As part of Slow Food Month in San Francisco, the Artisan Beef Institute sponsored a blind steak tasting in the Teatro ZinZanni tent on Pier 29. Since it was on a Monday night, IÂ represented the Steak Adventure team along with three guest tasters. The idea was to prove to participants that steak is somewhat like wine in that the flavor varies greatly depending on the breed of cow, the location in which it is raised and what she is fed. A local rancher, butcher, chef, and sommelier were on hand to give background and answer any questions.
The meal began with a palate cleanser of cold cucumber soup. It was garnished with a large handful of cilantro to which I’m allergic, so it will not be reviewed. Next came two ounces each of four kinds of steak accompanied by a corn and herb flan and apples for cleansing the palate. The meal was topped off with a scrumptious cherry tart.
The slices of meat were laid out at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. Everyone was encouraged to go around their plate three times to taste each type alone, with Merlot, and then with Cabernet. All of the steaks were New York strips prepared medium rare. In one of the few slip-ups of the evening, salt and pepper had been added. While the panel highly recommended pre-salting as part of preparation, all agreed that pepper can cloud or even dominate the flavor of the meat. There were also a few tables that received medium slices, although some seemed to prefer that level of doneness.
The meat was to be judged on three main qualities. Texture might be catalogued as tough, chewy, firm, bouncy, like butter, or mush. The personality might be characterized as unbalanced, flat, layered, savory, gamy, or straightforward. This could be further defined with flavor notes of Roquefort, maples syrup, mushroom, etc. Lastly, the mouthfeel could be described as dry, moist, coats the palate or oily. Impressions were recorded on a prepared sheet, which also allowed for an overall rating from 1 (never again) to 10 (outstanding) and a ranking from 1 to 4.
You may have noticed over the course of our Steak Adventures that I most often order ribeye or prime rib. I generally prefer well-marbled meat with some firmness to it and a lingering finish. Even blind, this preference played out. As my overwhelming first choice I chose the Kobe beef from Nebraska. This was a grain-fed cow bred from Waygu and Angus stock, wet-aged a minimum of 21 days. I described it as moist and rich with a slightly olive oil flavor. In fact, the taste overwhelmed the somewhat-bland Cabernet.
My second favorite was the Charolais, a dry-aged grain-fed cow from Colorado. This breed originated in Bourgogne, France and is used by chefs throughout Europe. I described it as buttery with a basic meaty taste and a short finish that worked well with the Cabernet.
In third place was the Holstein-Friesian wet-aged steak. This breed originated in the Netherlands, but has been available in America since the late 1800s. The cattle—mostly cast-offs of dairy cows—are fed a combination of grain, hay, vitamins and minerals resulting in a very fine texture. I found it boring unless washed down with massive amounts of Merlot.
Finally, my least favorite was the grass-fed Angus from Sonoma. Jason and I have suspected that we really don’t like grass-fed beef ever since our disappointing dinner at Acme Chop House. My notes said, ‘too tender, livery, slightly weird, strong aftertaste.’ On a scale of 1 to 10 I rated it a 2, figuring I’d eat it again if I absolutely had to.
When queried about their favorite steak, the 60 participants were split almost evenly among the four options. Certainly, the Artisan Beef Institute had made their point. While not all of us have such a wide range of options, it is helpful to know that a cow has been given quality feed, raised in a quality area such as Nebraska, Colorado, or California, and has not been overly stressed. The rest, as they say, is a matter of taste.