Thursday, May 28, 2009

Grilled Steak with Mango Salsa

I was invited by the Texas Beef Council to participate in their Beef Recipe Grilling Experience, and I thought why not, sure. I knew Kurt would be happy with a grilled steak for a meal. Grill a steak, no problem, make Kurt happy, all well and good, but wait a minute, what about my hang-ups about red meat and issues with beef processing and all of that? Could I accept this offer from TBC with a clear conscience? How would this rate in the realm of food blogging ethics? I decided to turn this into a little research project, ask some questions of TBC, and report my findings here. Before I get to all of that, I’ll tell you about this grilled steak and salsa, and farther on down the page, I’ll explain what I learned about the Texas beef industry.

From a list of five different recipes from TBC, I chose the grilled steak with mango salsa. We’ve had mango salsa with grilled fish before, but pairing it with steak was a first for Kurt. The salsa came together quickly and easily. Dice a fresh mango and combine with minced green onion, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and a finely chopped red chile. Just for fun, I added a finely chopped red habanero too. A marinade for the steak was made from lime juice, green onion, ginger, garlic, and salt. The steak bathed in that, in the refrigerator, for a few hours. When the grill was ready, the marinade bits were swiped from its surface so they wouldn’t burn, and it went over the coals. Kurt enjoyed the hint of lime in the meat from the marinade and was happy with the salsa with the steak. He usually keeps his grilled steak rather simple by just seasoning with salt and pepper before grilling, but he said this was a nice change of pace. I can report that the salsa was also very good with grilled chicken, and I’m now convinced that mango salsa would probably go well with any kind of protein. Have a look at the TBC site for many more beef recipes.

Now, about my conscience being my guide for this post:
First, I’ll attempt to explain my reasons for not eating red meat. I grew up eating pretty regular, American, meat and potatoes meals. However, when given options, I always chose fish and fowl over red meat. So, one April morning in 1991 when I attended an Earth Day event on the University of Illinois campus and learned about the environmental impact of cattle ranching, I made what was an easy decision to stop eating red meat. There are also a host of health-related reasons for eating lower on the food chain, but the simple fact is that I didn’t miss it much once I stopped eating it.

These days, we’ve all heard the news regarding concerns about the beef industry. A frequently repeated statement is that you can do more for the environment by eating less meat than by making any other single lifestyle change. I read both Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma with great interest. Disturbing information about the beef industry was presented in both books. This topic has been discussed at length and current practices have been criticized by many in recent months. Rather than rehashing all of that information, my goal for this post was to ask some questions in hopes of finding news of positive change in the beef industry. I contacted the Texas Beef Council, asked a lot of questions, and learned a great deal about the beef industry.

Some quick facts:
-Texas has 149,000 ranchers, cattlemen, and dairy farmers. This figure represents about 15% of the nation’s combined nearly one million beef and dairy producers.
-The Texas Department of Agriculture has recognized almost 4,200 farms and ranches in 232 counties across Texas for more than a century of continuous operation. Five ranches have been recognized for 200 years and 80 farms and ranches for 150 years of operation.
-Total global greenhouse gas emissions from livestock for 2006 was 18%, but the EPA put the percentage from livestock in the US at 6%.
-The TBC was established in 1986 by beef producers who wanted this council to operate as an advertising and marketing arm of the industry. The TBC is funded by receiving one dollar from each head of cattle raised in Texas.

Beef producers in Texas come in all sizes. There are smaller producers who raise less than 100 head of cattle on their property, and there are others who operate multiple ranches in different locations. At some point these cattle all come together in what has become the conventional process. There are several stages in the cycle of conventional beef production. First, there are cow/calf producers who breed calves that are sold to other ranchers. The calves are sold to ranchers who have available land where cattle can graze. This is the most interesting aspect of the cycle to me because there is only so much land and so much grass where cattle can be fed. Because of that, next in the cycle, cattle may be sold to a stocker who tends the animals and feeds them until they reach the weight at which they can be sold to a feedlot. A feedlot sets the weight at which they’ll buy based on the current price of grain. Once cattle arrive at a feedlot, they are grain-fed until they reach market weight. Grain is grown in mass quantities and is a more efficient feeding solution that grass pasturing. The last transfer in the cycle is to the harvesting plant, or slaughterhouse, where the beef is processed into various cuts.

