have different muscle fiber sizes. The fibers can be long or short, thin or thick - this is what determines the taste of the meat and what makes the meat soft, not because of the fatty streaks.

Some breeds are more prone to intramuscular fat accumulation, others less so. Everyone knows Angus dogs are predisposed to marbling. But the same Angus gives excellent taste and fantastic quality meat if it lives in free-range conditions. Its carcass contains the most magnificent skeletal fat, so yellowish, in contrast to the bright white intramuscular fat. This fat accumulates carotene from plants. That is, there is already some benefit in this. But this fat is more refractory.

A bull that was kept on a grain diet - fat folds are clearly visible.

The chef of the BLT Steak restaurant (Miami) demonstrates a piece of meat from which a premium steak will be made.

If the animal walked a lot and covered long distances, then, of course, its meat will be denser. But such meat can be prepared completely differently. You need to put the steak on the grill, turn it over, cut off the fried parts from it - this can take several hours.

This is how it is customary to prepare the meat of bulls from Latin America, which not only walk, but are specially driven, like Sidorov’s goats, they are racers. They have a very high calorie diet. During the season, they eat good food in open meadows, accumulate protein mass well, and their diet contains a lot of legumes enriched with nitrogen. Their meat tastes great.

Be a man - chew meat!

In my opinion, marbled meat is truly a premium product. It is soft, expensive and makes life easier for everyone: producers, sellers, cooks, and buyers.

It is beneficial for the producer to raise cows in cramped stalls - it is much more expensive to keep them on free grazing. And the resulting product is sold at a higher price than the meat of free-grazing cows. The sellers are also happy. From a business perspective, this is brilliant. From the point of view of humanity and attitude towards nature, it is a complete disgrace.

Nowadays, eggs from chickens that were not kept in poultry houses, but roamed freely, are very popular. These eggs really taste better, and people buy them with pleasure. But keeping chickens free-range is cheaper than keeping cows. With poultry it is possible to move away from intensive livestock farming; with cattle this will not happen in the near future.

Now it makes no sense for a cook to try to convince a client who already has a strong stereotype that marbled meat is the best product. For the cook, this is even more convenient in some ways - now you just need to throw a piece of meat on a hot grill, heat it on both sides, no matter how many times you turn it over, flavor it and serve it.

For the consumer, everything is also very easy - he receives a deliberately soft piece of meat, he eats it without encountering any resistance: there is no need to chew - it melts in the mouth. And we are no longer talking about where the taste of beef is, where it all comes from, what it’s all for.

What is primary is not softness, not fatness or texture, but taste! But it is not present in soft meat - it is, in fact, lost. Wanting to make the job easier with a knife, fork and teeth, we lost the real taste of meat.

“It’s easier to raise marbled beef than non-marbled beef. The cows stand in their stall, eat high-calorie food, they don’t need space to graze, they don’t need anything.”

Although in our time, when everyone’s teeth are in order, dental care has become accessible, it would seem, let’s make normal meat! We will chew it and enjoy it, feel the juice entering our mouth with each chewing movement and enjoy it. But no - everyone wants to mash it with their teeth and swallow it without chewing.

But the premium product that is marbled meat is a delicacy that cannot be eaten every day. Everyday food should be simple and truly tasty. But we continue to live with the imposed stereotype that marbled meat tastes better.

Producing marbled meat is easy!

In fact, no matter how strange it may seem, it is easier to raise marbled beef than non-marbled beef. Cows stand in their stall, eat high-calorie food, they don’t need space to graze, they don’t need anything. Take out the manure, bring in the feed – that’s all. It's like a chicken coop, they are locked in their own manure.

Japanese manufacturers say that they even play music to make the cows calmer, and they also massage them. So the tradition of massaging cows did not come from the fact that they wanted to make the meat more tender and softer. After all, massaging a cow is nonsense! A boxer could hit her and she wouldn't feel a thing. She has thick skin and a high pain threshold. But in reality they massage the cows because they are overcrowded. Cows in narrow stalls are simply immobilized; massage creates the illusion of movement.

This immediately raises the question of a double standard. All over the world there are organizations that are trying to ban something - foie gras, for example. But raising poultry for foie gras is a common family farming activity in many countries around the world, of course, most of all in France. The question is, how does force-feeding geese differ from forcibly transferring an animal to high-calorie food?

Premium product of the Iberico brand.

Steak Florentine is the most famous Italian specialty.

