Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

[DennisLinkletter]

I saw these sirloin steaks in a local market in Bali and was fascinated by the marbling.. Googled it and found this: Meltique Beef Meltique Beefs unique technique uses a highly developed method of inserting soluble oil into lean meat cuts to baste the meat internally through the cooking process. This ensures that all the natural juices are retained so the full flavour profile and tenderness of Australian beef is consistently delivered. Our method perfects the traditional French ‘larding’ process and applies it successfully to a range of primal frozen beef products at very competitive prices. It's pretty cool looking eeh? ;)

[Tribeless]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Looks to me like they're trying to artificially create an equivalent of the marbled Japanese Wagyu beef.

http://www.wagyu.net/home.html

There's a company in New Zealand, Five Star Beef, running a single unit (about an hour from where I live) that is also attempting to 'naturally' create a marbled beef product by selective breeding of Angus cattle in a unit where the cattle are not caged, but don't have a lot of room to move around, and are fed a special mix. I've toured the unit and don't know if I'm all that comfortable with it: some of the really big cattle near the end of the cycle look as much like sea elephants as cattle. Although, I hasten to say, none of the cattle looked distressed, indeed, the opposite. And the firm takes animal welfare very seriously.

But still ... actually, I feel a bit of a good natured rant coming on.

I'm wondering if there is a big difference in taste between US reared beef and New Zealand beef? I'll say why, in a minute, but I understand a lot of US beef is feedlot reared, is that right? New Zealand has some particular competitive agricultural advantages, among then, we grow grass year round, so dairy, sheep, deer and beef milk and meat are almost wholly grass fed (and ranging in large paddocks). The above specially designed Five Star Beef unit would be the only enterprise that could be called a feedlot in the country. (That I can think of, anyway.)

Well, no, I think our dairy industry is getting so big now, they're 'having' to move away from that advantage by needing to ship in supplements such as palm kernal, creating much more intensive, higher input cost systems, which work fine on the current high payout, but might be problematic when it slips. The average sized dairy herd around where I live in South Canterbury is probably approaching 2,000 cows, and the biggest dairy farmer in NZ has a 40,000 cow herd.

... sidetracked. Our other competitive advantage is that agriculture was almost wholly de-regulated in the late 1980's, meaning our farmers don't receive a single cent in taxpayer subsidies, plus we don't protect our markets, meaning product here, though getting more expensive, is probably still cheap on world standards. Ironically , two of the most protected markets for our farmers to sell into are two of the supposed big 'free markets', Japan and the US A protected market always results in higher costs for the consumer of the protected country so it would be fascinating to do a beef price comparison between the US and NZ.

Though that wasn't my rant. This is. When I bought my KK, now into its third week, and started reading this great forum, I kept reading on many of the American posts about 'injecting' the meat. It mystified me, but then by coincidence our Sky Food channel has just started showing the American 'BBQ Pit Boss' series, and now I see: they actually inject flavour into the heart of the beef.

Crazy. Never done here. One of the contestants was injecting a beef flavour!

If I want to go all religious about meat, that's almost sacrilegious Also, many of the marinades seem to consist largely of sugar.

The meat the Pit Bosses are turning out on that program is basically candied meat. It must be so sweet, and so stuffed with artificial flavours, I doubt the meat can even be tasted?

Which finally gets me back to where I started. While I used marinades often, more on chicken and poultry than anything, for sheep meat, and beef, normally nothing more than a little salt and pepper, then onto the grill (or roast, for mutton). And there is nothing better in the world of taste than that - grass fed meat. The natural, dare I say, honest, meat, the taste of which is its own end. And thus I'm wondering if our grass fed meat is different to feedlot meat? Or, is this a cultural thing?

Okay ... discuss

[mcsmoke]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Interesting comments on beef. Here in the Us I'm seeing more and more references to grass fed beef and hear that it has excellent flavor. I haven't seen it in the stores but have not really looked for it. I do see it on restaurant menus and will have to try it some time.

Here in TX with all the drought there is little grass to be found so the beef will be feeding on hay and grains brought in. Mark you are lucky to have access to such great beef. In TX a lot of the free range meat (deer, boar, duck, geese, turkey etc.) is killed before its grilled by hunters. My neighbor is a big hunter and I'm hoping some fresh kill makes its way to the KK.

