/ck/ - Food & Cooking

We eat a lot of both. The reason beef gets more attention is that in ye olde tymes it was kind of a status symbol (pigs can be fed garbage and will live basically anywhere, cows have some basic requirements that need to be met first).

So despite the fact that you can buy a lifetime supply of icky CAFO beef at Wal*mart for about $200 in this day and age and cage it home in your used Expedition that you got for $2500 after the rollover fiascio, which you also consider to be a great status symbol alongside your 50 inch TV that you got for $399, you consider yourself to be a wealthy 1%er and vote against your own interests (except when someone points out that fact in which case THEY'RE the wealthy out of touch 1%ers who can't tell me what to do, 'MURRICA), horking down stuff that can barely be considered meat by any reasonable standard, in quantities sufficient to give you colon cancer by the age of 30 assuming you don't die of gun violence, oxycodone, or heart disease. Vegetables are for extremists.

tl;dr we make a big deal out of steak because of cultural baggage, it's a bit like how bicycles sold in cager communities have to be branded with automotive branding ("Jeep", "GMC" etc) otherwise the local hillbillies will think it's for fucking pussies and they might get Matthew Sheparded.

>>11452603
really?
that seems pretty dumb

>>11452595
in large part it's a cultural thing, part of the American agricultural heritage. You might be surprised what a large percentage of American soil is used for cattle pasture or livestock feed . Several entire states' worth, no small number. And yeah it's expensive, but historically that doesn't mean the same thing to postindustrial Americans as it does to a lot of peoples across time and space.

personally as years go by I have been appreciating beef less and pork more. Whitemeat chicken is my favorite animal protein though.

>>11452624
>best animal protein
>not scallops

>>11452624
yeah see all that makes sense and sounds logical, but for some reason grassfed beef is considered a luxury item over there, even though you have all that land

i could understand the fascination with beef if it was one of the few readily available natural meats, but it isn't even that

>>11452635
because we force feed the cows corn in feed lots because corn is subsidized which incurs a ton of health problems for both the cows and dramatically minimizes the beef's nutritional value.

Ideally I'd like to get my hands on some fucking bear ever since having it at a Canadian bistro.

>>11452635
Animal feed gets massive federal subsidies, grass does not. Any meat that costs what it would cost at ordinary market rates becomes a luxury item when there's a government funded substitute available at 1/3 the price.

>>11452595
I dunno. I only eat beef in burgers or tri-tip sandwiches. I prefer chicken, lamb and wild game.

Venison > beef in ever way.

>>11452619
don't listen to that loser he claims to be speaking for all of us, but he's probably some soyboi poorfag, personally I love beef and have it every week, steaks are one of my favorites but you can put beef in pretty much any meal. Most of the people I see whining about beef and how bad it is just can't afford it and are sourgraping it.

>>11452638
>>11452639
ah, of course, it's gubmint subsidies. i can understand that but why can't these bureaucrat rats understand that you're not supposed to subsidize the same crop for decades? you have to change it up

>>11452661
what's a tri tip sandwich? google results look like pulled pork in a miniature hot dog bun

>>11452667
Corn is too important to not subsidize at this point, purely for the starch and syrup. Americans wouldn't be able to handle the hike on their sodie pops from HFCS no longer being subsidized.

>>11452635
actual rancher here. It's due to the industry here, Beef is not always held by one owner until culling. Many people do calf operations, raising calves until 6-8 months and then selling them to feedlot operations which are focused on getting large calves via corn and other cheap calorie sources. They are then sold at auction, with the most important things in order being weight, body index score and breed. Grassfed is becoming a bigger thing, but for example even my cattle aren't 100% grassfed because not every region of the US is perfect for agriculture all the time. We had a large portion of this year where it barely rained, and I had to feed range cubes, alfalfa and tons of hay to make sure my pregnant heifers got what they needed. Much of the US, including my own state, texas, is not ideal for plant growth due to rocky soils (much of texas has a limetstone layer not far under the soil), not enough loam or otherwise, so beef is selected since it's easy to sell and easy to buy. I tried doing sheep, but short of a huge herd it was too difficult to break even, since people don't eat much mutton or lamb here, and the same with goat. Sad thing, because they're both delicious.

Lemme know if you have any questions, I'll lurk for a bit.

>>11452676
that's bad, i think

>>11452678
i will have questions, give me a sec to read the post. thanks

>>11452679
Oh yeah it's a huge fucking problem. But all of America's huge systemic problems were cleverly crafted in a way that ensured dependency on those same problems, so "solving" them makes things dramatically worse (in the short term, which no one will tolerate). See also: welfare and inner city black father absenteeism

>>11452595
US is one of the largest producers of pork.

