Steak is a delicious, filling piece of meat that prevents a lot of people from turning into vegetarians. It has been enjoyed worldwide for thousands of years, it was a huge part of our hunter-gatherer ancestor’s lifestyles and continues to be loved in the 21st century. Few meals beat a nice cut steak cut with sides of your choice, here are 10 facts about steak that even the biggest meat-heads won’t know.
10. Most Steak Eaten Record
The record for most steaks eaten in one sitting is THREE 72 ounce steaks. This seems insane but is no joke as competitive eater Molly Schulyer earned $5000 for smashing the 15 pound challenge in April last year. It’s a crazy record to hold but it’s likely that she’ll hold it for the rest of her life.
9. Best Cut?
Of course the best cut for you is dependant on your preferences but what if you’re not sure what you or someone else would like? There’s a few that will fit everyone. For starters there is the most expensive cut, the Filet Mignon. This steak has less taste but is extremely tender and perfect for those who don’t like chewing much, there’s also a very low fat content.
Then there’s the Strip Steak which is a lot less tender but has a prime beefy taste and is less expensive. Then you get the Ribeye (as shown in the image) that is between the two, it’s both tender and tasty.
8. Nutrients
Steak has a lot of good nutrients to offer your body if it’s consumed as part of a healthy diet & lifestyle. It’s packed full of protein and iron which are great for pregnant women or anyone looking to increase their muscle mass. It also has a lot of nutrients that help to create red blood cells and keeps your metabolism going. It is however full of calories and saturated fats so you shouldn’t really eat it if you like your junk food.
7. Amount of steak eaten per year
The U.S is well known for its love of beef and this is proceeded further when you see how much they eat. It’s estimated that each American consumes about 50 pounds of beef a year on average. Despite this, that number is just the 4th highest in the world as Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina have a much lower population than the staggering 300,000,000 that the US has.
6. Temperatures for done-ness
Just like the cut depends on preference, so does how you have it cooked. It’s an age old debate but the bottom line is that everyone likes what they like (some people like all!). However you like your steak, here’s the temperatures you should use:
- Rare: 125°F
- Medium rare: 130°F
- Medium: 145°F
- Medium well done: 150°F
- Well done: 160°F
5. Which methods of cooking is the most popular?
As mentioned before, the doneness of your steak is either a huge deal or an easy choice for most people. Some people swear by rare and despise those who “ruin a good piece of meat” by cooking it well done. Others don’t bother with other people and have their steak done how they like. It’s all down to preference! A survey asked hundreds of steak lovers how they like their steak cooked and here are the results:
- 5% prefer well done
- 17% prefer medium to well done
- 31% prefer medium
- 38% prefer medium to rare
- 5% prefer rare
4. Most expensive steak
The most expensive steak is the A5 kobe strip steak, a single steak can cost upwards of $700 and for good reason, this steak is insanely tasty. The cows that produce this meat are bred solely for the purpose of perfect marbling (the way fat is around the muscle), this fat can sound quite daunting but it’s not the usual saturated fat, this fat is healthier for you. This “wagyu” meat has been reproduced in other countries like the UK, US and Australia but they haven’t matched the brilliance of the Middle-East just yet.
3. Which country has the best steak?
The best steak in the world is a wagyu (mentioned in the previous entry) cross-breed that is from Australia of all places. Specifically the Willow Tree Farm by Jack’s Creek, Black Angus of the UK is also a particularly well regarded steak. These steaks were cooked without seasoning, including even salt and voted by taste experts who had no idea what their colleagues were voting for. So there you have it, want to have the best steak in the world? Visit Australia.
2. Best Steak Restaurant
The best steak restaurant is widely regarded to be the Don Julio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There has been countless positive reviews of perfectly cooked, perfectly tasting steaks from ordinary people to celebrities and critics alike.
1. Biggest Steak
This steak is surely impossible to eat, it’s a challenge that requires you to eat the sides as well and if you eat it all in under an hour you get the entire £110 meal for free!
The pub offers 80 pound steaks which can be increased to up to 120 pounds which is incredible, but what is the size of the biggest steak in the world? 150 oz. You read that right, no one has completed this challenge and that’s probably because it’s not even possible!
