Dominican Beef - Yuk or Not bad?

[MirianAmor]

I am a meat man... but then I eat fish too :cheeky:
Anyways, I have stopped buying anything but filet (filet mignon).
I don't think Dominican beef is bad, it's just too fresh. As Dominicans don't have the habit of eating their meat "bleu" (rare) as I and some foreigners tend to, it don't mater as they cook it until it falls apart and it's certainly better they have fresh meat for sanitary reasons.
Yes, some fat would help along with taste but I think, that most of all, what's missing is proper aging.
Now, when ever I am in Santiago I load up on veal at Nacional. Here one can find excellent veal at ridiculous prices. So I indulge.

Chivo is good too if they let YOU cut it, and recently there have been some offers of imported lamb leg for DOP 125.oo / Lb.


... J-D.

Filet Mignon is not the beef to buy. This is ladies meat. Whole ribs with fat is what you want, as a joint. Wrap it in a towel and put in the nevera for at least 14 days. When it starts to smell a bit high. It is ready for roasting on high heat for only 15 minutes per lb. Delicious. Do not forget to let it rest for 20 minutes when you take it from the oven. The more fat the better.

 

[J D Sauser]

Filet Mignon is not the beef to buy. This is ladies meat. ....

You're right it is

And I like it that way.

... J-D.

 

[flo]

churrasco

the best churrasco i have had so far in the DR was at Alis restaurant in Cabarete, i think its in the hotel cabarete surf camp, i dont know where he gets the meat but i would looove to find out !

 

[BushBaby]

Filet Mignon is not the beef to buy. This is ladies meat.

You're right it is

And I like it that way.

... J-D.

I know a lot of REAL men that like 'ladies meat' J-D.:cheeky: Like you, they don't have to 'go with the crowd' or put on 'appearances' to prove their manliness irate: :bored: ~ Grahame.

 

[cobraboy]

Just wanted to mention that ... here you find the best meat ever, I know they deliver to many places around the island because I find their quality meats even in Jarabacoa when I'm there, thought some meat lovers like me would care. Mopax Caribbean Import :: Carnes Importadas - Republica Dominicana - Hoteles y Restaurantes de alta calidad.

Robert, see you soon when we have a roof on the house again ... maybe we can do some ostrich grilling like I did 2 weeks ago at the Jamaca De Dios, it was excellent. See you !!!

Hola, Marcel!:classic: To be clear, I buy only imported beef and from the local vendor you suggested. The ribeye and churassco are outstanding. And to this day that churassco you made is among some of the best beef I have EVER had! (Marcel is quite the awesome chef!)

BTW-there is nothing wrong with frozen beef. Most imported meats come frozen. Properly thawed, done slowly in a fridge between 32-40 degrees F, you can hardly tell the difference from fresh beef.

I can understand about the "why's" of Dominican beef not being aged, and I'm doing what folks here have suggested, and "aging" the remaining pieces of Dominican churrasco in the fridge, encased in oil, subtle marinade, and a papaya slurry. We'll see how it comes out.

But I still believe that there is more to the difference between good American/Argentinian imported beef and typical Dominican beef. I have friends in the states who raise beef cattle for restaurants, and they are raised on a mix of "designer hay" for life, then fed a mixture of corn/grain/soybeans until well fattened. Dominican beef, as far as I know, is pretty much free range, eating what's in a field, and almost never fed corn/grains/soy. Way too expensive.

No doubt aging does have an effect, but aged well-marbled corn-fed beef is vastly superior in taste and texture to aged free-range Dominican beef.

Make no mistake: good beef is available in the DR, almost all imported. Many stores carry it. But it's also a LOT more expensive.

FWIW: I also buy the less expensive 80/20 carne de res molida, instead of the super-lean stuff. The "better" ground beef, IMO, ir horrid: dry and tasteless, hamburgers just suck when made from it. The 80/20 is nearly as good as what I used to use back in the states.

 

[J D Sauser]

...
FWIW: I also buy the less expensive 80/20 carne de res molida, instead of the super-lean stuff. The "better" ground beef, IMO, ir horrid: dry and tasteless, hamburgers just suck when made from it. The 80/20 is nearly as good as what I used to use back in the states.

So do we. The carne molida "economica" @ around RD$ 55/Lb can at times be much better than the overly lean stuff which just dries out and costs like steak meat... well, almost.


... J-D.

 

[Lambada]

So do we. The carne molida "economica" @ around RD$ 55/Lb can at times be much better than the overly lean stuff which just dries out and costs like steak meat... well, almost.


... J-D.

Ditto. I don't actually eat red meat myself but I use the economica for BB's spag. bol sauce. RD$45.95 a pound at Tropical.

 

[AZB]

i made a mistake of taking imported angus beef steaks and turning it into lean hamburger meat. The hamburgers taste like dried cardboard. I hate it.
I will stick to regular minced dominican beef for bbq hamburgers.
Now angus steaks are a whole different story. I love angus steaks with Montreal steak sauce. Yummmmm yummy.
AZB

 

[Expat-in-Cabarete]

the best churrasco i have had so far in the DR was at Alis restaurant in Cabarete, i think its in the hotel cabarete surf camp, i dont know where he gets the meat but i would looove to find out !

