Holiday Hot Spots For Carnivores
Each country, region and city has its own signature dish or speciality, but a universal yardstick for quality, is without a doubt the steak. Steak is such a simple meal, yet it is so easy to get wrong, and so hard to perfect. There are so many elements that go into creating the perfect steak – the cut, the quality of the meat, the cooking technique, the presentation, and of course; the all important side dishes…so here are five countries to visit if you want a great steak…
Argentina
The true king of beef producing countries, and I’m not talking about burger kings… This South American country is renowned for its beef cuts for a variety of reasons; the majority of live stock are allowed to roam here and feed on grass rather than corn, which allegedly results in better fat distribution throughout the meat.
Cuts are different to, with the humble T-Bone being divided into two separate and distinct sections. Rather than cooking with propane, Argentines prefer slow cooking over wood, with plenty of smoke, this gives an even finish resulting in a juicy, creamy texture, without the use of any additional spices of seasoning.
Japan
Being a relatively small series of mountainous islands, Japan has little room for rearing cattle, meaning that the locals enjoy a diet rich in seafood. What Japan lacks in quantity of beef however, it more than makes up for in quality. Kobe beef is named after the area in which it is farmed, but the ‘Wagyu’ breed of breed of cow is the real reason behind the outstanding beef this country produces. The breed has a genetic predisposition to produce meat that’s highly marbled with fat, creating an extremely succulent, tender cut with a high percentage of healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
USA
The U.S, with its vast plains, is the ideal environment for raising happy, healthy cattle. The country makes great use of its livestock reserves with an abundance of steak houses, in fact the country has such an obsession with steak that different cities are indeed famous for their own unique cuts and cooking styles.
Take the New York Strip steak for example, the centre piece of an iconic meal eaten by almost every tourist in the city, add to that cuts like the Teppanyaki, Prime Rib and Porterhouse, Cajun blackened, and Philly cheesesteak, each refined and perfected in different regions of the country. For those with big appetites, try a Texas steakhouse; with humungous portions here, you only pay if you don’t finish your meal!
Scotland
Go anywhere in the UK and you’ll hear about Aberdeen Angus steak. It may have developed a bit of a bad reputation recently, especially with all the sub-par tourist-trap ‘Aberdeen Angus’ steakhouse franchise in London and fast food chains like Burger King branding their burgers in-line the well-known highland beef variety.
Despite this, steaks made from Aberdeen Angus cattle are among the most highly regarded in the world, the highlands of Scotland create the perfect grazing and roaming conditions, meaning the grass-fed Angus black and Red varieties yield tender, marbled meat.
Australia
It speaks volumes about the quality of Australian beef when you consider that one of the most popular steak houses franchises in the world – The Outback Steak House – although started in Tampa, Florida is named after Oz’s vast plains, ideal for raising cattle!
Australia is also home to the Surf ‘n’ Turf, a dish which ingeniously combines steak and seafood in one mouth watering meal, this is crafted nowhere better than Kingsley’s Steak and Crabhouse, one of the best chains in Oz to get a meat fix.
Joe is a steak lover and travel blogger, he always makes sure he samples the steak wherever he travels. He’s looking forward to seeing what’s on offer when he takes his Caribbean holidays later this year!
