Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef

by Mark Schatzker

The definitive book on steak has never been written-until now

"Of all the meats, only one merits its own structure. There is no such place as a lamb house or a pork house, but even a small town can have a steak house." So begins Mark Schatzker's ultimate carnivorous quest. Fed up with one too many mediocre steaks, the intrepid journalist set out to track down, define, and eat the perfect specimen. His journey takes him to all the legendary sites of steak excellence-Texas, France, Scotland, Italy, Japan, Argentina, and Idaho's Pahsimeroi Valley-where he discovers the lunatic lengths steak lovers will go to consume the perfect cut. After contemplating the merits of Black Angus, Kobe, Chianina, and the prehistoric aurochs-a breed revived by the Nazis after four hundred years of extinction-Schatzker adopts his own heifer, fattens her on fruit, acorns, and Persian walnuts, and then grapples with ambivalence when this near-pet appears on his plate.

Reminiscent of both Bill Bryson's and Bill Buford's writing, Steak is a warm, humorous, and wide-ranging read that introduces a wonderful new travel and food writer to the common table.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Travel, Cooking, Book Club, Cookbooks, Health

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Mark Schatzker is the author of three books: Steak, The Dorito Effect, and The End of Craving. A former feature writer for Conde Nast Traveler, his work has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Best American Travel Writing and Annual Review of Psychology. He is the writer in residence at the Modern Diet and Physiology Research Center, which is based at Yale University. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Kelly (and the Book Boar)]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Remember the olde days when meat didn’t cost $87.00 a pound? Yeah, me neither. Anyway, here’s a #tbt (that’s Throwback Thursday to all you Boomers) from a time before quarantine and pandemics and pay cuts . . . . .



Good news is the library is back open for pick-ups so you know this a-hole’s trigger fingers are going nuts requesting allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the books today.

(No rating on this one because my non-synopsis reading self thought it was a cookbook, but it was literally a nonfiction story about a dude and steak.)

[яᴏx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a recipe book. I wasn’t expecting so much science on what chemicals give meat its flavour and how the diet of cow’s can affect that flavour. In fact, I wasn’t expecting science at all. I was entirely interested the whole time, which doesn’t often happen for me when I read books that have a lot of personal anecdotes. Unnecessary to reread so I can’t give it 5-stars (by my own standard) but this is my kind of non-fiction.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book to read. Unsurprisingly, if you are not inherently interested and curious in the subject (ie steak) the book won't be enjoyable. However, if you are a steak lover and enjoy experimentation, tastings, and methodological approaches to discovery, this is up your alley - consider this the Wirecutter approach to understanding steak; lots of diligence, transparency and honesty. The goal was clear, find the best steak in the world; the approach was to go to the top steak regions, countries and learn about the history of steak in each area. And raising a cow at the end to truly learn what it takes to make a great steak confirmed how serious the author takes diligence. Add in the steak tasting guide included in this book and this book is very much worth the purchase.

My only negative comments are that some of the stories he writes aren't all that interesting or well written. They seem to be included just to show how much diligence he went through and to include detail. Also, I'm not sure if I buy his steak cooking recipe but he admittedly says that's not what the book is about and included it in the afterword because readers asked for it (IMO, dry brining works).

[Lissa1229 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me hungry!
It was intresting tale of ones man hunt for the perfect steak. Being from the midwest, I love steak and I like a good quest, so I was excited to read this.
The author was good at discribing thing especially a bad steak or a good one. I liked his anology of how people will nit pick over a glass of wine but pay little attention to the meat!
I could see this book leading to cookbooks, places to visit or
you might see on a travel channel or food network.
My one problem with this book, and maybe it's a regional thing, but cows (or the term cow) are for milking, not for eating! We eat steer or cattle.

