Reply to: Steak advice?

[vetran]

and for lunch some nice fillet steak, egg and spinach sandwiches. Washed down with Vimto squash - livin the dream (and emptying the freezer so we can film the sequel to "The Thing" in the permafrost)

[d000hg]

What is this 'poor' of which you all speak?

It's when mummy and daddy don't give you everything, and you have just got married on a graduate salary in your first home These things are relative obviously, we were probably still among the highest earning family on the street, but not buying-sirloin-rich

[Gibbon]

Thanks for the help guys. Played it safe and bought 10oz sirloins from a local butcher. 9 steaks for £66.

A mate brought their firepit so we got a nice sear, though they were wide and thinner so took virtually no time to cook. Came a bit more on the medium side but still so tender.

For a decade or more I've refused to cook steak at home after failed attempts in the past (when we were poor and bought cheap cuts) so it's something of a revelation that for 5 or 7 quid I can do a really decent steak, rather than 30 in a restaurant...

And I ended £4 up on the poker too

I haven't had steak in a restaurant since 4 years ago when the Xmas do at Hawksmoor forced me. They never do it like I like it, pan fried in a cast iron pan with plenty of butter to baste it and then at least 20 mins resting in a 50 degrees C oven.

But good effort and get doing it more at home.

[ladymuck]

Now go and watch Idiocracy (or read The Marching Morons), and get breeding!

I always have, and always will, say that Idiocracy was a documentary.

[NotAllThere]

That's my argument to any veggie who tries to preach to me. I point out that their breeding of their offspring is far more damaging to the planet than my steak and jacket spud every week. Having not bred, I'm helping the planet no end (there's an open goal Vetran, go on, take the shot )

Now go and watch Idiocracy (or read The Marching Morons), and get breeding!

[DealorNoDeal]

Still the best rump steak we've found after 2 years of trying local butchers, farm shops and on-line butchers across the country.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/b.../1000024153964

[ladymuck]

What is this 'poor' of which you all speak?

[jamesbrown]

Your bought steak when you were poor? You were lucky. We had to marinade shoe leather in paraffin and cook on coal fire.

You had paraffin when you were poor?

We had to use ditch water and make cooking noises.

[Paddy]

Thanks for the help guys. Played it safe and bought 10oz sirloins from a local butcher. 9 steaks for £66.

A mate brought their firepit so we got a nice sear, though they were wide and thinner so took virtually no time to cook. Came a bit more on the medium side but still so tender.

For a decade or more I've refused to cook steak at home after failed attempts in the past (when we were poor and bought cheap cuts) so it's something of a revelation that for 5 or 7 quid I can do a really decent steak, rather than 30 in a restaurant...

And I ended £4 up on the poker too

Your bought steak when you were poor? You were lucky. We had to marinade shoe leather in paraffin and cook on coal fire.

[malvolio]

Sounds like a good evening all ways round!

[d000hg]

Thanks for the help guys. Played it safe and bought 10oz sirloins from a local butcher. 9 steaks for £66.

A mate brought their firepit so we got a nice sear, though they were wide and thinner so took virtually no time to cook. Came a bit more on the medium side but still so tender.

For a decade or more I've refused to cook steak at home after failed attempts in the past (when we were poor and bought cheap cuts) so it's something of a revelation that for 5 or 7 quid I can do a really decent steak, rather than 30 in a restaurant...

And I ended £4 up on the poker too

[DealorNoDeal]

And in response to DnD's earlier post, somebody's farmer friend will have to change his ways. This from the Grauniad, which also clears up a few other points.

Well, if that means more dairy breeds of cattle ending up as "steak", then I'll have to be even more careful shopping in future. Although I suspect most of it will end up on supermarket shelves which I generally avoid. Apart from Asda Aberdeen Angus of course.

BTW, it's not just the fact that they are dairy cattle that I wouldn't touch the beef from the farmer near us. I've seen what they're being fed on.

[malvolio]

And in response to DnD's earlier post, somebody's farmer friend will have to change his ways. This from the Grauniad, which also clears up a few other points.

[Whorty]

Very old cows, that are past their prime as milkers, probably end up as pet food.

Most dairy farmers don't raise cattle for beef. Sadly, that's why most male calves are killed at birth. They only need female calves for the dairy herd. The margins on beef are tight, and it's generally not worth the cost of rearing dairy breeds for meat when they don't carry a premium like beef cattle.

No decent restaurant chef would buy steak that came from a dairy cow. And neither would I.

That's not what I said ... I said my guess is that they are used a meat in processed meals and pet food.

A quick google confirms this.

Lady dairy cows are ‘retired’ when they can no longer produce enough milk. It’s typically an inglorious ending to an animal that has churned out thousands of gallons of milk during a ten year lifetime. In conventional dairy herds, these cows will often be sent to the slaughterhouse and turned into cheap burgers, soup, or even dog food.

[DealorNoDeal]

My guess, and it is a guess but I'd be surprised if I was far off, is that dairy cows go to 'beef products' such as burgers, microwave lasagne etc, and dog/cat food. It's still meat, and still has a value, so unlikely to be just dumped. So given the volume of this type of food that is consumed in the UK I wouldn't be that surprised if more dairy cows are eaten compared to beef cows.

My logic could be completely flawed

Very old cows, that are past their prime as milkers, probably end up as pet food.

Most dairy farmers don't raise cattle for beef. Sadly, that's why most male calves are killed at birth. They only need female calves for the dairy herd. The margins on beef are tight, and it's generally not worth the cost of rearing dairy breeds for meat when they don't carry a premium like beef cattle.

No decent restaurant chef would buy steak that came from a dairy cow. And neither would I.