>>11452678
Sheep fuck the environment also, look at Iceland.

>>11452702
>Sheep fuck the environment also, look at Iceland.
What's wrong in Iceland?

>>11452624
Do eggs count as whitemeat chicken?
Are the whites the white meat and the yolk the dark meat????

>>11452678
yes this was quite interesting. i didn't know some people acted like cow baby mills and sold cow children to other large operations. and i didn't consider the obvious fact that grazing areas are barren for a third of a year due to weather

you mentioned a bunch of other animals you tried to raise that didn't work out for you but you didn't say anything about piggos. why didn't you switch over to those? also what does your land look like? you inherited a farm with a whole bunch of pastures attached to it?

>>11452595
>can someone tell me why americans eat beef so much?
>beef
>>is expensive
I just don't think this is true, so the point of your argument is null.
Pork, lately, seems downright cheap over the other choices past couple of years, in the sesaonn, but I don't consider beef is ever more a burden on the finances than chicken. Where do you live? Where do you shop?

>>11452692
yeah that's a good point. i sort of sympathize, since "short term" in this case would mean years of misery for a very productive class of the population. if i was american i probably wouldn't be too eager to solve that problem either. what a tough knot

>>11452678
fascinating and informative, wish I knew enough to ask more questions. I am an urbandweller by nature and agriculture was not really present as a voice when I was growing up, but since dating a former FFA kid outta Austin it's been something I more and more enjoy learning about.

>>11452678
why didn't you stop Ted Cruz when you had a chance?

>>11452595
Because pork is haram, you goy kuffar

>>11452595
Ausfag here. Americans are famous for eating a lot of pig.

>>11452741
they are? so does that mean you aren't? what's up with that? pork is so good.

>>11452702
They can destroy grasses because sheep tend to literally "mow" the grass to the ground, i.e. they eat nearly the entire above ground structure to the dirt. Cattle, when allowed to, will actually only eat about the top 1/3rd. When I did sheep I did what is called management intensive grazing, what I do with my cattle, to prevent that from happening. They are moved from strip to strip to simulate a natural herd movement process and not exhaust the soil or grass.

>>11452716
>barren for a third of the year
It does depend on the area alot. People think Texas=cattle, but most of the cowboys in the past in Texas were rounding up wild cattle and driving them north to stock yards and the railroads, it was a lot like the tx gold rush. The best areas for grass and nutrition are north of kansas, but texas still has a lot of land suitable for grazing but not really crops. It's not always that bad, and in fact in texas some of the best nutrition comes in the fall/winter months with clover especially.
>pigs
pigs can foul water sources and also have several microbes that are natural to them that aren't great for other agricultural animals. I have thought about pigs, but it would be when I purchase another piece of land and have an alternative pasture and water sources just for them. I went to spain and loved the ham they make there, Jamón ibérico, and I'd really like to bring it to the US. In central texas, where I am, we have tons of oaks producing acorns, so I think I can pull it off.
>Land
I am a first generation rancher, although my grandfather was the son of a sharecropper. My land is roughly 120 acres split into four pastures, with the total amount forming a near perfect square divided into four smaller squares, all of near equal acreage.
>other
Oh yeah, was planning on starting a free range chicken operation, more to fertilize and make money off of it than to switch.

>>11452734
>austin
Ayy lmao, I'm in Bastrop. If you look there are tons of places if you are interested that will let you take a look at their operation. If you want to simulate your own small backyard farm chickens are A+ and nearly bulletproof, as long as they are safe from raccoons, hawks, dogs and cats, just need an enclosure. I'd recommend australorps, they are my favorites, but if you want green or blue eggs ameracaunas lay them.

>>11452737
I'd hate to derail this crap with politics but I'm not gonna be rude and not reply to you

>>11452603
Oxycodone is great man, obtaining it in super large quantities is what's dangerous.

>>11452753
oh, very informative thank you. my dream is to escape this urban hell and move to the country and have a nice garden and some animals just like my grandpappy did. i'm not completely clueless since i did spend some time on his farm as a kid and as a teenager, but i'm nowhere near prepared enough. i never thought of how important it was to keep piggos seperate from the rest of the animals.
>first generation rancher
how does that work? you inherited at least some land i assume right? and i assume you had to save up a bunch of dinero for an initial investment.
>starting a free range chicken operation
yeah i think this is a very good idea. chickens are easy as hell to raise and i've heard of mobile cage-like contraptions you put over your garden that serve to let your chickens rake the ground and poop over it and let them move to the next location.

and all that aside they're really easy to feed and having fresh eggs is pretty useful

>>11452624
The issue I personally have with American 'beef culture' isn't about the beef itself, but more to do with the minuscule proportions that are actually eaten. People who constantly fetishise the same old cuts of steak will never understand the joy of beef hearts, livers, tongues, tendons, and other succulent parts of the cow that get little to no appreciation. Granted, there are exceptions like the infamous 'prairie oysters', but those are few and far in between.

