Snake River Farms

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the supermarket, at your local butcher, or ordering online—when it comes to choosing the perfect cut of dry-aged beef or any other cut of beef, you want to pay attention to the marbling. Marbling is a physical factor that significantly affects not only the appearance of the steak but the flavor and tenderness of the meat as well. Let's look at a few reasons it matters to pay attention to the marbling of a steak, along with some tips to help you choose the best cut for your preferences. What Is Marbling? When you look at a piece of tenderloin steak , you'll probably notice white lines are running through the meat. These white specks and streaks through the meat are known as marbling because of the similar aesthetic it has to the black and gray streaks found in a slab of marble. The marbling in a steak is essentially intramuscular fat, meaning it’s fat that is found inside the muscle rather than on the outside like a fat cap o

Celebratory and holiday traditions are generally great to have. Holiday traditions bring family and friends together,sometimes for the first time they’ve seen each other in months or even years. And while that’s the most important feature of those traditions, there’s more to them than the guest list. Turkey at Thanksgiving, for instance. Turkey tastes really good, which doesn’t hurt, but it’s at least as much about the ritual of carving and the expectation of and nostalgia for a turkey feast as it is about the feast itself. All that being said, and acknowledging how great traditions tend to be, who says that you have to celebrate other peoples’ traditions? While the comfortable familiarity and predictability of them is a big part of their charm, the great thing about traditions is that you can make your own. And when you do, there’s a good chance you’ll find them even more fun, special, and important than the ones you inherited. That, and the fact that some people ju

More than any other feature of a menu, the steak can make or break a restaurant’s, and thereby a chef’s, reputation. A lot can be forgiven from a kitchen that delivers an unforgettable rib eye. While stellar sides, service, and setting can be rendered virtually meaningless among the haute cuisine set if the steak is subpar. As important and ubiquitous as steak is as a fine-dining staple, and as crucial as mastery of the season and sear on a good cut of dry-aged beef is for a chef, you’d think the fundamentals of cooking a steak would have been pretty much settled. To some degree they are. For instance, over-seasoning (more than just salt and pepper to a lot of chefs) is virtually universally regarded as a sin on a cut of dry-aged beef, while cooking a steak past (even to) medium can be considered blasphemy. However, there is a surprisingly basic point of contention that still splits chefs into two passionately opposed camps. Should a steak be seasoned immediately

The dry-aging of beef is a practice with an interesting history. Despite its current incarnation as a usually high-end steakhouse delicacy, its origins are far humbler. It’s unclear how far back dry-aging of beef goes, although the fundamentals of dry-aging, along with its cousins like salting, curing, and smoking, are older than recorded history. Dry-aging specifically is at least centuries old, as Rembrandt painted an ox being dry-aged in 1655. So why is an ancient process for the aging of meat all the rage from armchair-foodies to Michelin-starred chefs, pros on the barbeque circuit to suburbanites grilling their backyard? Its popularity is the result of what the aging process does to (and for) the beef. How Does Dry-Aging Work? Dry-aging beef is pretty much what it sounds like—the right cuts of beef are left to age in the right conditions. The right cuts are pretty much universally agreed to be the ribeye, New York strip, the top butt (sirloin), and the porte

Capers have been (appropriately) described as “flavor bombs.” They’re salty and briny, savory and umami, packed with a distinctive flavor, and entirely delicious. At least, their fans would insist they are delicious. Capers tend to inspire very little indifference; people love them or hate them. However, even if you’rea firmly entrenched occupant of the “hate them” camp, don’t dismiss capers just yet. While the inclusion of full capers in bagels and lox or pasta may prove to be a bit much for some people, the subtler addition of capers to a recipe can add a unique zing to a recipe it would be a shame to miss out on. An example of just such a scenario in which a touch of caperlivens up a steak recipe—specifically bone-in New York strip and filet mignon (also referred to as tenderloin steak )—is included here. But first, we’ll dive into the origin story of capers. As a group, human beings have always been pretty fond of eating things and having those things taste

Coriander is a flavor powerhouse. Its versatility and subtle flavor profile make it an excellent addition to both sweet and savory recipes. If you aren’t using it frequently, it is time to change up your recipes to include this powerful spice with a host of amazing health benefits. Coriander and cilantro actually come from the same plant, the Coriandrum sativum plant, a member of the parsley family. The leafy greens are cilantro, while the plump, creamy brown seeds (the plant’s dried fruit) are coriander. Although they come from the same plant, the flavor comparison couldn’t be more different. Cilantro is a bold way to add fresh flavor, whereas coriander provides a slight flavor enhancement that blends perfectly with a variety of other flavors, lending complexity to rubs and marinades. Coriander adds a subtle complexity to tenderloin steak and enhances the natural flavors of the meat. The History of Coriander Native to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Coria