Marble meat – what it is: types and recipes

The content of the article

• What is marble meat
• What is the difference between marbled beef and ordinary
• How marble beef is grown
• Factors Affecting Marbling
• Types of Marble Meat Steaks
• How to cook meat
• Price

This is a special product, characterized by the presence of many fatty layers that make the meat very juicy and tender. The tenderloin looks unusual – the pink color is penetrated by white stains, which forms the marbling of meat. During cooking, the fatty layers melt, filling the dish with juice, due to which it acquires a unique softness and aroma. The most expensive meat is the one in which the maximum number of such layers.

What is marble meat

More often this term is used for beef (beef), but can also be used for pork, horse meat (tenderloin of a Yakut horse). Marble meat is a piece of red fillet that contains a sufficient amount of intramuscular fat located in layers, and resembles a marble pattern. In young cows and gobies, marbling is rarely found, since in veal, fat develops first in the heart, kidneys, near the pelvis (under the skin). Only after the animal has matured, fatty fibers begin to form in the intermuscular space and directly inside the muscles.

What is the difference between marbled beef and ordinary

There are two main types of cows – meat and dairy breeds. The latter are intended to give milk, which is what they do all their life. When a cow of this breed grows old, it is allowed to slaughter. Such meat is sold in markets and in supermarkets. Meat cows are bred specifically to go for slaughter after a certain period of fattening (grain or grass). Such animals are genetically disposed to increase intramuscular fat, due to which beef has a marble pattern..

Meat with streaks of fat is very soft, juicy and tender. Marble veal does not come to store shelves often; it is much appreciated because it requires strict adherence to cultivation technology. Marble pork, like beef, is considered a delicacy due to the small share in the total volume of meat products produced, while the demand for it increases. Selected steak with fatty layers is cooked very quickly – young meat only takes a few minutes.

How marble beef is grown

On the territory of the Russian Federation, selection of beef cattle is only gaining momentum. One of the leaders of this agricultural segment is the Zarechnoye group of companies that produce products under the Primembiff brand. This marble meat is obtained from Aberdeen Angus bulls, which are grazed and fed in the ecologically clean region of the Kaluga and Voronezh regions.

During the year, animals live in an environment close to natural, eat grass on a free range, after which they are transferred to feedlots. For six months, the producer gives them a special multicomponent cereal mixture based on wet corn. As a result, high-quality marbled meat falls on the shelves, from which juicy steaks are made. So that the taste of beef has time to fully open, before being delivered to stores, it is subjected to two-week wet ripening.

Factors Affecting Marbling

This term refers to the presence of intramuscular fat in meat. Evaluators look at the volume and distribution of fatty fibers in the longest muscle of the back in the section between 12 and 13 ribs. The degree of marbling is one of the main criteria for determining the product quality category. This indicator depends on the breed, animal genetic data, selection. Cattle of meat (Vagyu, Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn, etc.) and dairy breeds (Holstein, Jersey) have more adipose tissue in their muscles.

Marble meat will not work without proper nutrition. The longer the cattle are fed with high-calorie food, the more likely they are to get the highest possible quality indicators for beef, but a much smaller amount of marble cut will come out (the ratio of lean to marble meat with the age of the animal changes in favor of the first). Feeding cows and gobies with a large number of cereals such as corn and barley will change the color of live from yellow to white. In addition, the chances of getting higher quality in accordance with accepted standards will increase..

Inadequate physical activity is a factor that also affects the cultivation of marbled meat. Bulls and cows that grew in cramped stalls have softer meat than animals that were allowed to walk a lot. Thus, animals that are restricted in movement easily accumulate fat inside the muscles, their tenderloin becomes soft. Livestock grazing eats a lot of fiber-rich grass (instead of grain) and has a lot of power load on the muscles when walking, so the muscle tissue becomes dry.

The generally accepted technology in the world for raising and feeding livestock for marble meat is fedlots, which are platforms for feeding high-calorie feed for at least 4-5 months before slaughter. The initial growth time of the animal falls on free grazing. The breed of Kobe gobies is milked up to six months of age, after which they are transferred to pasture, where they grow almost without human intervention in free grazing.

The grown cattle are transferred to individual rooms with soundproof walls and suspended on the reins so that they can not move, but also do not lie, because then the muscles will be in tension to evenly layer tissue with fat. At this time, the bulls receive selected grain and high-quality beer (the latter is needed to improve appetite). Such a diet enhances fat deposition. The average grain feeding standard is 200-300 days. In order for the fat to penetrate deep into thin layers in the muscles, the calves periodically receive vibration massage.

Types of Marble Meat Steaks

Beef steaks – an expensive dish for which meat is taken from the best parts of beef carcasses. Only one tenth of the entire cow is suitable for their preparation. Modern cooking distinguishes the following types of steaks, the names of which indicate the place of the carcass from which the meat was cut:

• club-steak – cut from the back in the area of ​​the thick edge of the longest dorsal muscle, has a small rib bone;

• ribeye steak – taken from the subscapular part of the animal’s body, has a large amount of adipose tissue;

• thibone steak – meat on a T-bone, cut on the border between the lumbar and dorsal parts near the thin edge of the longest muscle of the back and thin edge of the tenderloin, due to which it consists of two different types of fillet (New York bone and filet mignon) ;

• striploin steak – taken from a strip of the lumbar, boneless;

• porterhouse steak – cut from the loins of a cow at the thick edge of the tenderloin;

• roundramb steak – cutting from the upper part of the hip section;

• sirloin steak – marbled meat, which is cut from the lower back in the area of ​​the head of the tenderloin;

• Skrit steak – a very tasty, expensive piece of the animal’s diaphragm;

• filet mignon – a transverse thin section of the central area of ​​the fillet tenderloin with the most tender meat;

• tornedos – small slices from the thin edge of the central part of the tenderloin, which are used to make medallions;

• Châteaubriant – a thick edge of the central part of the tenderloin, which is fried whole, is not much different from filet mignon, but served not standing on a plate, but laid out in length.

How to cook meat

To grill marble fillet on a grill or pan, use a clipping of the rib part, which is characterized by a high degree of fat content and juiciness. This option of dishes in restaurants is valued more than others. Paired beef is not recommended. When preparing a steak, it is better not to rush, otherwise the piece inside will remain raw. The optimal temperature for marbled beef according to the classic recipe is 160 degrees.

When cooking meat over low heat, often turn it over, evenly warming the product from all sides. You will receive not only a beautiful crust, but also a well-cooked dish inside. Muscle fibers should not be allowed to contract from shock at high temperatures, because then they quickly release all moisture and the steak comes out dry. If there is a fat border on a piece, do not cut the fillet during cutting, but leave it for roasting, then the steak will be as juicy as possible. Excess fat can be cut off after cooking. Vegetables or potatoes will serve as a side dish for marbled beef..

Price

The cost of this type of meat differs, depending on the place of its acquisition. You can buy marble steak on the market, in the supermarket and even on the Internet. Imagine the average product prices in Moscow: