Guide To Asado

[Redbeanz]

I believe they are sold at very high prices, to those who can afford them: special exports, extremely high-end restaurants and clubs, the 1% and possibly high government officials --

 

[garryl]

When we first came here in 2005, a guy in chef's training told us he could tell a marked decline in the quality of beef in the restaurants, from earlier years. We suspected he was just showing off, as we found the steaks divine, and waiters easily divided cuts of beef using only spoons.

The steaks here are still very tasty, as they are in New York, Kansas City, or Chigago. And less expensive. Though rarely grass fed.

Over the years, we have seen that the chef-in-training was right: ten years ago, restaurants didn't set tables with steak knives, as they weren't needed. And he meat didn't leave a greasy feel in the mouth. How sad that the symbol of Argentine quality was seemingly discarded without serious thought about the country's former world leadership in prime, grass-fed beef. All those decades of building up a reputation, only to throw it away in a few short years' time.

Whether grass fed or not, the beef in Argentina tastes different from US beef for sure. Can't say which is better. I certainly appreciate Argentine (meat) cooking style. Pork is very hard to grill, I found Argies do not know how to grill pork chop or ribs, they tend to make it very dry and tough.

 

[citygirl]

How come we still see cows/steers happily chomping away in the fields when we venture outside the conurbation?
What happens to those animals?

Most cows AFAIK are still raised on grass but a few months before going to market - they get funneled to a feedlot for fattening up.