>>11452750
Yeah we eat plenty. Bacon and ham are consumed a lot here.

I think Americans probably consume a higher amount per person, what with the popularity of BBQ ribs and pulled pork there.

>>11452776
aw I'm just tryna get a rise outta ya. class act though, really, yer awright with me, friend. thanks for the good posts.

>>11452794
beef and ham are meme deli meats. do you eat stuff like pork knuckles and pork shoulder and rump steaks and of course ribs?
that's the good stuff. mmm yeah

>>11452672
Tri tip is a cut of beef from California known for its 3 corners. It normally isn't pulled but thinly sliced if going on a sandwhich.

>>11452816
yeeeow, that looks good

>>11452816
i want to rape that meat

>>11452624
>in large part it's a cultural thing, part of the American agricultural heritage
cattle was so important in America we fought wars murdering people trying to raise sheep

>>11452847
welll. maybe that was a bit over the top in hindsight now, wasn't it

>>11452858
yeah should have just murdered the sheep instead, little cunts

Anyone who raises them will agree probably

>>11452595
>is so dry and tough it has to be undercooked so it doesn't taste like ass
Abdolutely false but go ahead and keep perpetuating the well done = burnt meme.

It's easier to shill on this board because there's no thread identifiers.

>>11452864
well the way we in my country raised sheeps was to keep them in the pen at night and send them off with the shepherd every morning and not see them until sunset.
so i think if we were keeping those annoying loud bastards around all the time, we'd be pro sheep genocide too
>>11452865
okay i will and i'll also have every american pro chef behind my back while some autist screeches in the background

>>11452595
Pork and Beef are both very popular and you also need to take into account for how large the country is. Some areas are known for pork others beef, I eat beef every day because I just prefer it over other meats.

>>11452595

Americans eat more chicken than any other kind of meat, though.

>>11453866
Also per capita the French eat more beef than Americans.

>>11453866
And Europeons eat exclusively tube sausage.

>>11453871
And more butter. And more alcohol.
And yet they're a gorillion times healthier than your average American

>>11452595
I'm American and I would take chicken over beef any day of the week.

>>11452595
proofs

>>11454118
fag

>>11452595
$4.99 T-bones steaks, $2 hamburger, not too expensive. Chicken is cheaper though

>>11454085
Because they're more physically active on a day to day basis.

>is expensive
Are we just not gonna laugh at this faggot for being poor?

>>11452791
Its a real problem in Australia too. Lambs fry is still popular with the older demographic but other than that all of the 'yucky bits' aren't eaten.

>>11452595
>>is so dry and tough it has to be undercooked so it doesn't taste like ass
man you haven't tried real beef then

anglo countries know what they're doing, other shitholes don't. buy some Irish steak or whatever and learn!

>>11452791
they put literally everything in hotdogs, nuggets, etc etc

even the skin is used to produce collagen supplements

>>11452595
why post a fleshlight on /ck/??

>>11452595
>cows literally devastate the environment with their grazing and farting
so then why are you bitching about people eating them?

>>11452791
>minuscule proportions that are actually eaten
Let me guess - you live in the city, and grew up in the city.
Protip: Every bit of the cow is used. Anything that can be eaten is eaten, anything not edible is used for something economically useful. Margins are too tight to throw away anything that can make even a little money.

Have you never had pot roast or roast beef? It doesn't have to be undercooked to taste good.
I do enjoy pork more though. Except pork steaks are nowhere near as delicious as beef steak.

>>11455455
unfortunately commercially raised pork is shit, it's too cruel to the animals to raise them for nothingburgers

but if you can get the right meat then pork neck steaks are much better

>>11454085
>And yet they're a gorillion times healthier than your average American
False actually, the metrics are shifting, the french are getting fatter

It's almost as if comparing a highly urbanized population to rural french farmers is apples to oranges

>>11452624
Hot dogs with chicken in them are terrible though

>>11452595
This post brought to you by Pork™, the other white meat©

I like beef, but I cannot fucking stand steak except in a few situations.

