I am a carnivore. Most of my family is, well actually all if I am making hamburger. Just thinking about a nice juicy steak makes my mouth water. Soaking up all that bloody juice with a dinner roll; still hearing it moo when you cut the tender juicy pieces with a knife. Yum. Now I am hungry. And then you have Sam Elliott's sexy voice telling you "It's what's for dinner." Sure thing Sam I am. I will eat steak on a break. I will eat steak with a rake!
When we arrived in Brazil in August 2010 a filet mignon cost $14 Reais per kilo. If you go with the conversion rate of .6 and a kilo is 2.2 pounds, that means a pound of filet mignon was US$3.80 a pound. (Here is the calculation because I know you are saying that is not right :14x.6=8.4, 8.4/2.2=3.80) I know what you are saying. Okay it is filet every night! And we did eat it a majority of the time. I have some new and delicious recipes for good red meat. Anyway, how can you beat that price? Well, Brazil did not beat it. It buried it into the ground so deep we will never see it again.
When we left for Christmas that same year the price was around R$20 per kilo. In June 2011 when we left for the winter break the price was up to R$35 a kilo. And finally with we left at Christmas 2011, the price was at R$65 a kilo. So in a year and a half, the price increased 364%. Now what are you saying? Probably something like "holy pooh Batman!", or something very close to it. I think it would make sense if they were feeding the cows gold leaf or caviar. But the grass they are eating is not the kind for funny brownies. And yes, other cuts have gone up too, but not as drastically. Problem is finding them in the stores because they go so fast. So what's the deal?
Actually, the real question is "Is it worth it?" Now I am only giving price quotes from my local supermarket. I will not go buy it at Wal-Mart (there are usually green meats in the same case as the good stuff, but why risk it.) And the same with other stores in the area. I go where the Brazilians have told me to go. There is one other, but I do not have a car so it is harder to get to. But back to the question, is it worth it. While we were in the States for Christmas and New Year 2011/2012 we went to several restaurants. In the past these places had amazing food. And of course, loving bovine, I had red meat. It did not taste like anything! No flavor, nada, zilch! I have now understood the comment that Argentina and Brazil have some of the best beef in the world. I have no idea what they are feeding these cows, maybe it is caviar and gold leaf. Because eating a Brazilian steak is for me like eating a Betty Crocker Brownie - a savory, tasty, scrumptious treat.
It is worth it? Yes. Can I afford it? No. So in the meantime, I scour the cases waiting for it to go on sale, which is rare. But I like rare meat, especially with a nice peppery crust seasoning.
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