Cheapest steak that's edible?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Had a BBQ recently and asked at Rim Ping which type of beef would be suitable for grilling a steak. Got something and let's just say it didn't make it to the dinner plates; much too tough.

I'm turning it into a rather nice beef stew as we speak so all is not wasted, but I would really like to know how much you need to spend to buy steak that's reasonably tender.

Not just looking just for a place in CM but specifically also which exact kind/cut to get and what it might cost, roughly.

[Anthony5]

Makes the toughest Thai beef edible.

[naboo]

Railway line road, southbound west of the railway, just before the bridge where the 121 goes over the top, RHS, steak restaurant.

72B for a beef steak with chips and salad, the steak was edible, if a bit chewy. The salad wasn't due to the worst salad cream I've discovered, so bad I may return to experience it again.

Pork or chicken steak at 39B inc chips and salad.

I recommend the Thai food.

[kilt]

As always, for me the only consistently good steak is from the Thai-French butcher on Canal Road, West side, just before Huay Kaew.

It is a restaurant as well as a butcher shop that supplies a lot of local restaurants. Cut to order. Not frozen.

Rib Eye cut is about 800B+ / Kilo I believe.

(Someone else will know the name of the place and post it, I hope)

[Ulysses G.]

The Franco-Thai restaurant near Computer Plaza has the only very edible steak dinner I have had for little above 200 baht. However, I have heard that the beef is not always consistent and sometime too tough. I must have been lucky, because it was tender enough and also a very good beef taste compared to other cheap steaks that I have had here.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[kalbo123]

Wine connection, 259 Baht, very decent steak for the price!

But as fas as I know only available at the Central Festival branch.

Try Nothern Farm on Huay Kaew rd if you want to make your own steak.

[gennisis]

No such thing in Thailand !!.

If you want to pay over the odds the 'Not frozen" fillet steak from Festival is tender but not particularly tasty.

[Sparkles]

As always, for me the only consistently good steak is from the Thai-French butcher on Canal Road, West side, just before Huay Kaew.

It is a restaurant as well as a butcher shop that supplies a lot of local restaurants. Cut to order. Not frozen.

Rib Eye cut is about 800B+ / Kilo I believe.

(Someone else will know the name of the place and post it, I hope)

Cant help with the name but your description of location should help anyone find it,coming down Canal Rd, travelling from south, before Phucome Hotel on your left.

They usually have about 5 or 6 cuts of beef and the advantage they will cut into to your requirements

Its by far the best beef we have had in CM but having said that don't expect it to be cheap,all imported and priced accordingly,which explains why we haven't bought for a while.

[mania]

Yes I too have pretty much resigned myself to chicken & pork here

Kind of gave up on steak/Beef after too many attempts over the years

A decent burger from time to time helps

[JulieM]

Northern Farms on Huay Geow road doesn't sell imported beef? I've never been there but plan to go some day.

[Chicog]

Luckily there are other ways to achieve enzymatic tenderization. Many fruits such as kiwifruit, pineapple and papaya contain enzymes that have a tenderizing effect on meat. While it may not give you the same concentrated flavor that dry-aging will get you, fruit can be added to a marinade and it acts much faster. In the case of Bromelain, the enzyme found in pineapple, it’s so effective that it will turn your meat into mush if you let it marinate too long.

Use yellow kiwifruit to aid in the tenderization process. Green kiwifruit works as well.

My favorite fruit for tenderizing is kiwifruit because the Actinidin contained in kiwifruit is effective in breaking down connective tissues without turning the meat into mush. It also has a fairly neutral flavor that won’t significantly affect the taste of your marinade. Best of all, it’s easier to find, and cheaper than papaya (at least in my part of the world).

