As the Edmonton Oilers take on the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, beef is also brewing on the ice.
Before the series began, Prime Minister Danielle Smith launched a friendly challenge against Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Last week, she posted on social media calling on Abbott to eat an Alberta rib-eye steak on video and commenting on how incredible it was – calling it “the best in the world.”
The governor happily accepted the challenge, not without declaring that the best rib-eye in the world was in Texas.
Steaks are raised for both political leaders. Alberta is known as the “Texas of Canada”.
There are nearly five million head of cattle and calves in Alberta, representing 40 per cent of Canada’s total herd, according to provincial data.
Butcher’s Beliefs
Kyle Iseke, owner of D’Arcy’s Meat Market, says Alberta’s climate and ability to grow wheat and barley is the main reason he thinks the province has the best beef in the world .
“Most of our beef is finished with these grains, which would give them a butterier, fattier finish, making it more tender and flavorful,” Iseke told CTV News Edmonton at his butcher shop.
He says Texas’ warmer climate allows them to grow “cheaper foods” like corn, which gives the beef a yellow tint and a slight grainy taste.
According to Iseke, buying your steak from a local butcher shop versus your nearby grocery store also makes a difference.
“I think coming to a butcher really gives you a lot of opportunity to learn what you’re eating and how to get better quality and meet your needs if your budget matters,” he said.
The delicious taste of your steak also owes its enhanced flavor to the butcher through aging.
From pasture to plate
A lot of thought goes into your steak before it ends up on your plate.
Ed Lang is a third-generation cattle rancher working on the W over Diamond Ranches, an hour southeast of Edmonton. He also believes that what the cows eat before being slaughtered makes Alberta steak stand out.
“What makes us unique is the type of grass we have here in Alberta and we have an incredible variety of grasses,” Lang said.
Lang’s farm has just under 500 cows on its land, with a small percentage set aside for breeding.
Alberta Cattle. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton)
“We are extremely proud, we live with it. We don’t leave work at five in the morning, our jobs are sometimes 24 hours a day,” Lang said.
“We don’t just work on the ranch, we live it. »
If the Oilers beat the Stars, Lang says Abbott won’t be disappointed by the taste of Alberta’s ribeye.
“I think he’ll really enjoy it. I think as Albertans, if we can have the opportunity to watch him eat, we will enjoy it even more than he does.
Battle of the Ox
While the climate south of the border impacts how Texas cattle are fed, rodeo announcer and cattle rancher Bob Tallman lives in Texas and says it’s difficult to compare the two because they are raised differently.
“We have a lot of acreage where the cattle are grazing a little bit longer and we don’t have beef problems in Alberta like when it’s 30 or 40 below zero in the winter,” Tallman told CTV News Edmonton.
He says many people are misinformed about grass-fed beef and feedlot beef.
“Livestock feed in Canada also contains a mixture of corn and cereals,” Tallman said.
According to the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, the feedlot focuses on growth and weight gain over a short period of time, reducing the cattle’s need to forage for food.
How cattle are fed in the last 120 days before they are killed makes the biggest difference in their taste, Tallman said.
“Decibel Nutrients are the finishing feed that produces the best meat in the world – in Canada or Texas. »
He admits that some of the best beef he’s eaten has been in Canada, but he’d still rather eat a steak from his own cattle in Texas.