The Meltique beef is worth a try......if I can get over the lard. I know it melts and cooks off but something about it rates right up there with blubber in my book.

Just picked up a nice brisket and look forward to grilling it this week. Already promised my daughter that we would go out for sushi tomorrow for her birthday so KK is not going to be in action .

[Tribeless]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Ah, so it is mainly feedlot beef, at least in the southern parts of the US. We need to do a taste and cost comparison, but darned if I know how.

What would be your main beef breed in Texas? (Across NZ it would be Angus).

When I think about it, I guess we're only talking beef: I can't see sheep being raised on anything other than grass.

For wild meat there's an abattoir here that specialises in wild meats and game, and that is completely different to any farmed meat, and the slow cooking necessary for most of it makes the KK the perfect BBQ.

But sushi right after you get your KK. That's almost cruel. On another thread there was a great post from someone who was smoking cheese with a tray of iced water on the bottom grill of his KK. I reckon you should introduce your daughter to smoked sushi. You might even be onto something: export smoked sushi to Japan?

[Laurie]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

I am with you on the marinade. When we first got the POSK, Dave experimented with rubs and marinades and injections. We now almost always use salt and pepper only, or salt and pepper and dried chiles, on the best meat we can find.

[Firemonkey]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

I have tried injecting several times, and have never felt that the benefit was worth the hassle. I will brine, marinate and rub meats, and find the results I want, but injections are always a messy affair and offer negligible results for me.

Beef here in the USA is also primarily angus. We have some cattle farms here in my state of FL, where grass will also grow all year. I also lived for a while in Missouri, and I have to admit, despite the temperate climate here, this local grass must not be very tasty for the cattle. Comparing FL cattle to Missouri cattle reminds me of a Humane society commercial - bony looking cows here in FL.

The meat that Dennis posted looks like they have taken the process of "enhanced" meat a step further, by not only injecting stuff into the meat, but disguising it as marbling too! Interesting that it is frozen meat, maybe that is the only way they can keep the lard in place? I think I would pass on those steaks if I saw them in the meat case, for the same reasons I try to avoid the "enhanced" chicken and pork products.

Tribeless, since you bring up injections for meats, are you familiar with the widespread process of the meat packers injecting meat before it leaves the plant? The practice is very widespread here in the US, and unless you try to avoid it, much of the chicken, pork, and sometimes even beef in a supermarket case falls victim to this. You have to look at the fine print on the package, where you will find "enhanced with up to 12% solution" The percentages are sometimes even higher than 12%. You have to really pay attention if you want to avoid the stuff:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006 ... d-boneless

[Syzygies]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat? Legends of Texas Barbecue Cook Book (Amazon) This is the bible for this school of thought, it profoundly influenced me when I was learning to use a ceramic cooker. One doesn't use the actual recipes, but the book frees you from all recipes, with the confidence that there's no one right way, and salt, pepper and smoke can easily be enough. Standing in blazing heat at the door of a 1930's butcher shop, to collect barbecued lunch on butcher paper, is quite the romantic image. The idea of being a good consumer, and opening lots of jars of processed foods to blend my personal glop sauce for cheap meat, doesn't have the same traction for me. Of course, just the other day it took me an hour to get through TSA airport security, after my organic durum wheat berries (to mill for fresh pasta) set off the chemical bomb sensors. Nothing hardens one's extreme tastes like being persecuted for it! Dave

[primeats]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Of course you will document the grilling experience! At first glance it looked like a Wagyu steak, curious to hear of the flavor and tenderness...

[Tribeless]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

I am with you on the marinade. When we first got the POSK' date=' Dave experimented with rubs and marinades and injections. We now almost always use salt and pepper only, or salt and pepper and dried chiles, on the best meat we can find.[/quote']

Cheers Laurie.

I forgot to say, I also use herbs quite a bit as a semi-rub, especially rosemary, sage and mint (lamb). And this thread gets me to thinking of soaking such herbs and using them to smoke in with my wood. Actually I see a lot here use coffee wood which sounds nice to smoke with: can't get it here, but I'm thinking of throwing a few soaked coffee beans in with my wood in foil also.

