Some tips on buying steaks, describing various cuts and what to look for when purchasing a good steak
May 26, 2011
Top Steak Buying Tips
1. My #1 tip is get to introduce yourself to your local butcher and become friends.
2. Buy the best grade of meat you can afford…Prime, Choice, Select in that order.
3. When possible, buy from the butchers counter not the pre-packaged section.
4. Look for steaks with fine texture and firm to the touch.
5. You want the color to be a light cherry red color, not deep red. And by all means stay away from gray meat.
6. Look for a steak that has marbling. It is the thin threads of fat running through the meat that makes it Prime and gives it that incredible flavor.
7. Dry aging is considered better than wet aging but that may be a matter of taste. However, avoid meat that has no aging and is too fresh.
8. If you do buy packaged meat, stay away from any with excessive moisture, tears or that are past their sell by date.
9. Just because the label says Angus, doesn’t mean it is Certified Black Angus (CBA)
10. Visit the Reluctant Gourmet Web Site often and sign up for my free newsletter!
#1 Getting to know your butcher
It doesn’t matter if you buy your steaks at the supermarket or a gourmet butcher shop. If you want to learn about meat, how to purchase it, what’s a good buy today, how to cook it, start a relationship with your butcher. These are the folks who know what you don’t and will be glad to help if you just ask.
My own local butchers tell me that customers don’t take advantage of their knowledge and experience. They come in with their own preconceived ideas of what a good steak should look like and end up buying an inferior product. A good steak is expensive so why not ask the expert who handles the products everyday what they think is a good bargain. You may be surprised by getting better cuts for less money.
#2 Buy the best grade of meat you can afford
Most of us rarely have the opportunity to buy and taste Premium beef. That’s because only 1 – 2.5% of all beef processed in this country is good enough to be graded by the USDA as Prime. The inspector takes in all sort of things when grading for Prime but as a consumer, we are mostly looking at marbling, that network of fat that traverses throughout the meat.
Given a choice at the market between a perfectly lean piece of meat and a Prime cut with lines of fat running through it, most of us would pick the lean steak. But it’s the marbling that gives the Prime cut the incredible rich, juicy, tender flavor and texture that we are looking for.
Just because Prime isn’t that readily available or in a price range we can afford, there is nothing wrong with Choice. There are different grades of Choice so you may want to shop where they consistently buy beef at the higher end of the Choice grade. How will you know? By getting to know your butcher and asking.
Select has the least amount of marbling making it lean but not so tender or tasty. More importantly, you are not going to pay that much more for Choice than you are for Select, so if you can, spend the extra dollars and buy Choice. In my opinion, there’s nothing worse then chewing and chewing and chewing through a tough, flavorless piece of meat.
Pampanga Angeles City Fine Dining Restaurant serves classic French Cuisine accompanied by matured vintage wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone. This is generally regarded as the best restaurant in Clark Pampanga and is also well known for having the best wine list in the Philippines.
More and more guests from Manila travel out of town north to Clark Pampanga to wine and dine in famous fine dining Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar while enjoying fine vintage wine. Best place to go for a romantic dinner near Manila is Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar in Pampanga Clark Freeport. This cozy fine dining restaurant is a good night out place where couples can indulge not only in the romantic ambience but also treat themselves to a truly memorable wine-and-dine evening.
Residents of Pampanga Angeles City, Subic, Tarlac and Clark Philippines know of this fine dining restaurant as one of the best places in Clark, a good night out place and simply the best place to hang out, enjoy some good wine, cheese, wine and dine in a restaurant with good atmosphere, or just relax and unwind with friends and family in a cool place. This restaurant in Clark Pampanga is recognized by many to be one of the best fine dining restaurants in the Philippines. Located inside Mimosa Leisure Estate surrounded by golf courses, resorts and a casino, this well known restaurant is frequently visited for its good food and excellent service. Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Private dinners and group gatherings can be organized by advanced reservation.
Family travelers laud Yats Restaurant as the best restaurant in Clark Pampanga for family dinners. Although this frequently visited resto bar is a top rated fine dining restaurant outside Manila, the dining rooms are very children friendly. The ambience is cozy but upscale, beautiful but relaxing also, making this restaurant a dining venue that is highly recommended by event organizers for family gathering, group dinners, social and corporate events.
Private dinners can be accommodated in this famous restaurant located in Mimosa, at the heart of Pampanga Clark Freeport. Private rooms suitable for 4 to 24 can be reserved in advance for company and personal functions and events. This fine dining restaurant is a very popular venue for small wedding receptions, social events, company board meetings and annual parties. Residents of Pampanga frequently travel to Angeles City Clark Freeport to hold special group dinners in this fine dining restaurant.
For comments, inquiries and reservations click on Click here for inquiry and reservations
Restaurant@Yats-International.com
(045) 599-5600
0922-870-5178
0917-520-4401
Ask for Pedro and Rechel
Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
For any assistance in planning and organizing a wedding ceremony, indoor or outdoor garden reception or to find other wedding service providers, Click here to contact us click here
For assistance in hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, log on to
http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com
To buy wine in Manila, Pampanga, Angeles City, Clark or Subic please log on to http://www. ClarkWineCenter.com
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For more information about Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com