[Mike Cheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for any steak lover (trite but true). Author Mark Schatzker takes us through his journey to different places (Texas, France, Scotland, Italy, Japan, Argentina, and Canada), to learn about each region’s respective approach to making the perfect steak. Each chapter is also inter-spliced with both fun facts as well as serious topics of discussion. Examples of the former: the tenderloin (aka filet mignon) is the tenderest cut because it does the least amount of work (holds the spine in place); the ‘eye’ in ribeye denotes boneless, and so the term “bone-in ribeye”: is redundant (it should be called a rib-steak); Jersey cows are named for the British isle, not the US state; and the purpose of searing a steak isn’t to lock in juices (this doesn’t actually happen), but rather for the Maillard reaction to get that browning texture. The latter (more serious) topics are quite in-depth and include discussions about: chemistry (e.g., ideal fatty acid profiles for health and flavor, the role of terpenes and ALA and CLA); grass-fed vs. grain-fed in terms of both taste and healthiness (it’s more nuanced than you’d think); the economics of subsidizing corn and soy and displacing grassland; whether human beings need meat to thrive and the evolutionary history behind our bigger brains; and the ethics of raising and butchering animals, especially in inhumane conditions, for food (the penultimate chapter discusses how the author adopted and raised a cow named Florence that “graduated from Bovine University” (read: slaughtered). The book’s afterword provides a brief step-by-step on how to cook a great steak (which was not part of the original manuscript). By far the most important step was Step One - find a good quality steak (characteristics include breed, cut, marbling, and age), and other steps / advices are to: (2) have it room temperature and wiped dry (to form a better crust); (3) err on the side of less salt (to prevent too much moisture from being drawn out); (4) cook on a hot surface (grill or pan); and (5) rest up to a minute (resting longer is overrated).

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent. As a farmer and a rancher that is attempting to transition to regenerative agriculture, this book really spoke my language. We have finished our home raised calves for years on corn, and we just recently started experimenting with grass finishing. I was skeptical, but my wife was excited to try grass finishing a steer, and I was shocked by how good it was. I’ve been continuing to research how to grow better grass fed beef. This book was a fun read, that reinforced that I am on the right path. The author painted such wonderful pictures with all of his stops along his quest for the perfect steak. I really hope this book can become the basis for a Netflix series, I’m sure it would be hard to recreate all of the magic of the initial adventure, but I would be more than happy to watch episode after episode traveling to different countries and learning about their own steak culture in the quest for the perfect steak.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Industrialization of Beef: historically, cows were farmed in different ranches. Butchers were scattered. However, as the industry becomes more mature, beef becomes a commodity: cow farming became standardized, are raised in a crowded environment. Cows no longer roam around (or jump, run even moo) and spend their days on corn feed. Hormones were injected constantly to stimulate growth

- After cow reaches a certain point, it then would be transferred into a industrialized slaughter house. Because of the commoditization, it's nearly impossible for people to trace where exactly did the beef come from

- Marbles: beef industry believes that the more marble a beef has, the better it tastes. And just so happens that the more corn feed the cow eats, the more marble the meat would contain

- Without the beef dressing, beef would taste rather plain. In fact, due to today's cow farming method, all meat tastes rather mundane without additional dressing

[Danny Hobbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

If you’re even remotely obsessed with steak — the marbling, the sizzle, the ritual of a perfect sear — this book is basically your passport to meat heaven. It’s part travelogue, part obsessive culinary quest, and totally mouth-watering.

I loved how it broke down the subtle differences between Wagyu, Argentine grass-fed, and dry-aged Nebraska ribeyes, while weaving in fun historical anecdotes and the author’s personal “beef epiphanies.” It’s also surprisingly philosophical about what makes food worth chasing.

Actually inspired me to start hunting down the best steaks in my own city — I even documented my local Denver steak tour on my site here: https://coloradofoodreviews.com/best-steak-in-denver.

Highly recommend this for foodies, travelers, or anyone who appreciates the kind of passion that drives someone to circle the globe… all for the perfect bite.

[pokupine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love steak and it was interesting to read about the ways and opinion of beef farmers and scientists on what makes good beef. The best steak I’ve had so far was a ribeye from Don Julio in Buenos Aires. Now I’m convinced it wasted so good because the cattle was finished on grass. Time to try more grass-fed beef!

