The Quality of Meat in the FSU

[Steveboy]

There are a fair few reasonably priced restaurants in St Petersburg where you can get a good steak..

We often visit. https://www.caferubinstein.ru

If the steaks there are not good enough for anyone here then all I can imagine is you lot eat out at places such as Buckingham palace or maybe the White House..


But then maybe myself coming from some desolate village away from cizalisation I'm clueless about a good steak..

[AvHdB]

In Ukraine I have eaten decent steak. It primarily comes from Argentina. The domestic beef is good for for stews.

Lamb is always best from a Muslim, on the market.

Chicken from a babushka who raises it and butchers the day before you get it. I have had good goose and rabbit but I am not very good at cooking it.

In the United States beef is either very very good or akin to ms’s posts. The best is pasture raised free of growth hormones and air cured, but pricey. What you purchase at the grocery store is generally of poor quality.

[msmoby]

In the United States beef is either very very good or akin to ms’s posts.

Given MS was trained how to cook a steak, and knows good from excellent - I'll take that as a compliment...




 

[2tallbill]

In the United States beef is either very very good or akin to ms’s posts. The best is
pasture raised free of growth hormones and air cured, but pricey. What you purchase
at the grocery store is generally of poor quality.

My grandfather was a wheat and cattle rancher. 100% of our beef was pasture
raised,  but the last three weeks we would feed them hay with a bucket of grain
per day to would fatten them up. We used wheat, farmers in the midwest would
use corn. We would shoot the animal in the head* and immediately drain it, quarter
it and then hang it in a dry cool place to age.

Beef tastes good because of the fat marbling and of course the cooking. You need
high heat enough to sear the meat and seal in the fat. The top flight steak houses
have grills that can cook meat at over a thousand degrees. There is no way to
replicate that at home with a regular gas or electric stove and hood, you can
buy a restaurant quality range but you also need a restaurant quality hood to
remove the smoke that cooking meat at 1100-1400 degrees creates.

The best home cooked steak is grilled on a barbecue with gas. For all those who
use briquettes or something similar you can argue but you are wrong. You can't
get the same heat and especially not the same consistent heat.

The FSU standard was to cook it so that you won't die from food poisoning. It's not
that they don't have high standards (they do) but for a bribe it's all ignored so most
FSU beef is not fattened up on expensive grain, it's not aged properly and it's cooked
to death at medium heat draining any fat out that the meat might have and that's why
they have mediocre results.

There is more to it than that but that's the cliffnote's version.



* Shooting the animal in the head with a rifle usually a 22 cal magnum.
The animal is calm and has no idea it's going to die. It's not in a long line
of other steers or heifers waiting to face death. As a result the steer doesn't
have an elevated pulse and no adrenaline racing through it's system. It's
mine and others opinion that being killed this way will make the meat taste
better.

 

[NS1]

My Grandfather and Great uncle also had Cattle farms.
My Grandfather died before I understood any of this.
But my Great uncle and cousin ran farm for years.

I killed with first head of beef when I was 10 and quartered .
At that time it was taken to butcher to be hung, aged and then cut into different
cuts of meat.

Quality of how beef is raised is certainly a large factory to quality.
Cooking becomes a whole other conversation.

[Steveboy]

Meat is good every where in the world probably even in the Congo!

As I said Fish and chips simply is not the same unless its in the UK same for bacon,,

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

[Markje]

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

Ok, care to wager me on that? You goto Crimea, Evpatoria and find a restaurant for me with good quality steak..

Hell, I'll even accept passable quality steak.

I'll bet you $50 for it.

I have been trying there for at least 10 years, with 3 weeks time in-country every year

If corona doesn't mess up my travel plans, i will be there last week of july + first 2 august.

[Contrarian]

Mark I have only been to Crimea once. They simply don’t know how to cook beef there. Whether you get a burger or a steak, they refuse to cook it medium or even medium-well. I wasn’t confident in the quality of the meat either. I agree with 2TallBill about the proper way to raise cattle and slaughter cattle.