To use it, just add a tablespoon or two of kiwifruit puree into every cup of marinade. The tenderizing effect will depend on how much kiwifruit you add and how long you let it soak, but I’ve let meat sit in a kiwifruit infused marinade for up to a week without any negative effects on the texture of the meat.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Chicog

[bangmai]

Royal Project Shop, CMU. 200 gram filet mignon is 260 THB. Top Round is 100 THB for 250 grams, same with Bottom Round. Top SIrloin is 115. Selection varies...frozen and individually wrapped. Credit Cards accepted with 500 thb minimum. Local macadamia nuts are 200 thb for 200 grams.

[hanuman2543]

Brahman Beef Tenderloin at Rimping. 520 BHT per kilo. Very good for the price. Some other very edible beef for roasts or goulash from Rimping available too.

Edited December 15, 2014 by hanuman2543

[quidnunc]

As always, for me the only consistently good steak is from the Thai-French butcher on Canal Road, West side, just before Huay Kaew.

It is a restaurant as well as a butcher shop that supplies a lot of local restaurants. Cut to order. Not frozen.

Rib Eye cut is about 800B+ / Kilo I believe.

(Someone else will know the name of the place and post it, I hope)

Cant help with the name but your description of location should help anyone find it,coming down Canal Rd, travelling from south, before Phucome Hotel on your left.

They usually have about 5 or 6 cuts of beef and the advantage they will cut into to your requirements

Its by far the best beef we have had in CM but having said that don't expect it to be cheap,all imported and priced accordingly,which explains why we haven't bought for a while.

What you're referring to is Thai French/Ponyangkam which has already been referenced above. And the beef there is not imported.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Makes the toughest Thai beef edible.

That looks like something the CIA would use.

[worgeordie]

The title is an Oxymoron

regards Worgeordie

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yes I too have pretty much resigned myself to chicken & pork here

Kind of gave up on steak/Beef after too many attempts over the years

A decent burger from time to time helps

Also stews. Like at Makro I buy a kg of cubed beef for stews, which works great, it's just that you need to stew it for a really long time. (Like 3 hours on the lowest flame possible, or slow-cook in an oven)

Works very well for Chili, Irish/Beef stew, etc.

That meat I talked about in my original post that didn't work out as steak turned out to be much faster to stew to a tender state than the Makro stew meat; it was pretty much ready in an hour and a half. Stewed it with red wine, onions, celery various spices, and then later added some carrots and potato. Came out really nice.

[Tywais]

No such thing in Thailand !!.

If you want to pay over the odds the 'Not frozen" fillet steak from Festival is tender but not particularly tasty.

The best steak in Chiang Mai is the one's I grill myself. This wasn't cheap as it is imported Rib Eye from Rimping but incredibly good and tender & juicy enough to cut with a butter knife (no tenderizer added). I went into shock when I casually said I want this much, using my fingers specifying the thickness, and the price on the pack said 2000 Baht! Was kicking myself until later where I found they cut it into 4 perfect thickness slices. That meant one slice was 500 Baht but ended up being too much and ate half now half the next day. So 250 Baht for a very tasty rib eye on rare occasions I consider reasonable. Cheaper than Sizzler I suspect but miles ahead.

[Bernard Flint]

Yes I too have pretty much resigned myself to chicken & pork here

Kind of gave up on steak/Beef after too many attempts over the years

A decent burger from time to time helps

Also stews. Like at Makro I buy a kg of cubed beef for stews, which works great, it's just that you need to stew it for a really long time. (Like 3 hours on the lowest flame possible, or slow-cook in an oven)

Works very well for Chili, Irish/Beef stew, etc.

That meat I talked about in my original post that didn't work out as steak turned out to be much faster to stew to a tender state than the Makro stew meat; it was pretty much ready in an hour and a half. Stewed it with red wine, onions, celery various spices, and then later added some carrots and potato. Came out really nice.

Beef shank is good for stew, very tender and about 320 baht a kilo from big c.

