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Beef Prices


rafterbr

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I have seen several comments about the high beef prices in the restaurants.  There is no reason for beef to be as costly as it is.  I own a ranch in Oklahoma and 3 years ago I received $1,500 for a 600 pound calf.  Now I receive around $750.  When I sale my calves they go to feedlots and fed until they weigh around 1,200 pounds, sometimes a little more.  The feedlot is now receiving around $1.10 a pound for this calf.  The calf will dress out around 55 to 60 per cent for meat and bone. Virtually everything on the calf is used for something so the meat processor and packer make money from this as well as the meat.  The big meat processors like Tyson have a lot of political influence.  As usual the consumer is paying for huge profits by these companies.  I look for embargo's on american meats as a result of Trump's Tariffs and it won't be the companies who take the hit it will be the american farmer.

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As a 30 year part time residents of Ajijic and Chapala we appreciate the variety of food and restaurants that are available locally. Last week my wife and I were in Orlando, Fla. for 5 days and made reservations at what are touted as some of the finest restaurants according to Trip Advisor ratings. Some were excellent as advertised while the #1 rated restaurant was terrible. It was the bevy of tuxedo dressed wait staff and an impressive menu. My wife had a fresh grouper entree I had their signature large bone in rib eye plus sides a bottle of wine ($75.00) and 1 desert..The bill was $500.00 including tip...There are a dozen better eating places in and around Ajijic without visiting Guad..Be happy my friends..we are in heaven were we are in Mexico..       

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2 hours ago, rafterbr said:

I have seen several comments about the high beef prices in the restaurants.  There is no reason for beef to be as costly as it is.  I own a ranch in Oklahoma and 3 years ago I received $1,500 for a 600 pound calf.  Now I receive around $750.  When I sale my calves they go to feedlots and fed until they weigh around 1,200 pounds, sometimes a little more.  The feedlot is now receiving around $1.10 a pound for this calf.  The calf will dress out around 55 to 60 per cent for meat and bone. Virtually everything on the calf is used for something so the meat processor and packer make money from this as well as the meat.  The big meat processors like Tyson have a lot of political influence.  As usual the consumer is paying for huge profits by these companies.  I look for embargo's on american meats as a result of Trump's Tariffs and it won't be the companies who take the hit it will be the american farmer.

Interesting, rafterbr. I have been reading about the low prices cattle ranchers are getting for a couple of years now, and wondering why beef is getting so costly here.

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We are very satisfied with beef and other meats (fresh and smoked) that we get from our local butcher. Sure, they don't have pre-packaged or chemical treated meats. The beef is tender with a good, fresh taste.  I can place an order of whatever cut of meat I want and either pick it up or have it delivered.

Don't say bad things about Mexican beef, say bad things about the places you have been getting your beef.

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I am talking about steak and other beef dishes in restaurants here. I read somewhere it is the difference in the cattle feed here and other countries...one corn and one grass...can't remember which is which. All I know is that ordering steak at local restaurants is hit or miss and I do not take that chance any more...there are many more choices. I am sure that other folks here with more knowledge than I can expound on this subject far better,

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Cheap beef is had at taco stands, but it's been chopped up, shredded, marinated, cut against the grain. It's the reason tacos exist. I have never had Mexican un-aged beef at a local restaurant that I can tell. Lousy cooked steaks, yeah, but it's easy to tell un-aged beef. When I first arrived here, I bought a slew of steaks at the butcher in the Chapala market, impressed with the price. Marinated it for hours. Nobody could get their knives through it. Dinner guests who had been here a while filled me in on Mexican beef.

I've been told two major things about cattle here: one, it is typically not aged, and two, grazing cattle chew on stones and have very little grass. Bruno of restaurant fame used to tell me he got his beef from Sonora in those days, supposedly well known for its cattle, but eventually had to switch to US beef.

