Upping The Steaks

FIRST, WE WERE WOWED by USDA Prime beef. Then came this beer-massaged delicacy called Japanese Kobe, or wagyu in general. Not to be outdone, the Australians brought in some mail-order cows and wed them to local heifers to create half blood or full-blood wagyu, which almost but hasn't quite reached the same level of pedigree as its Japanese counterparts.

Then, we were sold on Spanish Rubia Gallega - a recently hip meat phenomenon originating in Galicia where dairy cows past their milking lives and aged over 13 years are turned into dry-aged steaks touted for their clean, beefy taste or umami-rich, mushroomy (if aged a little too long for some tastes) funky flavours. We loved the taste, but the tough chewiness of the meat was another story.

Now, Korean beef has crept into our dining vocabulary and we wish we'd discovered it much earlier. If you thought Australian wagyu was meant to bridge the flavour and texture gap between fatty Japanese beef and a good American steak, the less well-known Korean or Hanwoo beef pretty much pushes it out of the competition.