I've ate there only once but my best guess on the type of meat is that it's skirt steak. In Mexico, they call it arrachera. In Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, it's the typical churrasco but a bit thicker than what I had at Ali's. It's the front part of the belly (plate, flank being the back). It's a harder meat than other cuts but very tasty.

 

[BettyDiamond]

plenty of hammering is usually needed so that it relaxes the meat -then it can be wrapped in material as stated by other posters.I keep a bit of curtain material to wrap my beef in

 

[Tamborista]

plenty of hammering is usually needed so that it relaxes the meat -then it can be wrapped in material as stated by other posters.I keep a bit of curtain material to wrap my beef in

Where can one pick up a set of beef curtains on the North Coast?

tambo'

 

[cobraboy]

I've ate there only once but my best guess on the type of meat is that it's skirt steak. In Mexico, they call it arrachera. In Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, it's the typical churrasco but a bit thicker than what I had at Ali's. It's the front part of the belly (plate, flank being the back). It's a harder meat than other cuts but very tasty.

It's marinated skirt steak. Done properly, it's excellent and very tender. But done improperly with poor quality local stock, you could make tough survival boots out of it.

It is similar to flank steak.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Where can one pick up a set of beef curtains on the North Coast?

tambo'

Just look for a few of the older ladies hanging around on Pedro Clisante. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Tamborista]

I will look for a set @ the German butcher, I like my Roast Beef rare.

tambo'

 

[BushBaby]

plenty of hammering is usually needed so that it relaxes the meat -then it can be wrapped in material as stated by other posters.I keep a bit of curtain material to wrap my beef in

I think this is a bit Toooooo much info about 'the boy friend' BettyD - remember, this is a family forum!!!

Anyway, why should the fella NOT be relaxed in your company in the first place? Are you really THAT initimidating? :cheeky: ~ Grahame.

 

[Lambada]

plenty of hammering is usually needed so that it relaxes the meat -then it can be wrapped in material as stated by other posters.I keep a bit of curtain material to wrap my beef in

I believe this is also known as tenderising. Hammering on meat breaks down the toughness of meat by forcing cells to separate (tearing), which is also what mastication does. This also means the meat will be more prone to browning and freezer burn, so only physically tenderise just prior to cooking the meat (and after marinading). If you wish to marinade prior to physically tenderising, and yet still want the marinade to seep into the meat, use a fork sparingly instead of a hammer liberally.

There. You really wanted to know that, didn't you?

 

[granca]

Please give full name and address of butchers for british bangers etc in Sosua. I don't go there often but I could make it a birthday treat. I find Dominican beef bought from the stalls in the streets is plenty good enough for all kinds of stews and other slow cooked dishes. For quicker eating Angus is best. Here in Las Terrenas meat is sold in the best supermarkets and butchers in the french fashion with absolutely no fat nor skin on it. The older you get the more important becomes food!

 

[cobraboy]

Results

We grilled the Dominican Churassco last night.

It had beem in the bottom of the fridge for 11 days in an air-tight plastic bag marinating with some pureed lechosa and other spices. This was the same beef that was shoe leather before.

It was OK. Definitely better than before. The tenderness was greatly improved and actually edible. However, it still suffered from lack of taste because of it's extremely lean nature.

Considering the effort and time needed too get this cut to even a palatable stage, I think I'll spend a little more $$$ and just get the imported beef.

 

[DavidZ]

Question: Does Mopax Importers sell retail or only large quantities for hotels/stores, etc?

Some personal observations:
Ali's Surf Camp: Ive had their churrasco dozens of times, but I do not believe it is skirt steak...they probably use "palomilla"...they also don't marinate/cook/serve it with the standard chimichuri sauce....but it is quite tasty.

Ive purchased flank steak at Playero in Sosua, at about 85 pesos/lb., marinated it overnight in a proper chimichirri and grilled it....just a couple of minutes per side....comes out fantastic...

I also buy the cheaper 80/20 carne molida economica or comercial...the "good" ground beef, as has been said, has no flavor due to the too-low fat content. With the proper seasoning and preparation it makes great hamburgers...also good for chili, meatloaf, sheperd's pie, tacos, etc.

Boliche (eye round) is inexpensive and makes decent roast beef...better cold and sliced as thin as possible for sandwiches, then served hot.

Montreal Steak Seasoning is the easiest and sometimes best way to season a steak or hamburger...

Please keep the "hints" for preparing Dominican beef and locations to buy good beef coming!

 

[cobraboy]

Some personal observations:
Ali's Surf Camp: Ive had their churrasco dozens of times, but I do not believe it is skirt steak...they probably use "palomilla"...they also don't marinate/cook/serve it with the standard chimichuri sauce....but it is quite tasty.

I've had a similar observation. 90% of the churasco I've ordered in a restaurant was skirt steak with a sauce on the side. The other was either marinated round or sirloin.

All the churassco I've seen in markets has been skirt steak.