Piedmontese
Bos taurus · Meat
Top 10 pairings
Piedmontese cattle from north-west Italy carry an inactivating mutation in the myostatin gene, so they are double-muscled: extraordinarily lean, with almost no intramuscular fat, and yet tender rather than tough, because the same mutation leaves the muscle with less connective tissue. Lean and genuinely tender at once is a combination almost no other beef offers.
Picking a good onedrag
Freshly cut, cherry-red, firmOff: tacky, slimy, smelling wrong
Counter freshEveryday bestSear, roast or braise, but mince needs 160°F (71°C). Pregnant? Cook all meat through.
ColourRed, a brownish cast under lights
Touch the surfaceMoist and clean, still not sticky
SmellMild, clean, faintly meaty
These cues are Beef's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.