[Beng]

Luckily there are other ways to achieve enzymatic tenderization. Many fruits such as kiwifruit, pineapple and papaya contain enzymes that have a tenderizing effect on meat. While it may not give you the same concentrated flavor that dry-aging will get you, fruit can be added to a marinade and it acts much faster. In the case of Bromelain, the enzyme found in pineapple, it’s so effective that it will turn your meat into mush if you let it marinate too long.

Use yellow kiwifruit to aid in the tenderization process. Green kiwifruit works as well.

My favorite fruit for tenderizing is kiwifruit because the Actinidin contained in kiwifruit is effective in breaking down connective tissues without turning the meat into mush. It also has a fairly neutral flavor that won’t significantly affect the taste of your marinade. Best of all, it’s easier to find, and cheaper than papaya (at least in my part of the world).

To use it, just add a tablespoon or two of kiwifruit puree into every cup of marinade. The tenderizing effect will depend on how much kiwifruit you add and how long you let it soak, but I’ve let meat sit in a kiwifruit infused marinade for up to a week without any negative effects on the texture of the meat.

Interesting suggestion !!

[eyecatcher]

I am not a foody by any stretch, and can confess I have never eaten a restaurant steak here. I need to keep as lean as a thoroughbred but the very little knowledge I have gleened about steak maybe worth knowing....or not

.

1. Steak from supermarkets has been stored in freezers before reaching the s/m as fresh.Fresh means tough.

2. That beautiful red coloured steak is dyed blood red to make it appealing and fresh.(the irony being the browner the better as it has aged and tenderised)

3. Look for a steak with fine marbling, white lines of fat, this makes the steak more tender though some say less flavourful.

4. I do know the most tender steak would be from the tenderloin(the lower back area) cuts such as chateaubriand/filet mignon all from the same area followed by the rump area such as porterhouse/ rump.

5. The worst and toughest, and cheapest of the 3 areas I think is the rib eye and T bone from the upper loin area around the ribs

6. The only thing I remember about cooking it is to season it with salt at the last minute as seasoning will draw out all the juices which makes it tough. and of course may as well tenderise the cheap cut yourself with the spiked mallet

i told you i dont know much about steak.

7. if you have the time buy your steaks 6 weeks in advance of cooking. they should be hung in a cool dry place (a cupboard in Canada). the hanging stretches the tendon fibres, naturally tenderising it. it will also go brown, bordering on black and look quite manky BUT that is what the butchers are doing in November for their Xmas steak order customers.

for the BBQ Winnie, you cant go wrong with chicken.

[quidnunc]

I am not a foody by any stretch, and can confess I have never eaten a restaurant steak here. I need to keep as lean as a thoroughbred but the very little knowledge I have gleened about steak maybe worth knowing....or not

.

1. Steak from supermarkets has been stored in freezers before reaching the s/m as fresh.Fresh means tough.

2. That beautiful red coloured steak is dyed blood red to make it appealing and fresh.(the irony being the browner the better as it has aged and tenderised)

3. Look for a steak with fine marbling, white lines of fat, this makes the steak more tender though some say less flavourful.

4. I do know the most tender steak would be from the tenderloin(the lower back area) cuts such as chateaubriand/filet mignon all from the same area followed by the rump area such as porterhouse/ rump.

5. The worst and toughest, and cheapest of the 3 areas I think is the rib eye and T bone from the upper loin area around the ribs

6. The only thing I remember about cooking it is to season it with salt at the last minute as seasoning will draw out all the juices which makes it tough. and of course may as well tenderise the cheap cut yourself with the spiked mallet

i told you i dont know much about steak.

7. if you have the time buy your steaks 6 weeks in advance of cooking. they should be hung in a cool dry place (a cupboard in Canada). the hanging stretches the tendon fibres, naturally tenderising it. it will also go brown, bordering on black and look quite manky BUT that is what the butchers are doing in November for their Xmas steak order customers.

for the BBQ Winnie, you cant go wrong with chicken.

