The color green has been conjured into many aspects of everyday
life. People who choose to live a green lifestyle make decisions
based upon environmental concerns.
The color green has been conjured into many aspects of everyday life. People who choose to live a green lifestyle make decisions based upon environmental concerns. Children have smiled with delight after reading “Green Eggs & Ham” by Dr. Seuss. We even have a day of wearing green, more commonly called St. Patrick’s Day. It seems that green is everywhere. Grilling something green is no exception.
When I first mention grilling something green, you may start to think about some vegetable. Yes, there are many green vegetables that are great on the grill. This time I am not refereeing to any green vegetable, I am refereeing to green meat.
Some of you may already know what green meat is and are either intrigued or disgusted to hear about it. Green meat is beef that is very near or at the sell-by date. For many, this may not sound very appetizing. For others who know more about it, green meat can actually be very good. This is especially true if you don’t think of the meat as being green, but aged.
In order to understand how beef becomes green meat, we need to examine how beef is distributed. After cattle go through the butchering process, the large cuts are vacuum sealed and packed in boxes for shipping. During shipment, the beef begins the natural process of decomposition. This process is actually necessary for the beef to become tender and develop flavor. It is called “wet aging.” The modern beef industry discovered that the wet aging process allows the meat to become tender without the loss of volume that happens in dry aging. I will describe these aging processes in the future.
The supermarket receives the boxed beef from the processor, already wet aged during shipment. This beef is kept under controlled refrigeration until it is needed for the store shelf. When the stock of beef on the supermarket shelf is low, the beef is removed from the box and unwrapped from the plastic vacuum bag. It is then cut into desired portions and packaged so that it can be placed out for the consumer.
If you happen to be at the supermarket when some of the newly packaged beef is placed on the shelf, you will notice that the sell by date is about five days away. Depending upon the individuals shopping in that five-day period, the meat may not sell. This can be attributed to numerous factors, including an undesirable quantity for the consumer, the package didn’t get cycled to the top of the selection or there is too much quantity on the shelf. This is the meat that typically has a sticker saying “reduced for quick sale” and has a hand written price that is lower than the sticker price.
You may not want to pass this package by. Many meat cutters and butchers at the supermarket look forward to these packages. They know that the meat is still good quality and possibly even better. As the meat sat on the supermarket shelf, it continued to go through the aging process, becoming tenderer than the day it was packaged at the supermarket.
If you decide to purchase green meat, it is important to use it or freeze it within a day after the sell-by date. When green meat is not used or frozen beyond that date, you may run the risk of the meat spoiling. It is best to use your own judgment when selecting and purchasing green meat. If you feel the meat has an off smell or does not look right, do not purchase it. If you already have purchased it, return it to the supermarket immediately with your receipt.
After removing the meat from the package, it is important to inspect and wash the meat. There may be an iridescent cast to the meat that was in contact with the packaging. This is common in green meat and will not change the condition or flavor.
For this week’s recipe, I was inspired by my recent visit to a bookstore. After perusing the cookbook section, I recalled that there is a book coming out this summer that takes the reader step by step through some basic French techniques. A French inspired steak sounds good this week. Serve this steak with a simple chilled asparagus salad and herbed potatoes.
Steak à la Moutarde
(From The French Food section of About.com; Serves 4)
4 strip steaks, 1 inch thick, at room temperature
1/3 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons coarse grained dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
Step 1: Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Mix the apple cider, parsley, mustard, garlic and pepper together. Measure out 1/4 cup and set aside.
Step 2: Brush the steaks with the remaining sauce.
Step 3: Place the steaks on the grill, and cook to your desired degree of doneness, basting frequently with the remaining sauce.