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Here is my two cents on the subject.  Good beef starts with the cow.  The black angus is a small boned cow with good meat.  It has become very popular at the grocery counter but problem is many breeds have been crossed with the angus and the calfs are black so they are called angus.  I would estimate 60% of the calfs at Oklahoma auctions are black.  My cows are mainly black limousin a cross between the red limousin cow from France with the black angus.  My calfs will weigh 50 to 60 pounds more at weaning than a pure black angus.  Second is the feed, here in the states people are wanting grass fed beef because they are learning the feed lots put additives in the feed to keep the calfs healthy and make them grow faster.  The type of grass they eat is also important in the quality of the beef.  When the calf is butchered it is refrigerated and hung to age.  The longer it is hung the more tender the meat.  Unfortunately most meat is not hung long enough as space is money to the processor.  When you see USDA Inspected on the meat this does not mean it comes from the USA only that it was inspected to standards.  On top of this it was probably not a government inspector but an inspector working for the meat processor who is authorized to do this.  Here in Oklahoma most of the meat in our markets is boxed meat from Canada.  The calf is cut into major pieces, boxed and shipped out.  The market will cut these pieces into steaks,, roasts, hamburger meat, etc.  Our good Oklahoma beef goes to the East and West coast where it will bring better prices.

There is nothing wrong with Mexican beef as long as it is a good breed, grazed on good grass and is aged properly.  Unfortunately most Mexican cows are of an inferior breed but there are good cattle in Mexico,  I don't know how you will know the difference.  

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5 minutes ago, rafterbr said:

Here is my two cents on the subject.  Good beef starts with the cow.  The black angus is a small boned cow with good meat.  It has become very popular at the grocery counter but problem is many breeds have been crossed with the angus and the calfs are black so they are called angus.  I would estimate 60% of the calfs at Oklahoma auctions are black.  My cows are mainly black limousin a cross between the red limousin cow from France with the black angus.  My calfs will weigh 50 to 60 pounds more at weaning than a pure black angus.  Second is the feed, here in the states people are wanting grass fed beef because they are learning the feed lots put additives in the feed to keep the calfs healthy and make them grow faster.  The type of grass they eat is also important in the quality of the beef.  When the calf is butchered it is refrigerated and hung to age.  The longer it is hung the more tender the meat.  Unfortunately most meat is not hung long enough as space is money to the processor.  When you see USDA Inspected on the meat this does not mean it comes from the USA only that it was inspected to standards.  On top of this it was probably not a government inspector but an inspector working for the meat processor who is authorized to do this.  Here in Oklahoma most of the meat in our markets is boxed meat from Canada.  The calf is cut into major pieces, boxed and shipped out.  The market will cut these pieces into steaks,, roasts, hamburger meat, etc.  Our good Oklahoma beef goes to the East and West coast where it will bring better prices.

There is nothing wrong with Mexican beef as long as it is a good breed, grazed on good grass and is aged properly.  Unfortunately most Mexican cows are of an inferior breed but there are good cattle in Mexico,  I don't know how you will know the difference.  

Good information. Thanks.

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If you want dry aged beef, buy "sub primal" cuts, big cuts such as prime rib roast. Stick it in a special plastic bag, and leave it 45 days in the bottom of your fridge - it will be tender and much more flavor. The local (for me) carneceria mostly sells beef stew meat, pork chorizos (loose or in casings) and Biftek Milanesa, very lean, very thin slices for flash frying or in soups (tender but not much flavour), and pork Chicharones for the bean pot. They always have at least a side of beef and a side of pork in their meatlocker. I have had meat aged as little as three days, which I didn't mind because I was dry aging. I know Canada is a mininum 14 days aging. Arrechera has typically wet aged for two weeks. Anything longer makes no difference. Another tip, from a multiple award winning BBQ chef, which I have not tried yet is to make Koji rice ferment, then grind to powder, rub the beef before cooking. It gives beef a Umami taste much like aged beef.