[Tribeless]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

I have tried injecting several times, and have never felt that the benefit was worth the hassle. I will brine, marinate and rub meats, and find the results I want, but injections are always a messy affair and offer negligible results for me.

Beef here in the USA is also primarily angus. We have some cattle farms here in my state of FL, where grass will also grow all year. I also lived for a while in Missouri, and I have to admit, despite the temperate climate here, this local grass must not be very tasty for the cattle. Comparing FL cattle to Missouri cattle reminds me of a Humane society commercial - bony looking cows here in FL.

The meat that Dennis posted looks like they have taken the process of "enhanced" meat a step further, by not only injecting stuff into the meat, but disguising it as marbling too! Interesting that it is frozen meat, maybe that is the only way they can keep the lard in place? I think I would pass on those steaks if I saw them in the meat case, for the same reasons I try to avoid the "enhanced" chicken and pork products.

Tribeless, since you bring up injections for meats, are you familiar with the widespread process of the meat packers injecting meat before it leaves the plant? The practice is very widespread here in the US, and unless you try to avoid it, much of the chicken, pork, and sometimes even beef in a supermarket case falls victim to this. You have to look at the fine print on the package, where you will find "enhanced with up to 12% solution" The percentages are sometimes even higher than 12%. You have to really pay attention if you want to avoid the stuff:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006 ... d-boneless

Thanks for reply Firemonkey. That whole concept of enhanced meat - and I've read your link - is awful. Definitely doesn't happen in New Zealand, well, not in red meat, I can't speak for poultry. It might make the

cooking experience easier', but I won't eat food that has rubbish chemicals in it I don't know what I'm eating. Indeed, my practice is, where possible, to only eat food (meat, vegetables and fruit) in as closer state as is possible to buy from being in the paddock or field, and thus with as little processing as possible. Perhaps in NZ, because there's only 4.15 million people in the whole country (and only 800,000 in the South Island where I live (and look how big it is on a map), it's easier to get closer to the food and its origin. I have a lot of farming clients (grew up on a farm) and we source some meat direct from the farm. Although regulation here is ruining the best meat: for example for a farmer to give me some meat, he has to still meet a lot of legalities, all of which means, to cut to the chase, it is impossible for me to buy meat in New Zealand that has been hung for a couple of weeks, which is truly where flavour and tenderness are created. Crazy: the world's gone mad and the food nazis seem to have far too much say.

When I think about it, NZ imports a lot of pork from Canada ... perhaps I better start looking at the packaging of some of the meat we're buying far more closely.

[Tribeless]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Legends-of-Texas-Barbecue-Cook-Book.jpg[/attachment:1f14fl4y]

Legends of Texas Barbecue Cook Book (Amazon)

This is the bible for this school of thought, it profoundly influenced me when I was learning to use a ceramic cooker. One doesn't use the actual recipes, but the book frees you from all recipes, with the confidence that there's no one right way, and salt, pepper and smoke can easily be enough.

Standing in blazing heat at the door of a 1930's butcher shop, to collect barbecued lunch on butcher paper, is quite the romantic image. The idea of being a good consumer, and opening lots of jars of processed foods to blend my personal glop sauce for cheap meat, doesn't have the same traction for me.

Of course, just the other day it took me an hour to get through TSA airport security, after my organic durum wheat berries (to mill for fresh pasta) set off the chemical bomb sensors. Nothing hardens one's extreme tastes like being persecuted for it!

Dave

Thanks for the book link Dave. I'm going to buy a copy of that ... thank goodness for Amazon. Luckily our airport security is not too bad yet, but customs are another matter.

[DennisLinkletter]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Well the two modified steaks were warming up on the counter.. I answered the door and gave Alice just enough time to grab both of them and run! She's just about four months old but already 40 lbs and obviously taller than I realized.

The first time I saw them and bought them I did not realize what they were.

So the feedback on these will need to wait until next time but I'm not as excited about them as I was when I thought they were natural.

[tcoliver]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Why not let alice give the review!

[Firemonkey]

Re: Meltique Beef the world's finest larded meat?

Well the two modified steaks were warming up on the counter.. I answered the door and gave Alice just enough time to grab both of them and run! She's just about four months old but already 40 lbs and obviously taller than I realized.

Dennis just used the "dog ate my homework" excuse