Moreover, a cow should not be tube fed. Her digestion is structured in such a way that it is impossible for her to fill her belly up to her throat. She has a movement of ruminant mass - both down and up, she periodically regurgitates part of the intestine and chews it again, then this mass is fermented. It is impossible to force a cow to eat, but you can stimulate its appetite, say, by pouring beer into its food so that it infuses, broods, and accumulates excess fat.

Wet aging is another myth

In the entire history of the “marbling” of meat, there is a grain of slyness. I will say more - with the proper technology for preparing a steak, in blind testing, meat in the “select” category in the American grading system does not differ from meat in the non-marbled category at all. I think the average consumer won't notice any difference at all if it's good aged meat that's already matured and has a rim of skeletal fat and has been refrigerated fermented.

Fat has no taste as such; it is only a carrier of taste. The taste of beef that is present in the meat without the marbling.

How to cook meat from a free-range cow

When it comes to cooking steak, you need to remember: the slower you go, the slower you go. This rule applies to any process related to cooking.

5% of dishes benefit from being cooked quickly, but the vast majority benefit from slow cooking, and steak is a good example. Just throw a piece of marbled meat into a frying pan heated to 220-250°C and turn it over a couple of times. Looks ready on the outside and warmed through - time to serve.

Marbled Angus bull meat.

Free-range Angus steak - no intramuscular fat.

It's not like steak cooked on a slow grill at about 160°C. If you cook it on a slow grill, turn it often, heat it evenly on all sides so that not only does the crust form, but the piece is still cooked inside. You cannot allow the muscle fibers to be shocked, contract and thereby squeeze out all the moisture. If there is a rim of fat, it must be left for the duration of frying - this is a strictly necessary condition for the flavor to concentrate. There is no desire to eat fatty meat - this crust can be cut off, but only after the meat is completely cooked. Then you will get quality, taste and texture comparable to marbled meat.

Why marbled meat does not bring happiness

I guarantee that free-range bulls will taste more like beef. This is exactly what I look for in meat. I’m not just looking for a protein product that’s easy to pop into my mouth and chew, but I’m looking for taste. I look for the taste of beef in beef, and the taste of pork in pork. Many people say that pork has no taste, but this is not true: pork has its own distinct taste, which you like or not, just like lamb and goat meat. The flavor of any meat depends on a gentle post-processing process.
There is no happiness from this marbled meat. It is important that the meat is clean, well-fed, properly slaughtered, properly seasoned and cooked according to the rules.

Beef cattle are distinguished by their early maturity and characteristic physique (wide body, well-developed back and lower back muscles). By the age of 15–20 months, young animals reach a weight of 450 kg, and with intensive fattening - up to 600 kg. The slaughter yield of meat from a meat carcass is 52–58%. Unlike breeds of other directions, in beef cattle, fat is deposited not only under the skin, in the omentum and near the kidneys, but also in the intermuscular space. As a result, the meat of such animals, with good fatness, acquires marbling, i.e. cross-sectional appearance reminiscent of the texture of a noble stone.

Marbling is achieved by a special technology for fattening livestock (in addition to cattle, pork and even lamb are marred). The animals' diet includes a special feed mixture containing large amounts of corn, grain, and alfalfa. Marbled meat is obtained from animals of various meat breeds, which are raised in many countries of the world: in the USA, Australia, Japan, France, South America (Argentina, Chile, Ecuador), etc. Beef cattle in Russia are represented by such breeds as Kalmyk, Kazakh white-headed , Hereford, Shorthorn, Charolais, limousine, etc.

Properties of marbled meat

Marbled meat is rightfully considered a delicacy, as it has a special taste due to intramuscular fat, evenly distributed in the form of fatty layers between muscle fibers. During heat treatment of products made from such meat, the fat layers melt, filling the meat with juice, and it acquires unique softness and tenderness. Marbling has its own gradations depending on intensity, i.e. frequencies of white inclusions in fibers. The higher the marbling, the more tender the steak. American statisticians have calculated steak quality coefficients depending on the degree of marbling of raw meat. The American grading of meat involves three degrees of marbling (in increasing order): select, choice, premium.

