Where`s The Beef ?

[nikad]

what kind of cuts are you buying and where?

 

[sleazemerchant]

Generally, the best cuts of meat are (nearly) all exported. However, there are some high end restaurants in Buenos Aires (and possibly other cities) that have their own farms and serve export level beef. El Mirasol (multiple locations) is an example of this. Cabana Las Lilas is another. They are significantly more expensive than 99% of parrilla restaurants in Buenos Aires.

 

[ghost]

This thread is way far behind the times. The poor quality of meat that you are bemoaning is not due to "exports". It's do to reduced production, soy planting on range land and massive use of feed lots. Yes folks, feed lots have taken over in Argentina. The myth of great Argie beef is now just a myth and little more.

http://en.mercopress.com/2013/05/21/argentina-absorbs-93-of-beef-production-exports-tumble-behind-paraguay

 

[Gringoboy]

This is why we hardly ever buy beef any more.
It's over priced and completely lacks any flavour. I've tried several local butcher shops and the end result is always the same.
So when we throw the meat on the parilla, it's matambre de cerdo or other cuts of pork and chicken.
The tastiest chorizos I've found so far are La Divisa.

 

[khairyexpat]

what kind of cuts are you buying and where?

For years I knew nothing but Coto, Jumbo and alike, a complete utter disaster.
I buy "ojo de befe" "beef angosto" "beef de chorizo". "ojo de befe" being the most marbled.
Carneceria chain called "estancia Maria Angela", several stores on Directorio/SanJuan.

Trying to convince myself, there is something wrong with me, (may be I lost my taste palettes or sense of smell), but every time I pick my teeth and dislocate my jaw I curse my "mala suerte".
I lived in San Fransico couple of years, the beef there WOWWWW you can smell it from Golden Gate bridge, even Toronto beef would pale in comparison. I never knew there was a difference before.

 

[argsteve]

Yes i have to admit.. I have noticed that the really amazing steak is harder to find..... When i first came here 2005..the beef was so amazing it was hard to believe... you could find the most delicious steak even in a pizza place... now of course the cost is 5 times what it was.... but it is harder to find that really amazing bife.... but I am always still looking!!

 

[TomAtAlki]

Mercado el Progreso, Rivadavia 5430. Once you experience this market you probably won't buy meat anywhere else.
Nancy

 

[trennod]

We usually buy from Avicar and havent ever had any problems. The meat has always been good.
Pretty sure I saw an article a few weeks back saying Argentina didnt actually export that much beef, I am not sure I agree that all the good stuff is exported.

 

[rrptownley]

When I read the subject of this thread I refused to open it at first, but it seems to be rolling. Argentina isn't anywhere near the top exporter of beef worldwide anymore, even Uruguay exports more.

Time for a little history, possibly full of inaccuracies as I'm writing it off the top of my head, but here goes:

With the soy boom came sweeping land management changes among Argentine farmers, who sold off their cattle and planted soy to take advantage of the huge Asian and worldwide demand for the Argentine soy, then very affordable thanks to the 2001 default. While destructive to a traditional commodity, the Argentine farmers were incredibly adaptive in doing this and these earned and taxed export dollars are the main reason Argentina bounced back again so fast after 2001. Even today the government is hugely reliable on dollar tax income from exported soy and then beef.
The government naturally wanted to take advantage of this new prosperity in the agricultural sector and ramped up taxes to 35% on beef exports. The huge countryside protests and marches in 2008 were one of the first acts of opposition and defiance against the Kirchnerite regime and thanks to then vice-president Julian Cobos (one of the only acts of selflessness I've ever seen in an Argentine politician) voting against the Kirchner policy with his deciding vote in a dramatic late night congress session, the motion to raise taxes even further to 45% was defeated. Chirstina needless to say, was pissed off. Cobos unfortunately is in political exile and we are stuck with Boudou <_<

The farmers still selling beef naturally wanted to export as much meat as they could in order to make more money. The government soon passed legislation making it mandatory to sell a certain % domestically at a fixed price. All very understandable good government, although they fixed the price so low for domestic beef (as it is every Argentine's god given right for huge amounts of dirt cheap beef) that it was severely attacking the farmers profits. This led to a split in the quality of domestic and export beef.
Many of the cattle herds that left over were soon bought by foreign investors buying up cheap farmland and renting land from exasperated landowners after 2001. With this foreign farmland purchase came the feedlot and corn feed practices that have unfortunately led to the state of the Argentine beef industry today.
Apologies for the rant.


For beef you should go to an independent butcher's like Piaf on Niceto Vega y Dorrego, or any other place that sources direct from farms rather than the slaughter markets.
I also recommend buying a whole lamb or suckling pig from Jumbo if you want meat with good flavour.

 

[trennod]

Beef is not the only item the government has set price ceilings on I have an agri-business client (one of the largest in the country) that is involved in soy, flour, malt etc and for years their flour business was provided subsidies in order to supply to the domestic market at a low price. Then, a few years back the government stopped paying the subsidies & a cpl of years later told the company the deal was off. What happened with the debts the government owed? Well they made my client forego 60% of it and the remaining 40% "offered" them Government bonds (denominated in pesos of course).