[NS1]

Meat is good every where in the world probably even in the Congo!

As I said Fish and chips simply is not the same unless its in the UK same for bacon,,

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

I will disagree, how an animal is fed makes a difference.

As far as Bacon, and Fish and Chips, Canadian has Bacon figured out, best anywhere.

East coast our fish and chips are just as good if not better than UK.

[Contrarian]

Meat is good every where in the world probably even in the Congo!

As I said Fish and chips simply is not the same unless its in the UK same for bacon,,

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

I will disagree, how an animal is fed makes a difference.
As far as Bacon, and Fish and Chips,
Canada has Bacon figured out, best anywhere.
East coast our fish and chips are just as good if not better than UK.

FTFY

[Steveboy]

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

Ok, care to wager me on that? You goto Crimea, Evpatoria and find a restaurant for me with good quality steak..

Hell, I'll even accept passable quality steak.

I'll bet you $50 for it.

I have been trying there for at least 10 years, with 3 weeks time in-country every year

If corona doesn't mess up my travel plans, i will be there last week of july + first 2 august.

There is a business opportunity there then for you when you retire ??

[Steveboy]

Meat is good every where in the world probably even in the Congo!

As I said Fish and chips simply is not the same unless its in the UK same for bacon,,

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

I will disagree, how an animal is fed makes a difference.

As far as Bacon, and Fish and Chips, Canadian has Bacon figured out, best anywhere.

East coast our fish and chips are just as good if not better than UK.

It is a little like a cup of tea.. A cup of tea in Russia just doesn't seem the same back in the UK.. maybe it is the water or tea bags Im not sure... BUT Im happy to suffer for the Motherland..

[AvHdB]

2TallBill, Thank you for your post #28. It sums up beef in the United States.

One interesting thing about lamb I have read and in fact tasted is those sheep raised near the sea taste better. Examples could be New Zeeland, Scotland and even little Texel. Not sure why that it is.

My suspicion is the end result is 1/3 what you start with and 2/3 technique (preparation & execution).

[Markje]

There is a business opportunity there then for you when you retire ??

But then i'd have to hire a cook, who knows how to cook steak

I can cook steak myself, given the ingredients are of good quality but it never does turn out as restaurant-quality like netherlands restaurants can make it.

[Manny]

like netherlands restaurants can make it.

Santos in Scheveningen is one of my favourite steak houses. Been going for years. 

[Markje]

like netherlands restaurants can make it.

Santos in Scheveningen is one of my favourite steak houses. Been going for years. 

Yes thats a nice one.

[Danchik]

The meat in Russia is very good. I think I posted a video of ranchers from Canada, the US, Australia and Japan whom were invited to Russia back in 07-08. Russia has a couple of regions (e.g.Kaluga and Voronezh) that raise cattle and had angus cows flown in. Miratorg (Мираторг) is the largest producer and was officially established about 10 years ago.

The beef produced in Russia rivals anything I've had anywhere, period. If you haven't had a good steak in Russia it's probably because you haven't been here in awhile.


250g Ribeye (90oz) for 429ru even at a exchange rate of 65ry to $1, it's only around $6. sear it a couple of days ago and it was deliscious.
https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-vkk7lF87imnIrXagSKOnppte85oi_4ZSHF0OAoF8ag0rUjHBYnEpiDI9_FqaqiI3UWhjIv2uHVC2R0Wv8Q9VgQ/messages/@.id==AJYxhFk-D0z-XoLwXQc3qMoFIQ0/content/parts/@.id==2/thumbnail?appId=YMailNorrin

400g top sirloin (14oz) for around $9us (at the 65ry to $1us rate above). Seared this last week and was right there in taste compared to the ribeye.
https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-vkk7lF87imnIrXagSKOnppte85oi_4ZSHF0OAoF8ag0rUjHBYnEpiDI9_FqaqiI3UWhjIv2uHVC2R0Wv8Q9VgQ/messages/@.id==AJYxhFk-D0z-XoLwXQc3qMoFIQ0/content/parts/@.id==4/thumbnail?appId=YMailNorrin