Japan is the main consumer and homeland of marbled meat

Marbled meat appeared in Japan in the 60s of the 19th century. For fattening for marbled meat, the Japanese use animals called Wagyu. The term Wagyu refers to the steers of a family of several breeds that are genetically predisposed to intense marbling of the meat. Etymology of the word Wagyu: Wa means "Japanese", gyu - cattle; together it turns out Wagyu - “Japanese cow”. The most famous Japanese breeds of the Wagyu group are Tajima, Tottori, Shimane, Kochi and Kumamoto. These breeds are genetically predisposed to the appearance of fatty layers in the meat. Bulls of “marble” breeds are especially sedentary, complacent and phlegmatic. The Wagyu group of breeds are developed by crossing local beef cattle breeds with British ones.
It is from Tajima bulls that Kobe is made, ready-to-eat marbled meat from animals that have been raised and killed under certain conditions. Japanese cattle breeders explain that a live bull cannot yet be called Kobe, it should be called Tajima, but a piece of raw meat is already Kobe. Thus, Kobe is not a breed, but an ancient Japanese technology: a set of methods for raising and slaughtering Tajima bulls.

Secrets of producing marbled meat

The Japanese achieve the exclusivity of “marbled” meat using a special technology for raising bulls – Kobe. Using this technology, calves are fed milk for up to 4–6 months, and then they are transferred to pasture grazing, where they live a free life, with virtually no human intervention. The bulls that have grown on pastures to a certain body weight are placed in individual rooms with soundproof walls and suspended on reins. This is done so that the bulls cannot move, but also do not lie down, since the animal’s muscles must be tense to evenly distribute the fat layers in the muscle tissues.
During this period, the bulls are fed with selected grain and are given high-quality beer to improve their appetite. The combination of vitamin B1 contained in the feed with weak alcohol increases fat deposition. The longer a bull is fed grain, the more “marbling” its meat becomes. Average grain feeding standard: 200–300 days. In order for the fat to go deep into the muscles and form thin veins in the muscle tissue, the bull is given a vibration massage, the techniques of which are reminiscent of beating. To improve digestion in animals, Japanese classical music is played indoors.
But in all other countries of the world, this technology is prohibited by law: it is impossible to buy real marbled meat in stores in Russia and Europe. In addition, this technology is very complex and expensive (according to some sources, even in Japan itself, the price of such meat can exceed $500 per kg). Therefore, there is no need to talk about industrial scale production of marbled meat.

Marbled meat in the world

The main suppliers to the global marbled beef market are the USA and Australia. Farms in these countries use a feeding system that is simpler and cheaper than in Japan. The same free grazing of young animals on pastures is used. Then the animals are immobilized and fed grain (not always wheat, more often corn and animal feed). The average grain-fed standard is 120–150 days.

Sometimes dry wine, milk and even honey are added to the diet (at least in environmentally friendly Australia). Honey fattening determines the accumulation of substances in the muscles, which contribute not only to greater “looseness” and softness of the meat, but also to the formation of a crust during frying, which leads to greater preservation of nutrients in the finished product. True, the world leaders in the production of marbled meat use cheaper chemical additives to achieve the same goals. It should also be said about grass-fed, when animals are fattened on pastures all the time after weaning from the cow until slaughter. In this case, the meat turns out leaner. In this case, the bet is made mainly on a genetic predisposition to marbling. The cost of marbled meat produced using this technology does not exceed 200 euros/kg.

In most cases, American-style marbled meat is the meat of young bulls of specially bred meat breeds: Angus, Aberdeen, Hereford, Charolais, Limousin, which are raised on ecologically clean meadows and fed with corn grain according to a special program. The most popular marble breed is Black Angus. Animals of this breed are undemanding, adapt well to external conditions, are resistant to diseases, obedient, and fertile.

Post-mortem maturation of marbled meat

After the slaughter of an animal, marbled meat is not immediately ready for sale and consumption. Intramuscular fat distributed in meat tissues becomes clearly visible only if fresh meat is kept in refrigerated rooms for at least 24 hours. With longer holding (for 2–3 weeks), at a temperature of 0 to +2 ºС, enzymes, present in meat, activate chemical processes that destroy muscle fibers. Under the influence of enzymes, meat becomes more tender, and its flavor “bouquet” is finally formed. After ripening, the carcass is cut into parts according to accepted standards, all parts of the cut are vacuum packed and sent to the consumer either frozen (in sea containers) or chilled (in air containers).

Current knowledge about marbled meat

Modern medical research shows that marbled meat is significantly ahead of regular beef in terms of the content of nitrogenous extractives, pantothenic acid, and biotin. These substances enhance the secretory function of the digestive system and promote better digestibility of foods.

“Marbled” meat contains iron in an easily digestible form, as well as compounds that prevent the formation of cholesterol. “Marbled” meat actively promotes the removal from the body of substances that provoke cancer. It is not for nothing that the administrations of all children's educational institutions in Japan are obliged to feed children only meat products with high marbling.