Archive for December, 2013

South Shore Meats hails alternative steak cut

December 28th, 2013
By donm

Specialty cut rivals the much-hyped “Vegas Strip” steak

While the food and beverage media falls all over itself to promote the new “Vegas Strip,” South Shore Meats continues to deliver the higher-end “Boston Strip” to its clients throughout the Northeast.

The “Boston Strip” is a much better cut.

After several years of trial and error and support from the meat researchers at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Tony Mata has a brand new discovery that he calls the Vegas Strip.

It comes from an uninspiring area of the carcass that butchers tended to turn into ground chuck, but Mata insisted there was a jewel in all that fat, cartilage and gristle. For his efforts, Mata has become quite a media darling, appearing on the national news to tout his find.

Mata told CBS News’ Dean Reynolds that if you used “standard butchering procedures, following the seam” on the piece of meat in question, there’s no way to get a good cut. However, if you follow his patented procedure, which he’s trained butchers to perform in as little as 25 seconds, one can actually trim the bad from the good.

With all due respect to the “researchers” at Oklahoma State, simply cutting around fat, gristle, and cartilage doesn’t guarantee a good steak.

At South Shore Meats, we have much larger sample size than the “several years of trial and error,” that now gives us the Vegas Strip.

We have been using the Boston Strip cut for generations.

The Boston Strip comes from the bottom sirloin butt. Once discovered, it became part of our standard offerings due to its flavor intensity, juiciness, and unique bite. It is a prime example of the Old World craftsmanship that has made South Shore the preferred wholesale portion control meat manufacturing facility in New England.

The Boston Strip is perfect for marinating, as this particular cut’s unique attribute is the ability of the muscle to absorb outside flavors.

The Boston Strip is best grilled from rare to medium rare with a pinch of fresh ground black pepper and a healthy dusting of kosher sea salt. Let steak rest for two to three minutes, then slice against the grain and fan around the plate with whatever sides are desired.

South Shore Meats is a fourth generation, family run business that combines state-of-the-art portion control concepts with Old World craftsmanship to provide the finest center-of-the-plate cuts available.

We won’t be using the Vegas Strip.

All the best – 

Carlo Crocetti

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Posted in Preparing Meat |

When is “the other white meat” considered “done?”

December 2nd, 2013
By donm

Research suggests consumers prefer cooking to appearance rather than taste

Pork was the subject of a recent study to determine consumers’ reaction to how the meat was cooked.  The results go a long way to explaining the battle that pork has in elevating its status in the cooked meat paradigm.

In the throes of that battle, a late 80s marketing campaign portrayed pork as “the other white meat.” The hope was that positioning pork along with real white meats (pork is only white after cooking) like fish and poultry, it would be seen as a healthier alternative to red meat.

Now it seems that consumers are cooking the redness, and therefore the taste, right out of these pork products.

While the USDA recommends cooking to 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a three minute rest, research suggests consumers are more apt to eat pork when it is cooked to 170 degrees.

The difference in that “doneness” level?

The way it looks.

While cooking pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees is considered “safe” by the USDA, and offers the optimum flavor and texture, the participants in the research complained that the meat didn’t look done.

South Shore Meats is New England’s premier wholesale portion control meat manufacturing facility manufacturing and we are use to working with and perfecting the finest cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal for white-tablecloth establishments throughout the Northeast. 

At South Shore Meats, we not only know how to cut the meat, we take great care in learning the optimum way to cook it as well. 

Here is the basis of the study; 300 people in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles were surveyed. While 61 percent of respondents said they have a meat thermometer, less than 20 percent use it to check to see if pork is done. Instead, they cut into pork to check the color, letting the juices out.

So more than 150 of the subjects have a meat thermometer, but only 60 were using it to determine “doneness.” By cooking to “look” rather than temperature, the study shows that pork-eaters were more often than not eating well-done pork.

The problem with well-done pork is that it will be tough and dry. That’s not good for the pork industry.

To combat the perception that a medium-rare piece of pork chop, roast, or tenderloin isn’t “done” pork producers united this summer for the “Cook It Like A Steak Campaign.”

So much for “the other white meat.”

Sincerely,

Carlo Crocetti

South Shore Meats

ABOUT SOUTH SHORE MEATS

South Shore Meats is New England’s premier wholesale portion control meat manufacturing facility manufacturing the absolute finest cuts of Beef, Pork, Lamb and Veal for white-tablecloth establishments throughout the Northeast. This fourth generation, family run business combines state-of-the-art portion control concepts with Old World craftsmanship to provide the finest center-of-the-plate cuts in the industry.

South Shore Meats is located at 12 Taylor Avenue in Brockton, Ma and provides portion control cuts to all major food distributors in New England. More information is available online at southshoremeatsonline.com

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