1)I;m not sure if you meant the freezing tenderizes beef. It may a little but not much. It's aging that does that.

2)No, supermarket steak is not dyed. At least not the decent cuts. And how would they get the dye to permeate an entire cut of meat? I can't see how that would be legal, at least in countries with fully developed economies.

3)I doubt that many chefs or experienced cooks would say that the fat makes the meat less flavorful. The opposite is the case.

4)If you're doing British usage, then the rump would be the sirloin in American usage. Not a particularly tender cut of beef. If it's American terminioloty you're using, then it's part of the round and definitely not tender.

5)Ribeye is the heart of a rib roast. It is, in fact, very tender and full of flavor. .

6)I hadn't a clue so I looked it up on seriouseats.com Some guy with a life even emptier than mine tested various methods of salting. He found that salting immediately before frying or salting 40 minutes before frying worked best. In between, not so much. http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/the-food-lab-more-tips-for-perfect-steaks.html

7)As for meat hanging, you need to meat some serious conditions to do it properly. This is from Wikipedia:

The process of meat hanging involves hanging the meat (usually beef) in a controlled environment. The meat hanging room must be temperature controlled from between 33 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit (1-3 degrees Celsius). It is such a small window in temperature because the meat will spoil if the room is too hot and the process of dry aging stops if the water in the meat freezes. Furthermore, due to the water needing to slowly evaporate the room must be kept to a humidity of around 85. Also, to prevent bacteria developing on the meat, the room must be kept well ventilated. The meat must be furthermore checked on in regular intervals to ensure that the meat does not spoil and the process is working correctly.^[3]

[jonwilly]

The Imported Steak at Kantary Hills is always good.

john

[circusman]

looked over the various beef products at the new Rimping market at Kad Farang today. Even lowly ground hamburger meat was now 320 kilo. However, cooked it tasted quite nice.

[circusman]

Makes the toughest Thai beef edible.

The tip of a small sharp knife would do the same. No need for fancy tools. And lethal looking I may add.

[quidnunc]

Makes the toughest Thai beef edible.

That looks like something the CIA would use.

I agree. The Culinary Institute of America might well use it.

[Saan]

The best steak I have bought in Chiang Mai has always come from Northern Farms. It has been rib-eye from Charolais and it is local beef. I think it was just over 300 baht a kilo and they will cut it fresh for you at whatever thickness you want. I think it is as good as a good piece of steak in Australia.

The Rimping steak I have tried is over priced and very ordinary quality.

I avoid eating steak when I go out as it is rare you can get it cooked as you like or the right thickness. One man's rare is another man's medium rare. It is so easy to cook steak at home so I leave the more fiddly dishes for chef's to cook when I go out.

[Mekong Bob]

I enjoy eating the top-grade Thai tenderloin (nuea kho-khun) at Rimping Nim City. 1,500 baht per kilo. As good as imported beef tenderloin from Australia or New Zealand.

[Saan]

The best steak I have bought in Chiang Mai has always come from Northern Farms. It has been rib-eye from Charolais and it is local beef. I think it was just over 300 baht a kilo and they will cut it fresh for you at whatever thickness you want. I think it is as good as a good piece of steak in Australia.

The Rimping steak I have tried is over priced and very ordinary quality.

I avoid eating steak when I go out as it is rare you can get it cooked as you like or the right thickness. One man's rare is another man's medium rare. It is so easy to cook steak at home so I leave the more fiddly dishes for chef's to cook when I go out.

I thin I am not quite right about the price. I do remember thinking it was abut half what I paid at Rimping.

[seesip]

Definitely give Ponyangkam a try, I've bought a variety of steaks there and the quality is good. I've tried the tenderloins and the strip steaks, and pork chops are good too. I've been wanting to get a tri tip there--this was a cheap cut back in the U.S. but easy to cook and lots of beefy flavor. I think they call it culotte at Pongyangkam.