Black Angus beef patty I simply pan fried and was amazed by the taste, simply the best beef patty I've had. 299ry or less than $3usd.
https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-vkk7lF87imnIrXagSKOnppte85oi_4ZSHF0OAoF8ag0rUjHBYnEpiDI9_FqaqiI3UWhjIv2uHVC2R0Wv8Q9VgQ/messages/@.id==AJYxhFk-D0z-XoLwXQc3qMoFIQ0/content/parts/@.id==6/thumbnail?appId=YMailNorrin

Price for the ribeye.
https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-vkk7lF87imnIrXagSKOnppte85oi_4ZSHF0OAoF8ag0rUjHBYnEpiDI9_FqaqiI3UWhjIv2uHVC2R0Wv8Q9VgQ/messages/@.id==AMDAi_E-9zH9XoLviwhJGKp1Bp8/content/parts/@.id==2/thumbnail?appId=YMailNorrin


P.S. Manny for some reason the photos wouldn't attach to the file.

[Danchik]

Meat in Russia is generally lower quality than in the USA. Nothing like Whole Foods there. I was in Moscow and there's no organic grass fed beef or free range chicken.

Azbuka Vkusna is a high end supermarket and their meats were quite good. Bought their burgers and it was fine.  But steak is like $50 for a rib eye!

https://av.ru
Saw a ribeye there 400g (14oz) for 930 rubles 2 days ago while shopping (about $15 using a 65ru exchange rate). Not quite $50 . I usually buy only the things that are hard to find in Moscow there as they usually have it. Seems pretty reasonable to me. Sorry, but don't agree with your statements.

As far as organic, well: https://esh-derevenskoe.ru/mjaso-i-ryba/govjadina?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=bondarev&utm_campaign=bondarev&fbclid=IwAR32uBoqWLbUrPE7W67_Ky54f-tLo_xES8Ld7wyIyMNNMTACI2bosE0c36Q

доставка возможна также

Here's another new outlet that offers some whole foods although not all their products are. They have outlets all over Moscow.
https://vkusvill.ru

[Guile]

well that was a few years back and the ruble has dropped a ton since.  I never saw ribeyes that cheap at AV otherwise I would have bought some. 2 burger patties was close to $10. I was shopping close to MKAD so maybe prices are higher there..

[Guile]

where did you get the beef patty? your links don't work

[Omega1982]

Dan are you still in Moscow? 

[Danchik]

where did you get the beef patty? your links don't work

Перекресток. Yeah, I thought the links might not work for some, but they worked for me.

Dan are you still in Moscow? 

да конечно.

[Danchik]

well that was a few years back and the ruble has dropped a ton since.  I never saw ribeyes that cheap at AV otherwise I would have bought some. 2 burger patties was close to $10. I was shopping close to MKAD so maybe prices are higher there..

I used a $1 = 65 ruble rate which has been consistently about this range since 2015 (even though it's now around 80, which makes the meat even more affordable for someone like me who still has 95% of my money in $ ). Prices are the same everywhere.

[Omega1982]

where did you get the beef patty? your links don't work

Перекресток. Yeah, I thought the links might not work for some, but they worked for me.

Dan are you still in Moscow? 

да конечно.

Maladetz!  Dorogaya maya stalitsa

[Danchik]

Steaks and meat you can get anywhere if you can't find a decent steak house in a FSU country it will be only for two reasons..

1. You're not there long enough! You can not expect to find the best places within a few days or a week, same applies to any city in the world.

2. Your dating a women who has no money so probably will not know where to take you anyway for a good steak!

All easy really!

Ok, care to wager me on that? You goto Crimea, Evpatoria and find a restaurant for me with good quality steak..

Hell, I'll even accept passable quality steak.

I'll bet you $50 for it.

I have been trying there for at least 10 years, with 3 weeks time in-country every year

If corona doesn't mess up my travel plans, i will be there last week of july + first 2 august.

 https://www.facebook.com/doctorwhiskyyalta/

I'll assume the check is in the mail.