Interestingly, as cattle are moved from one stage of the cycle to another, they may not spend their entire life in one state. Many of the feedlots are located closer to where the grain is grown in the Midwest. Likewise, many harvesting plants are located near the feedlots. This led me to the question of what then is Texas beef? I was told that the official designation of Texas beef as defined by the Texas Department of Agriculture is that the product must have had some value added in the state of Texas. That means that just one part of the whole process must have taken place in Texas. Therefore, not all Texas beef is completely born, raised, and processed in this state.

So, there are issues with supply and demand. Because of limited space and difficulties in providing enough grass, as demand for beef has grown, the process developed to move cattle to feedlots to be finished on grain. Bringing so many animals together in one place has led to other practices such as the use of antibiotics to prevent diseases being spread among so many animals. There are a lot of concerns and questions, both about the safety of the meat and the environmental consequences regarding this practice, and I did not learn of any alternatives or future plans regarding this issue. The TBC is confident in the FDA’s approval of the use of antibiotics. This is the situation in the area of large production. There are small-scale producers who are raising cattle entirely on grass, never sending them to feedlots or harvesting plants, and having them butchered locally. The difficulty is that as long as demand remains where it is or increases, it’s just not possible to supply enough beef from these kinds of small-scale operations.

I ended up feeling like I didn’t quite find the good news story I was hoping to report, but I did find that the people with whom I spoke at TBC are working hard to make Texas beef the best it can be. They genuinely believe in the programs they offer and are proud of the level of quality they see at all stages of the production process. They also feel that a lot of the criticism towards the beef industry is unfair or exaggerated. It’s not their goal to promote any particular way of raising beef but simply to promote all beef in Texas.

For Kurt and me, our preference is to support local, small-scale beef producers. However, there is a limit to what they can produce. We stopped by the farmers’ market last Saturday to purchase a locally raised, grass-fed, grass-finished, locally butchered steak, and the vendor was sold out an hour and a half after the market opened. So, the steak pictured in this post was a locally raised, grass-fed New York strip steak purchased at Whole Foods. The nice man at the meat counter told us that particular steak came from a processing plant in Fort Worth which only processes naturally- and organically-raised cattle given no antibiotics. The cost was the same as the other steaks in the case. If you’re interested in supporting one kind of beef production over another, ask questions about where and how your beef was raised. Or, consider seeking out a local beef producer at your farmers’ market. I don’t have any answers for the big questions about the industry, but we’ll continue to choose local, grass-fed beef for Kurt’s occasional steak meals.



34 comments:

  1. wow. thanks for all these info about beef. It is a hugely consumed meat in America, so this def caught my attention. I'm going to be more aware on choosing my beef.
    still, it's comforting to know that the people at TBC are working to produce good-quality beef. I hope it only gets better from here.

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  2. Your grilled me and mango looks incredible. Thanks also for all the good info. I have also read both books, and they are eye opening. I like the perspective you added.

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  3. That is one beautiful steak!

    Love your post. I just finished Fast Food Nation and I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma right now. We rarely eat beef, but I want to be making the right choices when we do, even if it costs a bit more!

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  4. Great info! The steak looks perfectly cooked and the mango salsa is excellent!

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  5. That's some really good stuff to know. Though, I've cut down my meat intake, I still enjoy a nice steak every once in a while. The mango sala look like a perfect pairing. yum!

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  6. great info on steak and dang that steak looks perfect!

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  7. This is the perfect summer meal.
    I have seen 5 different mango salsas this week on blogs. I like to add an avocado to mine.
    The steak looks perfect!

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  8. This is one that I'll have to pass on, of course, but my goodness, the colors sure are vibrant and invigorating! Beautiful presentation!

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  9. Wow thanks for the info! I should really learn more about the beef I eat! Your beef dish looks amazing! Perfectly cooked.

