Bad Taste of Beef Grocery Stores
D eep down, even the nearly lackadaisical shopper knows that the last thing we should be buying in supermarkets is fresh meat. For decades, long before the horsemeat scandal outraged consumers, supermarkets have been decorated eroding the quality of our beef, lamb and pork past sourcing poor, intensively-reared meat; wet- rather than dry-ageing it; and wrapping information technology in plastic then that the meat marinates in its own bloody juices.
The problem is that, for many Britons, the supermarket is the simply game in boondocks – there are a mere 6,000 or and so independent butchers left in the Britain. Little wonder that, according to the latest figures from market analysts Kantar Worldpanel, 91.7% of the meat sold in the United kingdom is sold in supermarkets. If that sounds bleak, do non despair entirely. A growing interest in provenance ways that high-quality butchers – the Ginger Pigs of this world – are enjoying a small-scale revival, and, keen to court that discerning client, supermarkets accept launched premium versions of their prime cuts. Several at present sell dry-aged steaks that, instead of beingness vacuum-sealed, come in marginally better "controlled-atmosphere packaging". Do any of those top-end supermarket steaks behave comparison with those from our finest butchers?
Co-op, Truly Irresistible Hereford rump steak, £21/kg
Did you know that beef labelled "Hereford" (and this applies to all breeds) need only be sired by a pedigree Hereford bull? The mother tin exist whatsoever sometime brood. Having read that small-print caveat on the label (or not), your Hereford-not-Hereford steak suddenly seems less exciting, right? And it gets worse. It may take been matured for 28 days (who knows precisely how?), just this steak is sugariness, nondescript and only briefly juicy. Soon you are chewing a dry, mulchy wad. It has a off-white ridge of fat, only even well-seared, its flavor is meek.
two/10
Sainsbury's, Taste the Difference rump steak, £22/kg
This should have been a contender. Explicitly dry out-aged on the bone for 21 days, its fatty edge delivers the bouncingly beefy, Sunday roast flavours of rigorously matured meat. Unfortunately, even so, presumably wary of the timid British consumer, that fat had been trimmed back to a tiny sliver. Without more of it, the steak's hinterland becomes, as so many steaks are, a monotonous trudge. Yes, the meat itself offers a fiddling intrigue – a certain bloody, visceral tang, some mineral complexity – but not in a style that commands your attention.
four.5/ten
Waitrose, Aberdeen Angus rump steak, £19.99/kg
Afterwards a bit of air (wrapped in plastic, all steaks take on a plummy colour), this looks disturbingly red, fresh and very moisture with blood. Beef should exist dark and feel relatively dry. Information technology tastes impressively moist at first, just in a thin, watery way. There is no seductive, palate-coating fattiness. Presumably all that water dilutes the flavor, likewise, for while there are hints of iron, earthiness, gaminess even, it all dissipates quickly. It is edged with a decent strip of fatty, but while it adds a certain richness to proceedings, information technology does so in a humdrum way.
three/x
Morrisons, M Signature British rump steak, £18/kg
It may overegg its commitment to "age-onetime, native breeds" (Aberdeen Angus is really not that unusual), simply as the only supermarket with its own abattoirs and one that dry out-ages its steaks for 21 days, Morrisons takes its meat seriously – as this rump illustrates. It looks comparatively dry, has good visible marbling and a thick, rope-similar edging of fatty, meaning that in the pan, the meat – which comes out swinging with big, punchy, savoury flavours – self-bastes in all those buttery, lip-smacking saturated fats. This is a serviceable steak.
7/10
Aldi, Peculiarly Selected rump steak, £16.lxx/kg
Despite being dry-aged for 28 days, the flavor lacks any sustained length. It is fleetingly interesting: unusually sweet, fresh and bloody, and what little fat has not been recklessly cut abroad delivers some nicely charred, dairy flavours. Ultimately, though, the most prominent feature hither is the smokiness of the sear you (may) take achieved in the pan. To that end, flash-fry the steak in a dangerously hot skillet, rather than post-obit Aldi's clodhopping, eleven-13-minute cooking instructions – less steak cookery, more than criminal human action.
four/x
Tesco, Finest beefiness rump steak, £18/kg
Tesco is hiding its calorie-free nether a bushel. We know this is a U.k. steak matured (in some fashion) for 28 days, but no further information is revealed – which is intriguing, as this drier, darker rump is 1 of the better examples. Like Morrisons, information technology is not very tender and takes some chewing (not a criticism per se), but information technology has a clear, rounded beef season. A rim of ambrosially sweet, caramelised fat completes a steak that, while no classic – none of these are – will speak to your hunter-gatherer instincts in a primal, fire 'n' smoke way.
6/10
Asda, Extra Special wagyu beefiness rump steak, £22.96/kg
Many sneer at wagyu as the rich idiot'due south option, and this 28-twenty-four hour period matured British rump did not look promising. It was very wet and its famed intramuscular fat did non appear to be particularly densely concentrated. Nevertheless, smoke poured out of the pan, confirming a high fat content, and this rosy, seriously tender meat – every bit soft every bit an old shammy leather – definitely has an unusually glossy, if non outrageously rich, mouthfeel. Beyond its beefy base of operations, the flavor is complex, too, with red vino and tart yet honeyed fruit notes discernible. Not the best, but certainly the most interesting meat in this taste test.
six.5/x
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/04/supermarket-steaks-best-worst-taste-test-rump
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