Gobsmacked. Shocked. Scandalized. Appalled. Such were our feelings of disbelief upon learning that one Canadian author’s pick for the best steak in the world did not come from Alberta. Or Saskatchewan. Or Canada.Surely he jests.But apparently Mark Schatzker, author of Steak: One Man’s Search for the Worlds’ Tastiest Piece of Beef, is serious about his selection for the title.He chose steak from the Scottish town of Bridge of Earn as the best. Close contenders were served in Buenos Aires and somewhere in Idaho.This Schatzker fellow travelled to seven countries and across the United States looking for good beef, but a book review in the Globe and Mail doesn’t mention Canadian investigation, if any. Hence the results.It does say Schatzker was inspired during his three-year odyssey to raise his own cow (the review says cow, not heifer or steer) and fatten it on grass, apples, acorns, carrots and walnuts.Acorns? Walnuts? Do you sense a theme?Skepticism reached an apex upon reading this missive, also from the Globe review that recounts some of the author’s experiences on his three-year quest: “In Scotland, he witnesses semen extraction from Angus steers.”No mean feat, that. Not only is this man a gourmand, but he can sniff out biological impossibilities. Perhaps he was sampling some of Scotland’s other specialties at the time.We are skeptical as only those who have tasted excellent prairie beef can be skeptical In the interests of helping others enjoy it during the barbecue season, here is a tip on gauging rare, medium and well-done steak using the finger test.Make the OK sign with your thumb and forefinger. Use your other hand to feel the firmness of the fleshy pad at the base of your thumb. This is the level of firmness associated with a rare steak. If your steak feels like this, it is rare.Forming a circle with your thumb and middle finger tells you the firmness desired in a medium steak. As for well-done, well, figure it out and then pour ketchup on it.Yes, we’re testy when it comes to steak. And the most annoying thing about Schatzker’s book is that we didn’t think of it first. Now we’ll have to buy a copy.See Barb’s blog here.
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