Question about beef

Hello,

This is my first post on this forum so thought I would introduce myself here and save a post in the welcome forum so anyway hello all...

I recently went to the UK for the first time (spent 2 months there) and all during that time I could not bring myself to eat ANYTHING that contained beef because the smell of it threw me off... (had a "still mooing" kind of smell if you know what I mean) and my question was even though beef smells differently in the UK then it does in the US does it taste any differently and if so to what degree

TIA,
Mike

I'm quite the carnivore, and have not really noticed a different taste to beef.  There are some over all apearance differences though, such as the way the ground beef or "mince" is, well, ground or minced.

As for steaks and roasts, I think they same.

Sausage, however, I find very different, and "American" bacon is hard to find.  Yes, they have streaky bacon, but I feel it is too salty for my palate...

I agree with you, nosix.  Beef here has a much "gamier" smell than in the US.  The difference in taste is noticeable to me (kinda more....I dunno...it tastes like a mushroom smells...earthy?), but it's not enough to put me off eating beef.  That said, I do eat much less red meat here than I ever did in the US!

Hi, Mike ... and welcome.

Yes, I've found beef to be very different in the USA and the UK; I enjoy a good Prime Rib in the USA, and a good T-bone here and they seem almost to be the product of different animals.  Often wondered why this is - I think that the cuts that the market demands differ, and that the USA herds are more intensely farmed and fed to make their meat somewhat less "gamey/tasty" and more tender.

Next time you're in the UK, do try a good local steak at least once 

An American friend of mine said that US cows are corn-fed whereas British cows are not.  This is what she attributed to the difference in taste and smell.

Not sure how true it is ... just passing along one theory.

HI 
I also find teh  sausage not  a s  apealing and  much  fattier than US sausages.  Everything  lse I ma quite usd to and yes.. teh bacon although it is meatier is MUCH too salty  .. I mean I eat it but I notice I am almost parched  with  the need  for a thirst  quencher..  does anyone notice that stuff is mush sweeter  here  in England as well..  ?  like cereal?? 

I've found you need to spend a bit of money to get good bacon. We get a great dry cure bacon at our local butcher. I find most supermarket bacon is too salty.

Ditto for sausage. Run of the mill brands have loads of fat and fillers. Spend a bit more either on the supermarket high end range or get them at a butcher. Big difference.

Not that I can afford the more expensive stuff right now!

I'm not sure about cereals as I only eat the kind with no sugar in it at all. Perhaps it's like the fizzy sodas here? Where they put sugar AND artificial sweeteners in it?

I agree with you, nosix.  Beef here has a much "gamier" smell than in the US.  The difference in taste is noticeable to me (kinda more....I dunno...it tastes like a mushroom smells...earthy?), but it's not enough to put me off eating beef.  That said, I do eat much less red meat here than I ever did in the US!

Maybe that's why it doesn't taste odd to me--I live in an area where we eat more game (elk, deer, bear) than cow...

It took me ages to get used to the taste of the British beef. I avoided it at all costs. The chicken and pork seemed OK but just something about the beef here. My husband said it probably has to do with all the preservatives they use in US beef. When we went to the USA last year my grandmother put steaks on the grill. Really, nice, huge, T-bone steaks.  Hubby said they smelled like a wet dog and refused to eat. So its funny to see how the British people have the same opinion about US beef as we do about Brit beef.
Also what is with all the sausage here. It doesnt taste like any sausage I have ever eaten in my life. And its SO fatty! I worry my husband will need an angioplasty (sp?) before he is 40.  Yesterday he actually bought sausage that had chillis, garlic and bacon IN IT! YUCK! The entire house smells now.   
Oh, welcome to UK Yankee Nosix
Pebbles

The chicken and pork seemed OK

I'm okay with the beef (though I do get a hankering for a nice American steak at times), but the chicken drives me potty.  I'll only eat chicken breasts and I'm horrified each time I open a package -- bloody bits!  I don't ever remember buying boneless, skinless, chicken breasts with bloody bits in the US. 

Hmmm, I never noticed anything overly "gamey" about the meat/beef here.  But, that being said, I was raised on venison, bear, and other true "gamey meats".  The only thing I have noticed is that the beef is a bit tougher.

HI 
I also find teh  sausage not  a s  apealing and  much  fattier than US sausages.

Waitrose do nice "extra lean" pork sausages.

Hmmm, I never noticed anything overly "gamey" about the meat/beef here.  But, that being said, I was raised on venison, bear, and other true "gamey meats".  The only thing I have noticed is that the beef is a bit tougher.

Ahh--so few people know the glory of a bear ham or bear steak...makes my mouth water for dinner...especially as it is hunting season and all my friends and family are out in search for food...

Waitrose do nice "extra lean" pork sausages.

I agree!  Sainsburys also do a nice "Be Good to Yourself" low fat pork sausage in different flavors (pork and leek, cumberland, etc.).

I do like the leaner bacon and sausages... also you might think some things taste sweeter due to the use of glucose syrup instead of high fructose corn syrup.  Coke tastes differently for that reason. 

I do not mind beef here, but then don't eat tons of it in either place.