The writing and execution of the book could’ve been better. The author makes quips that appear like attempts at humour but fall flat. His apparent prejudices make one cringe when he writes about being constantly surprised by how well-dressed farmers are, and how Japanese people are (unexpectedly?!) normal.

All in all a book that could’ve been a bit shorter, but an interesting read for beef eaters.

[Dan Marino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Schatzker dives deep into the different elements of steak quality as well as the unique approaches to grading steak quality across different cultures around the world. This work reads as both an entertaining memoir and an informative installment on food science, cultural anthropology, and evolution among many other topics surrounding food. It is enlightening to read his perspective on the widely forgotten art of premium quality foods and the role of nature in our diets. It is an alarming read, as it demonstrates the harmful impacts of 'consistency' throughout markets for mass-produced beef. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in food science, culinary arts, healthy eating, or world cultures.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive book that attempts to answer what makes a steak good. The Canadian author journeys around the world from the United States, Europe, Japan and South America tasting steaks and talking to experts to figure out the key parameters. He even experiments with raising his own heifer. The not-so-simple answer is you want certain breeds, fed on sweet grass, slowly fattened, and living in a stress free environment. This is beef atypical of what you find on the supermarket shelves.

[John Goodell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for vegans or vegetarians, this is a great read on a dish I didn’t realize I knew so little about until I started reading this book. Obviously, I found myself craving steak pretty much every time I was reading this but it also helped to dispel some myths and preconceived notions around beef, grain vs grass, marbling, wagyu, etc. Very readable and enjoyable for anyone who enjoys steak and likely less so for those who don’t…

[pianogal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I didn't like this one because I don't like steak in general or because I'm not a fan of the author. It just felt like he was really negative about everything. It sticks with me that he repeatedly described steak as tasting swampy. Yuck. Again - this could be that I don't like steak, much less swampy steak.

Or maybe he just needed some ketchup.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author used a lot of words and a lot of airline miles to say, in the end, grass-fed good, corn-fed bad. Appendix might be worth the price of admission, wherein the author tells you how to cook a steak best ... but I dunno, I've never had a steak I'd say tasted like a swamp or like leather before, and these are words he uses. The part about Japan was straight-up cringeworthy.

[Kailin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean okay so he went around and ate a lot of steak and maybe found some interesting things about marbling vs grass fed vs breed, but it definitely could have been waaaay condensed down for efficiency. Enjoyable read though in any case.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

S3V2L3

[Andre Hermanto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good:
* A lot of factoids about beef.

Bad:
* Written for steak fanatics, especially those who cook the steak themselves. For others, this book is superfluous.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining.

[AmyW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like travel books, I like food books - this had both. Have to go back and try to wrap my head around the science.

[David Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

NOT a fun read.

This guy gets paid to travel the world to eat steak, then raises his own to kill and later eat at a party. Nothing about this was interesting.

[Sage Turek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was both so gross and so yummy

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read one chapter at a time each night. Savored. read twice.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boo hiss. So much blah blah blah and no mention of Canadian beef! We have the best in the world!

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an advance copy of this book in a drawing, and read it with the determination of not letting that fact influence me in favor of the book. I needn't have worried, quality speaks for itself. I expected a version of a cookbook, and found instead a well-written memoir. The quest for the perfect mouth-watering experience is not easily or often well-written, except in this case.

What I liked most about this book is that it is a description of the journey as well as of the destination. There are disappointments and "eureka!" moments. We get to meet the people along the way, from the hostess at a restaurant who calls her male customers "honey" to the old woman who cures sausages in a lard bucket to the butcher who is particular about which part of the animal is hanging from a hook. We are given descriptions of the author's world travels that almost enable us to smell the landscape around us.

Oh, and the tastes! The English language does not often evoke flavors and textures in the mind, but this author knows the key. Sometimes he tricked my brain and toungue into reminiscences of my best meals, including aromas.

In addition, there is enough educational material, both on flavors and cooking, and on the science behind flavors and cooking, to fascinate even the most jaded foodie. Those who like that sort of thing will want to keep a highlighter handy. The author's personal preferences are clear, but he shares others' points of view without ridiculing them.

