Beef Benefits for Athletes And for Normal Human Being

Gourmets all over our planet will agree that marbled beef steak is a unique delicacy that is simply unrealistic to resist. In addition to its amazing taste, this special type of red meat is healthy food.

Why the meat still is called marbled?

Beef acquired this unusual name due to its extraordinary similarity with marble stone. It has layers of fat that permeate the muscle mass, which makes a piece of meat not only attractive, but tasty and juicy. Heat treatment melts the fat, saturates the beef with aroma and makes it more appetizing.

Marble steaks are obtained from meat gobies of special breeds - Angus, Murray Gray, Wagyu, Hereford, etc. It is in them that the formation of a fatty mesh is programmed at the genetic level. The best marbled meat is formed in the dorsal part of the goby, since this area is least of all stressed.

Usefulness of marbled meat!

The benefits of a juicy marbled steak lie in the right ratio of saturated to monounsaturated fat. The main constituent of saturated fat is stearic acid. It does not raise blood cholesterol, which is very important for connoisseurs of healthy food.

According to research by scientists, marbled meat contains conjugated acid, which strengthens the immune system. Also, it has anti-inflammatory effects, reduces the risk of developing heart disease, asthma and diabetes.

Marble meat is rich in vitamins E, PP, K and group B. It contains the following minerals:

• potassium;
• magnesium;
• iron;
• calcium;
• manganese;
• copper;
• sodium;
• selenium;
• zinc.

What is the difference between marbled meat and ordinary beef?

Regular beef meat differs not only in price, but also in taste and quality. Several important differences stand out.

1. For ordinary beef meat is not a specially fed animal, but a standard dairy cow. For several years she fulfilled her role - gave milk. When the return becomes minimal, the animal is sent for slaughter. Such meat is not harmful and has its own beneficial properties, but it is not considered premium and of the highest quality.
2. The speed of cooking marbled meat is many times faster. This is due to the fact that the animal goes to meat, being young and not experiencing severe stress. Therefore, a marbled steak can be cooked in a few minutes, which is not the case with regular meat.
3. Regular beef is not fermented as is the case with marbled chunks. It is this process that makes the meat of the goby unusually juicy and tender. Marble cuts are placed in a suspended state in special chambers for a certain period. During this time, chemical processes occur in the meat that destroy muscle fibers. Dry and wet aging is used. Drying takes more time, since the pieces are suspended in a salt chamber for a period of up to 3 months. During this time, the cut becomes dry, but with a pronounced aroma and taste. For wet fermentation, 3-15 days are sufficient. At this time, the piece of meat is in a room with humid air and at a certain temperature.

Exposure (maturation) of meat in carcass or in pieces under certain conditions. The process must be carried out at a humidity of 75% and a temperature of 1 to 4 ° C (34-40 ° F)

The main purpose of beef aging is to break down muscle fibers and enhance the natural flavor of the meat without the marinating process that would give the meat a marinade flavor.

This is due to enzymatic biochemical reactions, as a result of which muscle fibers are destroyed. The process is aimed at evaporating moisture and destroying the enzymes contained in the meat immediately after the slaughter of the animal.

The aging process is also facilitated by some types of fungi that settle on the surface of the meat during this process. These fungi supplement the meat with enzymes, making it more juicy and flavorful. Before cooking, the fungal layer is cut from the meat.

The duration of the meat ripening process depends on the storage temperature and ranges from 15 to 28 days.

In restaurants, 21-day-aged meat is most often found, although in countries where steak has become almost a national dish, you can order meat 30-, 40-, 60- and 90-day aging.

The longest aging period of beef known today is 420 days, but, according to experts, this meat is already more suitable as an ingredient for dishes, and not as a separate dish, since it has an overly harsh taste and aroma.

Disadvantages:

• first of all, this is a loss of about 11-30% of weight due to weathering of moisture from meat and about 7-20% of weight due to an unusable crust. As a result, there is a final rise in the price of the product. The total loss can be up to 60% of the original weight;
• the need to use special equipment and the involvement of experienced personnel monitoring the process. In steak houses in such chambers, up to several hundred kilograms of meat can be aged. In small industries, several tens of tons of products can be fermented at a time;
• heavily scalable production on an industrial scale, a high proportion of manual labor in the fermentation of meat;
• high probability of product spoilage in case of violation of the maturation technology and pre-sale preparation of steaks;

Advantages:

• in addition to the main task - meat softening - many connoisseurs of steaks consider the enhancement of the natural taste and aroma of meat to be the main advantage of dry aging, which, when served, is emphasized with butter, sauces, side dishes;
• the use of transparent cabinets for aging meat in the restaurant hall is an excellent advertising move to attract customers and an excellent design solution.