New Beef at Nacional

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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Let's face facts: good beef is expensive in the DR, and what we consider "good beef" here is average in the states.

Two years ago I posted about a new strain of local beef the owner of CCN (Supermercado Nacional, Jumbo, Casa Cuesta and a few other retail stores) was producing, a cross between Angus (yummy flavor) and Brahma (heat resistant) called Brangus: http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/157987-Prime-Beef-in-Santiago!?p=1719594&viewfull=1#post1719594

Well, it's here.

I got a heads up this new strain is being introduced in stores. The cattle are crossbred and raised in Jarabacoa, then shipped to the La Romana area for fattening and processing (sugar cane?).

I saw my first Brangus in the Nacional on Estrella Sadhala yesterday and bought two cuts, a 2lb. Cowboy (bone-in) ribeye and 1.5lb NY strip.

I'm cooking the strip this evening sous vide.

The price is RD$250 less than imported. I paid RD$545lb. for the rib-eye/ UD$5.00lb. is a LOT less.

But what about the quality? That remains to be seen. My first impression is slightly less marbling than the imported choice, and a little more red in color. Neither offers the WOW factor, although it looks much better than the usual domestic beef of similar cuts. More on the strip tomorrow.

Here is the ribeye:
IsuAJo.jpg


The butchers pack in in a cute foil-lined bag. Not sure what difference it makes other than the vanity factor:
svCVKB.jpg


So stay tuned for my first effort at cooking higher-quality, locally-produced beef. But at that price we may eat more IF the quality is decent.

Stay tuned.

Pre-Props to CCN for pulling this off...
 

bienamor

Kansas redneck an proud of it
Apr 23, 2004
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Really should not be much different from Santa Gertrudis beef. mix of brahman and shorthorn. these have been around for a long time. also bred to withstand the tropics. Started in Texas at the King Ranch. The Santa Gertrudis has been a recognized breed since the 1940s. 5/8 shorthorn 3/8 Brahma.

Brangus were developed in the USA and more or less perfected in Australia in the 1950-1960s they are again 3/8 Brahman with 5/8 Angus.

Both were bred to handle tropical heat and resist disease.

Brangus should have more marbling than the Santa Gertrudis due to the Angus. Neither of the breeds are new.

Either would be much better than native DR beef
 

Caonabo

LIFE IS GOOD
Sep 27, 2017
7,339
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Let's face facts: good beef is expensive in the DR, and what we consider "good beef" here is average in the states.

Two years ago I posted about a new strain of local beef the owner of CCN (Supermercado Nacional, Jumbo, Casa Cuesta and a few other retail stores) was producing, a cross between Angus (yummy flavor) and Brahma (heat resistant) called Brangus: http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/157987-Prime-Beef-in-Santiago!?p=1719594&viewfull=1#post1719594

Well, it's here.

I got a heads up this new strain is being introduced in stores. The cattle are crossbred and raised in Jarabacoa, then shipped to the La Romana area for fattening and processing (sugar cane?).

I saw my first Brangus in the Nacional on Estrella Sadhala yesterday and bought two cuts, a 2lb. Cowboy (bone-in) ribeye and 1.5lb NY strip.

I'm cooking the strip this evening sous vide.

The price is RD$250 less than imported. I paid RD$545lb. for the rib-eye/ UD$5.00lb. is a LOT less.

But what about the quality? That remains to be seen. My first impression is slightly less marbling than the imported choice, and a little more red in color. Neither offers the WOW factor, although it looks much better than the usual domestic beef of similar cuts. More on the strip tomorrow.

Here is the ribeye:
IsuAJo.jpg


The butchers pack in in a cute foil-lined bag. Not sure what difference it makes other than the vanity factor:
svCVKB.jpg


So stay tuned for my first effort at cooking higher-quality, locally-produced beef. But at that price we may eat more IF the quality is decent.

Stay tuned.

Pre-Props to CCN for pulling this off...

Thank you for sharing.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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I didn't take a picture, but the NY Strip was very, very good. Strip is not my favorite cut unless in a Porterhouse, but for the $$$ a fine piece of meat.

I Know Brangus is not a new breed, but it is new to the DR on a large production scale.

I would expect the final product to improve with age, process refinement and experience of CCN.

I will buy this steak again, without a doubt.

It's nice to see a radical upgrade in the quality of locally produced beef, a radical departure from the old shoe leather we used to get...
 

Drake

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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New breeds dont always adapt well. Angus originates from the Scotish highlands and the Brangus are jet black which is not the ideal cloour in Tropics. I believe someone tried to introduce them un the past unsuccessfully. Establishing new breeds is not easy.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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New breeds dont always adapt well. Angus originates from the Scotish highlands and the Brangus are jet black which is not the ideal cloour in Tropics. I believe someone tried to introduce them un the past unsuccessfully. Establishing new breeds is not easy.
Brahma are fully adapted to warm climates. They are half of the Brangus.

Florida is a huge beef producing state, decent quality, and Brahma are the diminate species, by far. In fact, the mascot for the Univ. of South FL is the Brahma bull.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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I am guessing this new beef was also aged properly before it was sent to the store?
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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I am guessing this new beef was also aged properly before it was sent to the store?
It didn't taste as if it had not been aged. However, I noted the red color. That could be the tell. I'll ask my contacts about the aging process...
 

jeb321

Bronze
Dec 12, 2008
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Let's face facts: good beef is expensive in the DR, and what we consider "good beef" here is average in the states.