We learn about the business and economics of beef mass production and about the small farmer who breeds for flavor instead of for profit. The influence of the cultural preferences in different countries on what meat is available at the market are explored. All of this is written in evocative prose that is well-edited enough to keep one interested through descriptions of enzymes and the Maillard reaction and snakes in Italy and palmitic acid and the beef-breeding experiments of pre-war Nazi Germany and prehistoric cave paintings in France.

By the end, I was thrilled to find enough information to enable me to acquire and cook fantastic steaks of my own. Yippeee!!!

This book fascinated me, and I hope you will find it as enjoyable as I did. I look forward to Schatzker's next book.

[christine. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's get this out of the way: I don't particularly care for steak.

I'm a pretty picky eater. I hate onions. Lettuce. Tomato. As you can imagine, the sandwich can be my worst nightmare. I'm also lactose intolerant, and I have a stomach condition that makes eating hellish sometimes.

But beyond this pickiness, I am sort of a foodie. I've eaten sweetbreads, wild boar, quail, jellyfish, squid ink, and enjoyed it all. I read blogs like Serious Eats and The Girl Who Ate Everything on a daily basis, and collect cookbooks. One of my favorite neighborhoods in the city is the East Village, because I love the food in that area.

And the one food that I love above all is meat. I'm a carnivore. Pork, chicken, seafood. Lamb is meh, but beyond that, I'm game. I could never be a vegetarian. I'd subsist on cupcakes all day.

I signed up for the giveaway of this book actually for my boyfriend, who does enjoy the occasional slab of beefy goodness in his diet. I didn't expect I'd enjoy this one as much as I did.

I can actually remember the best piece of steak I've ever eaten. It was at Megu in Tribeca, a place that I took Jon for our first anniversary. The steak in question was a strip of wagyu beef, perfectly caramelized and with a rikyu glaze - black sesame and soy. That piece of meat was the silkiest piece of beef that I had ever tasted. It literally melted in my mouth. I couldn't get enough of it. The texture was superb. I've never had anything like it since. If steak always tasted that good, then maybe I'd like it more.

Schatzker not only tells of his globe-trotting voyage to acquire good beef, he explains why humans find steak so appealing. The chemicals and chemistry behind it. The trials and tribulations of grass-fed beef. The feedlots and the way they've diluted the taste of true steak. It's an absolutely fascinating story of the lengths that one man will go to find out what makes steak taste so good. The book is divided by region, as Schatzker stalks the globe, eating his way from France to Japan, Argentina to Texas.

This book succeeds because by the last pages, I was craving steak. Great steak, the type that Schatzker describes as an A+ experience. I don't know if I'll ever find that steak, but this book sure makes me want it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun and fascinating read. Author Mark Schatzker decides after too many mouthfuls of textured saltwater to go looking for the steak of his dreams. It's something he'd been vaguely doing for a long time, but which crystallized into an active quest after he discovered that even something as unappealing as mutton can be made into food for the gods, so long as you eat it in the one place where they know how to do that. So to his mind, there HAS to be a place in the world where the steaks offer endless bursts of deliciousness; it's just a matter of finding it. Which is the general theme, but there's a lot more to this book than just another self-indulgent, food-related travelogue. I learned a lot through it because the author learned a lot himself about things like soil type, different types of fat, different types of cattle, cultural differences in their approach to beef, the science of taste, the effects of grain vs grass, etc - because these are all things that can affect his steak experience and / or his quest. All of which sounds horribly dry and boring but is a lot of fun to read because he presents it all through personal anecdotes as he travels and talks with people. Anecdotes of his own tasting experiences, of his conversations with eccentric characters who just happen to be experts on some aspect of beef, and of the experiences of others that he learns about. Reading it ended up being much the sort of pleasure he described eating steak to be - something that makes you feel good while you experience it, satisfying and delicious, which leaves you wanting to experience something liek that again.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received an ARC of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

I absolutely loved this book! Mark Schatzker writes about his quest for the perfect steak, including his trips around the world to Texas, France, Scotland, Italy, Japan, and Argentina and his attempts to raise his own cow for the perfect steak. The book is full of so much interesting information about the history and current state of steak, including a vein that runs throughout the book that covers the grass-fed vs. feedlot argument about beef. Having tried one too many mediocre steaks, the author sets out to find the perfect steak and what goes into creating it, and takes the reader along on a humorous and fascinating ride. The writing is fantastic and will keep you laughing and interested.