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  10. Hi Liza, your steak was beautifully cooked. I have enjoyed very much this post, I gain a lot from you, thanks. I have been eating less red meat lately, mostly due to health concern and trying to reduce a few pounds. Maybe not that obvious but I feel eating less red meat will make my skin condition better. Also I have been trying to do more exercise, I have picked up swimming again and it seems it really helps and showing some effect. I am hoping to lose a few more pounds to reach my target and than I can perfect reward myself for a nice piece of steak!!! By the way, which type of mango do you use? The yellow skin one or the green ones? The yellow ones are sweeter but not so easy to get here.

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  11. Janet: I should have mentioned the mango variety, good question! I used the big, yellow-red-green, Tommy/Atkins type for this. We also often have the smaller, yellow Ataulfo ones which I think are sweeter. Any type would work here, but if you have options, less sweet would be good.

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  12. That steak my dear is cooked to perfection. You man must have hugged you to bits!

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  13. Lisa is cooking really yummy steak, yay! The salsa look really delicious!

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  14. Many thanks for a balanced and thoughtful post. I am still quite ambivalent about the issue of meat production because the discussion often becomes so heated and information sources can often be one-sided. Of course, there is no question about the environmental impact of large scale production but I would like to hear more about the social/cultural impact of meat consumption between industrialized and small-scale.

    I hesitate, at this point, to completely excoriate the beef industry. Although I may choose to patronize local producers, I am sensitive to the fact that not everyone has the resources to have that choice.

    With that said, this grilled steak dish is really marvelous. The mango salsa is a great pairing but I wonder if I can wean myself from wanting some kind of starch, too . . . !

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  15. i don't eat steak, but i've never been more enticed to do so than i am right now. that salsa is a beautiful and tasty adornment! :)

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  16. Wow, that's a big honor. You will do great justice with a big hunk of steak.

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  17. Wow, that steak looks cooked to perfection. I have a soft spot for beef, even if it isn't my favorite, because my parents raised cattle. I didn't realize at the time how lucky we were to have "homegrown" beef.

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  18. Drool, drool... That dish looks so good and extremenly tasty! the steak is cooked to perfection! Wonderful!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  19. You're right -- mango salsa is good on pretty much everything: chicken, fish, shrimp, pork, even just good ol' tortilla chips.

    You hit the nail on the head, too. Eating today is like navigating a minefield. There are so many issues. But the best thing you can do is to always ask questions.

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  20. How fun!

    The meal looks absolutely spot on! Love everything about it.

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  21. Lots of great information about beef here. I gave up meet for a couple of years for the same reason, but now I go for the grass fed and organic varieties. The mango salsa does sound delicious and versatile too!

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  22. What a great informative post. I am not a fan of been but your steak looks delicious as well as your salsa.

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  23. Lisa, as always your pictures and prose are just beautiful. I do enjoy a good steak and a good mango, so I think I'll be testing this recipe sooner rather than later in my own kitchen. What I appreciate most about this post though is your thoughtful consideration of both your role as a food blogger and as someone who doesn't regularly eat meat. I appreciate the effort you went through to learn more about Texas beef production and to provide us with a clear overview of what you discovered. Thanks for sharing your insight into both the process and the results.

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  24. Steak tastes so much better on the grill. I have some new york strips in the freezer that I'm planning to cook up soon.

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  25. Lisa the steaks look perfectly cooked.. I'm really craving that beef now! I usually opt for the fish also.. like tonight.. fish and chips night. Your salsa looks very yummy, I like the addition of red chili's and Habanero's, sounds very spicy!!
    Great article and very informative.:)

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  26. The steak looks fabulous....nice presentation...

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  27. We do not eat beef.. or even pork. But the mango salsa looks tempting. I will go get me some mangoes today. i am having some serious cravings.

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  28. Man, look at how perfectly cooked the steak is. The mango salsa also looks delicious. Great combo!

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  29. Wow! Mango salsa very delicious prefect for summer time.
    Thanks,
    for sharing your recipe:)

    And you can visit me if I can visit you:)

    Welcome!
    foodcreate.com

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  30. I love love mango salsa. And this steak looks absolutely amazing!

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  31. I love my steak to be medium rare. The mango salsa looks delicious too. I can't wait to give this a try. Delish!

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  32. Those two sound like a match made in heaven. That steak looks perfectly done too.

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  33. this looks so yummy. i love the combination of beef salad with fresh fruits.. will try it certainly

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  34. This steak is cooked to perfection!

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