>>11452603
>>11452619
>>11452624
These. High quality or well-cooked beef can be wonderful, but the phenomenon of eating hundreds of pounds of garbage-tier beef each year as if you need it to live is entirely cultural. It's a combination of the old frontier mythology and just flexing plus a lot of inertia.

>eurocucks

>>11455140
>even the skin is used to produce collagen supplements
Fuck collagen. Tan Fringe Suede Leather is where it's at.

>>11452595
Imagine going your entire life without eating a slow cooked piece of beef with a delicious spicy rub.

>>11452634
>If trash-eating bugs live underwater, that makes them delicious and fancy!

>>11452595

Sounds like some yurpean sour grapes to me.

Sorry you can't afford it, I guess.

>>11452595
americans are sheep, controlled by (((them)))

pork is not kosher

>>11452753
When I was real poor I raised pigs in Minnesota. The piglets would pile up when it was real cold and their assholes would pop out and could die. It was a rough way to live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIs5StN8J-0

thread theme

>>11452595
Because it's good 99% and there's that 1% that you eurofaggots don't like us doing it. We really don't give a fuck about you.

>>11457362
>"we"
You don't speak for Americans, and you're just making us look like butthurt retards when you fly off the handle and rave about Europe every time someone uses the word "Americans" in a sentence. For all you know he's from East Timor.

>>11452603
You. I like you.

>>11452595
all you could find is a 6 year old article? So sad. Go check where corn prices are now. Oh, and it started under obamas term if you are going to try to go the tariff route also.

>>11457381
six years really isn't that much time. i know it might seem like it because it's like half your lifetime, but it really isn't

>>11452595
It's not expensive in the USA.

>>11458051
whatever dude, youre the one complaining about the humane treatment of farm animals. Those cows get tired of the same ol same old, gummi bears sounds fabulous.

>>11458076
>i'm op
what a bold accusation

>>11452595
Meat isnt that expensive if you have a job.
You see, we work and make money to buy things.
We dont have to eat bugs for protein.
Understand?

>>11455455
love a pot roast, but honestly I'd prolly 8 times outta 10 take a roast porkloin in its place. roast beef slices down better but like a slowroast pork tenderloin over potatoes, onions, carrots and such, I think I'd take that over a similar cut of beef at least most of the time, especially if we're paying with my money. Slightly better for the everyday value, seems to me.

Pork is haram

>>11452595
>is expensive
I like it, so I don't care.

>>11452595
Because beef is delicious and pigs are filthy, haram animals that are the lowest of the low.

>>11452791
They still eat those parts, they're just ground up and made into all kinds of fast food. It is still retarded that the average American pulls up their nose at the idea of tripe and tongue while consuming them in a worse way in the form of hotdogs or hamburgers.

Pigs are the most noble of all livestock
They're more intelligent than any other animal on the farm by a wide margin yet somehow they accept that they exist just to feed us
Pigs deserve our respect, they are a true ally of humanity

>>11455680
>False actually, the metrics are shifting, the french are getting fatter
To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised if the lion's share are recently imported Frenchmen. Muslims have a sweet tooth.
>It's almost as if comparing a highly urbanized population to rural french farmers is apples to oranges
Wat. The US is just barely more urbanized than France. The 'fat urbanite-lean farmer' dichotomy doesn't jive with the fact that the mostly rural South has the worst obesity, whilst health nuts, recent immigrants and undernourished nupeople tend to congregate in cities. Rurality isn't the explanation for the French Paradox.

>>11457362
>>11456914
>guy asks a genuine question about American dietary culture without any harshness
>most of thread is civilized and enlightening discussion
>some spergs still get assmad at the very notion of some asking a question about the US and try to derail the thread
Fuck's sake people, no wonder 'do americans really' shitposting keeps sprouting up when you lunge at shit that isn't even bait.

>>11455680
They're still one of the skinniest nations in the western world, and are waayyy less fat than Americans

>>11455680
>you can't just compare peoples diets
and you can compare fruit, they're both fucking tree fruit, nobody would care

>>11458092
we are very lucky to both be living in times and places where this is currently the case. Truly I think that's something to appreciate and be thankful for, not all that long ago "a chicken in every pot" was an ideal people fought uphill to provide.

>>11452828
>rape is lolz

>>11455680
I smell a fatty trying his best to lie.

C O P E
O
P
E

Eat some vegetables now and then, sharter

Beef:
>Is delicious

>>11452875
What is the shepherd doing with them all day?

>>11459889
The same things texasfags are doing with their cattle herds.