Having moved to the San Francisco bay area a year ago, I found the book to be especially interesting because so much of the local culture here revolves around food and the search for delicious and healthy alternatives to many of the foods that are currently making Americans fatter and fatter. One of the huge things in this area's culinary scene is grass-fed beef, something I had never really seen or heard much about before moving here. I can definitely say that I find it to be much tastier, and a lot of the information in this book helped me to understand why this is the case, and how my new-found love of grass-fed beef may actually be better for me. I definitely think "Steak" is the perfect companion book to any foodie's collection.

[Shavonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. Mark is so involved with his project of the "unltimate carnivores" quest that he takes you along with him. As a culinary student for years I have heard that nothing taste like it used to and this book explains that with a depth that is not preach-y or boring. Mark's word play and descriptive talents are wonderful. He also has a great since of humour. He gives alot of historical information about extinct cattle and scientific fact about cattle different breeds, how they are raised, bread, slautered, prepared and the list goes on.
It is a bit upseting when you realize whats happening to our food for the sake of a quick/more money. Even more so what we put the animals through to get it. Don't get me wrong, I love meat and will probably always eat it, but since we are going to kill these animals we owe them enough respect to house them comfortable and to treat them well. I'm not saying it all has to be beer and massages (according to the book, that's not even done in Japan)but we should be taking a page from Temple Grandin and treat the animals with the respect living creatures deserve food or not.
Towards the end of the book, and when Mark is describing the scientific make up and health benefits of cattle the book does slow down considerably. Having said that you feel his joy of having amazing steak in Scotland, his amazment at have good well-done steak in Argentina. He should right food travel guides because he knows how to take you on a journey.

[Amber Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best part I've read so far (after the author has written about his experience eating Scottish Highlander cattle, that has not been "tinkered with" in terms of selective breeding to produce faster growtime and higher meat yields):

"Outstanding meat is the enemy of thought. It causes a single-minded focus on the pleasures of the mouth. We tore through the rib eyes, and then through the pope's eyes[odd name for a certain cut, I think it was bottom round here in america], communicating via groans and the odd squeal, pausing only to make exclamations about juiciness, or philistine assertions like "I never want it to end." To someone standing and listening just outside the door, the meal would have sounded rather like an orgy."

I really enjoyed this book, although I have to think that it has singlehandedly and almost regrettably raised my expectations of what a good steak should be. The only regret being that I can no longer enjoy a simple steak because it is a steak. Knowing now exactly what to look for in a great steak will leave me, like the author, constantly wanting the next steak to be the best.

It's a really nice read, very well informed and broadens the subject quite imaginatively. The people interviewed were genuine and gave a lot of insight on the subject and what the author was trying to achieve but ultimately ended up leading him round in circles. Schatzker knows how to write to his audience and it shows.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. I must have a sympathetic salivary response because I was constantly finding my mouth watering as I read the author's descriptions of the steak he was eating.

One of themes in the book I enjoyed the most was the idea of terroir, a french term used to describe wine, conveying the idea that the geography of a food influences its flavor. This is referred to by one of the book's characters as a pure savor which she describes as something in which you can taste the land it was raised on. In the chapter on Italy there are hunger inducing descriptions of the herbs and grasses on the mountainside the cattle were grazing flavoring the milk, cheese, and steak that they produced.

Perhaps the best compliment I can give the author is that I didn't notice him very much. He ate the steak, he experienced the locales, he asked the questions and heard the answers but he didn't get in the way. While reading the book, it almost felt as if I was doing those things. By the end of the book, I can't really tell you very much about the author because he was merely the pane of glass through which I experienced the steak of the world.

Boy was it delicious.