Raw Steak: would you dare?

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Ludo Chube

Location : Gaborone

Event : Interview

 

That is how most folks would respond to a waiter’s question about how they would like their steak prepared. For some reason most locals would rather have a well done steak than the ‘pink on the inside’ medium or rare steak. They simply cannot stomach the idea of eating ‘raw’ meat and for some, their stomach lurches at the idea. But most chefs will tell you steak is best half done or underdone - when it is pink or red inside.

But that’s taboo for most local folks, says Phakalane Golf Estates executive chef, Donovan Sanders. He has lost count of the number of times someone unknowingly ordered a dish that comes with raw steak only to send it back and order something else.

But he reasons those people are missing out. “The best way to serve a steak is to serve it medium rare when it is still rich in blood and juices because that is when the flavors really come out,” he opines.

When prepared that way “the steak is not as tough as leather and that allows the taste to come out. You can’t get that when the meat is over-cooked.”

And just how well travelled you are might have something to do with your attitude towards medium rare steak. Sanders says the small minority of folks who happily order a medium rare, are noticeably well travelled. The probability is they hated ‘raw’ steak at one point but tried it one day and realised it was not disgusting at all.

Of all the groups black people are the least enthusiastic about raw steak.

“Even in South Africa that is the case. Black people tend to shy away from rare meat while white people are more willing to try it out.” Infact, just about anywhere in the African continent, eating raw meat is simply taboo. Do black Africans simply have natural hatred for medium done stake?

No, says, Complex Executive Chef Frank Weise of Grand Palm

“I grew up in Germany and my mother who is white is still squeamish about trying out meat that is not well done. It is really a question of how we were cultured,” he opines.  However he has had similar experiences to Sanders. It is mainly.  foreigners – usually of white descent, who would happily order a sizzling medium rare steak. And his conviction that people should go for this type of steak is you wouldn’t have a better of steak.

“Because of the blood content this makes the taste that much stronger,” he explains.

But I am worried about safety. Maybe the animal was infested with bacteria and viruses, you say. Not at all says Weise. “As long as the meat is cooked above 65 degrees celsius, the heat should be enough to kill all the bacteria. And if the meat is fresh you really have nothing to worry about.” The one thing you must ensure though is quality control.

“You have to know where you meat is coming from -which butcher; you have to know their hygienic standards. As long as it is fresh and well handled, then it is safe for consumption. That is why we have dishes such as steak tartar which is based on raw beef,” says Weise.

He is right, but your fears are not completely unfounded, says Gaborone based Dietician Keitumetse Mpete. You can never find a substitute for proper hygiene when it comes to food. More importantly people must know what they could be eating when they tear into a flab of steak.

“Rare meat can carry living bacteria that can still cause infection which can result in diarrhea, vomiting and intestinal discomfort,” she says adding that the right temperatures should be maintained to keep the meat fresh,”

And meat that was already contaminated and then kept at sub-ideal temperature is dangerous.

“At times we don’t store meat at the right temperatures, when you now prepare it rare it becomes even riskier,” she says.

If you can though, stay away from eating white meat rare because it tends to go bad quickly. Some people though, should not even eat rare steak.

“Young children and pregnant women should stay away from rare meat because their immunity is already compromised,” she says. Similarly people who have cancer, HIV and AIDS or anyone who is immune compromised should also stay away from rare or medium rare meat, she warns. ENDS

 

Teaser:

Well done Please!