Argentinian Beef- where to buy?

RATM

ust got back from a few weeks holiday in Argentina and the rumours are true- the beef and lamb there are absolutely sublime,
Anyone know a place in or around Dublin that imports it ?

Tree

I have been told that irish beef is one of the best, but that the main reason it's not as lovely lies with the cooking methods. Irish people tend to overcook their beef, so restaurants will often do the same to minimise complaints. Ie argentinian medium is nothing ilke an irish medium

104494431

Their beef is no better or worse than ours, they just hang their meat for a longer period of time before serving it, hence why it's so tender etc. This combined with never really serving meat cooked "well done" gives the illusion that the beef itself is better.

Just buy steak from a butcher shop and try and make sure it's steak that's been hung for at least a month and you'll see what I mean.

dh0661

104494431 wrote: »

Their beef is no better or worse than ours, they just hang their meat for a longer period of time before serving it, hence why it's so tender etc. This combined with never really serving meat cooked "well done" gives the illusion that the beef itself is better.

• Just buy steak from a butcher shop and try and make sure it's steak from a carcas that has been hung for at least a month and you'll see what I mean.

RATM

Id tend to disagree lads- I rate Argentinian beef over Irish anyday. I spent 8 weeks there and ate out at least twice a day and never once had a bad meal whereas Ive often bought meat from a butcher here and not been happy with it.Their beef is a much more consistent product and it tastes better IMO.

Im not sure how long they let it age for but I do feel it is a superior product. The Patagonian Lamb that is served there is also beyond description in terms of taste, tenderness and flavour.

Anyway my question remains unanswered, anyone know where I can get any? They export over 70% of their stock so there must be some on sale somewhere?

brianthebard

The 'Irish' meat you've been eating could as easily be Brazilian or Argentina. They are the two biggest exporters in the world so chances are if you buy meat in a supermarket or even some butchers you've already come in contact with it. However in the same way that Brazilian beef is not labelled as such the Argentianian beef probably isn't either, which should tell you a bit about its credentials as a 'foody' object of interest. Why anyone would purposively go looking for meat brought half way around the world when we produce so much here is beyond me. If you aren't getting the meat you want then it is most likely your provider, not the producer who is at fault.

admiralofthefleet

try pallas foods. they import a wide selection of meats into ireland. they are based in limerick but deliver nationwide

tfak85

i'm not sure of the name of the place but there is an organic butchers in rathgar and my boyfriend tells me they have argentinian beef there..

also (being an ex-butcher) he says to make sure and see the brand on the piece of meat before buying it, showing country of origin...



"get in that fridge and free range up that chicken" .. his old bosses favourite phrase.

admiralofthefleet

tfak85 wrote: »

i'm not sure of the name of the place but there is an organic butchers in rathgar and my boyfriend tells me they have argentinian beef there..

also (being an ex-butcher) he says to make sure and see the brand on the piece of meat before buying it, showing country of origin...



"get in that fridge and free range up that chicken" .. his old bosses favourite phrase.

that butchers is just beside comans if your looking for it op

RATM

brianthebard wrote: »

Why anyone would purposively go looking for meat brought half way around the world when we produce so much here is beyond me. If you aren't getting the meat you want then it is most likely your provider, not the producer who is at fault.

Blame it on the butchers ? Farmer, are we ?

Like I said in a previous post I consider the beef I had in Argentina to be superior to Irish beef and I simply came on here to ask where I could buy some of this delicious beef in Ireland. If it doesn't work out due to freshness issues then so be it. But Im not going to be lectured on my personal choices and tastes of where the food I want to eat comes from.

Admiral & tfak85 ( & boyfriend=) - thanks for your helpful suggestions:)

Seaneh

Irish beef is much, much better than south american beef, we use better breeds of cow, we have better feeding ground (almost all Irish beef is 100% grass fed) and the only reason it would be less tender, ever, would be if you bought it from a lazy butcher who only hung his meet for 14-20 days, Irish meet when hung for 28 days is the best in the world for texture and only rivles on flavour by scottish angus and southern french/northern spanish bull beef.

CJhaughey

Seaneh wrote: »

Irish beef is much, much better than south american beef, we use better breeds of cow, we have better feeding ground (almost all Irish beef is 100% grass fed) and the only reason it would be less tender, ever, would be if you bought it from a lazy butcher who only hung his meet for 14-20 days, Irish meet when hung for 28 days is the best in the world for texture and only rivles on flavour by scottish angus and southern french/northern spanish bull beef.

I disagree with this, IME Irish beef can be good indeed excellent but more often is not.
Like everything exports are always better quality than the home market, thats a simple fact.
Argentina has huge expanses of grassland and has the exact same breeds of cattle we have here, Angus, Hereford, shorthorn Charolais etc.
The fact is they eat huge quantities of beef in Argentina and know how to produce good quality beef for the domestic market, they consume 68kg of beef per capita per year!
Don't confuse Brazilian beef with Argentinian beef they are quite different.
I can understand the emotive reactions when you mention Argentinian beef but they produce world class beef, as good or better than this country.

Mellor

RATM wrote: »

Blame it on the butchers ? Farmer, are we ?

Like I said in a previous post I consider the beef I had in Argentina to be superior to Irish beef and I simply came on here to ask where I could buy some of this delicious beef in Ireland. If it doesn't work out due to freshness issues then so be it. But Im not going to be lectured on my personal choices and tastes of where the food I want to eat comes from.

Admiral & tfak85 ( & boyfriend=) - thanks for your helpful suggestions:)

Have you even read what these guys are saying.

nobody said the beef you had in south america didn't taste better. I've had it too, it does.
But this is not because the "cows" are superior, they are in fact the same. However, the way it is looked after and prepared post slaughter make it taste better.
If somebody here does import Argie beef, most of these steps won't happen in a local butchers. (the extra days hanging on the way over will help though)

the beer revolu

One of the best steaks I'v eaten was an Irish steak I bought in a supermarket in Belgium - it out classed and Irish steak I've ever bought in Ireland and certainly in an Irish supermarket.

tfak85

on the subject of good meat in general i have to say i'm a big fan of ennis butchers in rialto, he has some really beautiful produce...

it's great to get good meat!

superficies

Find a good butcher who buys organic Irish beef and hangs it properly. What you buy from him will be as good if not better than what you had in Argentina. As so many people said this difference in taste is primarily about butchering, not about the animal. People are afraid to ask their butchers how long they hang meet for, where it came from etc... Or maybe we just don't know how to shop in a butcher's anymore, but if you find yourself a good butcher who treats the meat well and who knows and loves cooking you are away with it.

Seeking out Argentinian meat that has been flown half way around the world and treated for that long journey when we produce excellent meat in Ireland and can have it taste just as good with correct butchering is so bad for the environment and makes so little sense that...well. It was never going to go down well on a foodie forum like this. Eat local and seasonal. Food should not be the cause of environmental damage. Plus the Irish farmers and butchers could do with your euro.