https://www.drybagsteak.com/

http://store.organic-cultures.com/kokinspsu.html

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I agree with rafterbr on grazing beef on good grass.  Which is why I always laugh when people recommend Sonoran beef.  I lived on the US side of the state of Sonora for many years and drove through it often.  There is nary a blade of grass in that high desert environment.  Cactus fed beef??  

cows.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Bisbee Gal said:

I agree with rafterbr on grazing beef on good grass.  Which is why I always laugh when people recommend Sonoran beef.  I lived on the US side of the state of Sonora for many years and drove through it often.  There is nary a blade of grass in that high desert environment.  Cactus fed beef??  

cows.jpg

 

That needs to be rebranded as "Free Range" Beef.

 

 

 

 

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Rafter...after reading your post today ,I called a couple of Chef friends in Florida and asked what they  were paying. Both said the prices had softened a little off the highs but still over $10 for whole rib eyes and $14 for whole filets..that’s untrimmed and wholesale ..angus and sterling silver .So someone in the middle is “ making a killing “ l don’t think the meat companies ever take a hit ,plus now they get a huge tax break...but I’m sure they’ll pass the savings on to the consumer.

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On 6/22/2018 at 11:17 AM, CHILLIN said:

If you want dry aged beef, buy "sub primal" cuts, big cuts such as prime rib roast. Stick it in a special plastic bag, and leave it 45 days in the bottom of your fridge - it will be tender and much more flavor. The local (for me) carneceria mostly sells beef stew meat, pork chorizos (loose or in casings) and Biftek Milanesa, very lean, very thin slices for flash frying or in soups (tender but not much flavour), and pork Chicharones for the bean pot. They always have at least a side of beef and a side of pork in their meatlocker. I have had meat aged as little as three days, which I didn't mind because I was dry aging. I know Canada is a mininum 14 days aging. Arrechera has typically wet aged for two weeks. Anything longer makes no difference. Another tip, from a multiple award winning BBQ chef, which I have not tried yet is to make Koji rice ferment, then grind to powder, rub the beef before cooking. It gives beef a Umami taste much like aged beef.

https://www.drybagsteak.com/

http://store.organic-cultures.com/kokinspsu.html

23 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

 

In the first link, there is a link for a vacuum sealer. I wonder if the "special plastic bag" is a vacuum seal bag?

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1 hour ago, Tiny said:

In the first link, there is a link for a vacuum sealer. I wonder if the "special plastic bag" is a vacuum seal bag?

Yes Tiny, many recipes call for the vacuum sealer, but you know our first prime rib roast, and our first tenderloin I wanted to use the sealer that we borrowed, but it was dead in the water. Ended up using a plastic straw and lung power. Worked out great, the tenderloin was beautiful but a little too salty, my bad. Greate seasoning though.The prime rib steaks were tasty, but the toughness was about the same as the American Legion Tuesday steaks, then I had only gone 31 days. The UMAI system releases water,   but allows oxygen. It is a molecular filter, but quite expensive, but it works 100%.

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31 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

Yes Tiny, many recipes call for the vacuum sealer, but you know our first prime rib roast, and our first tenderloin I wanted to use the sealer that we borrowed, but it was dead in the water. Ended up using a plastic straw and lung power. Worked out great, the tenderloin was beautiful but a little too salty, my bad. Greate seasoning though.The prime rib steaks were tasty, but the toughness was about the same as the American Legion Tuesday steaks, then I had only gone 31 days. The UMAI system releases water,   but allows oxygen. It is a molecular filter, but quite expensive, but it works 100%.

Maybe I have aging my beef all this time.  I have been using a vacuum sealer 10+ years. HAHAHA Great investment.

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1 hour ago, CHILLIN said:

The UMAI system releases water,   but allows oxygen. It is a molecular filter, but quite expensive, but it works 100%.

1

$10 USD each from Amazon, but they do not ship them to Mexico.

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