6.089 Taste Test : Standard v Speckled Ribeye

6.089

4 (Sat) April 2015

Standard v Speckled Ribeye

3.0

at Myeongwoo

-Jamwon, Seoul-

with the family and the folks

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The Prodigal Son Returns to Celebrate Holy Week, Day 3 (see previously 6.087 King Crab).

In the Philippines–arguably the most passionately Catholic country in the world–Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays.

I’ll be spending the extended weekend in Seoul, arriving early Thursday morning, flying back to Manila tomorrow evening.

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Prices absurdly/impossibly low for hanwoo (Korean beef), such as ggot deungsim at just 19,000 won per 150 g, compared to other restaurants in the neighborhood that charge 60,000 won per 125 g (see for example 1.114 Grilled Ribeye)–which goes to show that hanwoo doesn’t have to be so expensive, just that Koreans are willing to pay that much.

Regardless of cost, the meat was excellent.  Gorgeous color.  Clean flavor.  Tender yet chewy.  Who cares whether it was in fact authentic Korean beef.

In any case, the fair prices* allowed for a bit of experimentation.

While the results are indicative only of the cuts here, they align with my long-standing views about beef, which I prefer to taste like beef, not fat, and chewy like flesh, not fat.

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Deungsim (3.0)–standard ribeye; beefier + chewier = winner; way bigger bang for the buck (wow for won?) at 13,000 won per 150 g.
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Ggot deungsim (3.0)–speckled ribeye, though not too much (see for example 2.212 Grilled Ggot-Deungsim); fattier = more tender = better for the kids.

*Even the excess fat–which is why I’ve sworn off ribeye in restaurants as a general principle (see for example 5.357 Chicago Cowboy Steak)–had been trimmed away for better value.

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