Two years ago I posted about a new strain of local beef the owner of CCN (Supermercado Nacional, Jumbo, Casa Cuesta and a few other retail stores) was producing, a cross between Angus (yummy flavor) and Brahma (heat resistant) called Brangus: http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/157987-Prime-Beef-in-Santiago!?p=1719594&viewfull=1#post1719594

Well, it's here.

I got a heads up this new strain is being introduced in stores. The cattle are crossbred and raised in Jarabacoa, then shipped to the La Romana area for fattening and processing (sugar cane?).

I saw my first Brangus in the Nacional on Estrella Sadhala yesterday and bought two cuts, a 2lb. Cowboy (bone-in) ribeye and 1.5lb NY strip.

I'm cooking the strip this evening sous vide.

The price is RD$250 less than imported. I paid RD$545lb. for the rib-eye/ UD$5.00lb. is a LOT less.

But what about the quality? That remains to be seen. My first impression is slightly less marbling than the imported choice, and a little more red in color. Neither offers the WOW factor, although it looks much better than the usual domestic beef of similar cuts. More on the strip tomorrow.

Here is the ribeye:
IsuAJo.jpg


The butchers pack in in a cute foil-lined bag. Not sure what difference it makes other than the vanity factor:
svCVKB.jpg


So stay tuned for my first effort at cooking higher-quality, locally-produced beef. But at that price we may eat more IF the quality is decent.

Stay tuned.

Pre-Props to CCN for pulling this off...

I would advise a great big NO. And everyone of you on this forum knows if you have a taste for beef in DR you must buy angus. No question in my mind. Beef? Non angus? Dominican beef? No no no no no. They will pass along anything.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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I would advise a great big NO. And everyone of you on this forum knows if you have a taste for beef in DR you must buy angus. No question in my mind. Beef? Non angus? Dominican beef? No no no no no. They will pass along anything.
Brangus is half angus.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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It didn't taste as if it had not been aged. However, I noted the red color. That could be the tell. I'll ask my contacts about the aging process...

I suspect it was wet-aged (dry-aging costs a lot more) for at least several days like practically all beef is in the US or it would have been tough regardless of the breed.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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I suspect it was wet-aged (dry-aging costs a lot more) for at least several days like practically all beef is in the US or it would have been tough regardless of the breed.
I agree.

The real test will be the rib-eye.

But based on the Strip, I would definitely buy Brangus again, especially for RD$250 per pound less than imported beef.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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New breeds dont always adapt well. Angus originates from the Scotish highlands and the Brangus are jet black which is not the ideal cloour in Tropics. I believe someone tried to introduce them un the past unsuccessfully. Establishing new breeds is not easy.
The Jarabacoa valley doesn’t have a true tropical climate. Nights can get rather chilly up there, especially in the winter months. Coconut palms (they are the most delicate palms as far as cold weather is concerned) do grow there, albeit they are not as abundant as at sea level, so the temperature doesn’t fall below 0 degrees celsius, but it gets chilly enough for humans to require a sweater or a jacket to stay warm, especially with the breeze.

That’s probably why they decided to try those cows up there. If anything, there are other valleys nearby Jarabacoa that are higher and get even colder, many of them definitely don’t have a tropical climate. In some of them water freezes at night during the winter months. Many are also protected in national parks while the most populous is Constanza, which is 100% owned. Anyway, if CCN is truly interested they can probably find a land owner willing to sell them some land.

The intensity of the sun rays is as strong as anywhere else in the DR, but I don’t know if that affects those particular cows in any way.
 
Last edited:

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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I have seen a lot of different breeds of cattle in the campos around Jarabacoa , Australian Braford,..Charolais....etc. I actually don't mind the taste of most of the beef I've had here but tough...wow.
 

RDKNIGHT

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Mar 13, 2017
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I have seen a lot of different breeds of cattle in the campos around Jarabacoa , Australian Braford,..Charolais....etc. I actually don't mind the taste of most of the beef I've had here but tough...wow.

That's why you pressure cook all the meat , unless you like shoe leather
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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That's why you pressure cook all the meat , unless you like shoe leather
The Brangus strip last night was prepared sous vide at 142F for 2.5 hours, then seared in a super hot, smoking iron skillet. It was almost too tender. Next time it'll be sous vide for 1.5 hours.
 

Drake

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...sca-mejorar-genetica-del-ganado-rd-HL10280337

Article in spanish on this topic

The major issue I can see the availabilty of fresh new stud bulls to reproduce the herd. The main stud bull in each herd needs to be removed every 4 years or he will start to cross with his daughters which lead to birth defects, still borns ect.. so my question is where are these large Brangus stud bulls coming from? Importing regularly could turn out expensive.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...sca-mejorar-genetica-del-ganado-rd-HL10280337

Article in spanish on this topic

The major issue I can see the availabilty of fresh new stud bulls to reproduce the herd. The main stud bull in each herd needs to be removed every 4 years or he will start to cross with his daughters which lead to birth defects, still borns ect.. so my question is where are these large Brangus stud bulls coming from? Importing regularly could turn out expensive.
Artificial insemination.

No need for "stud bulls" to speak of. Importing sperm is a lot less than importing a bull...and the result is the same.
 

Caonabo

LIFE IS GOOD
Sep 27, 2017
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The Brangus strip last night was prepared sous vide at 142F for 2.5 hours, then seared in a super hot, smoking iron skillet. It was almost too tender. Next time it'll be sous vide for 1.5 hours.

Most may not know the meaning of sous vide. For all intents and purposes, some may believe you prepared your steak wearing a Speedo.