If you ask people about my eating habits, they will tell you that I, enthusiastically and passionately, eat virtually anything and everything. The crawly, the weird, the squiggly, the strange, the creepy, the ghastly, the eerie, the ugly.
It’s true. I do. But I’m also one of the most conventional…bordering on boring…eaters as well. Once a week, every week, I want a steak, I want a ribeye steak. What makes that very convenient is, once a week, every week, Don Day’s wife also wants a steak and, like me, her favorite cut is ribeye.
Ribeyes are those precious pieces of marbled meat that are traditionally cut from ribs number nine to eleven of beef cattle. The amount of fat that is streaked through a ribeye is the determining factor as to whether a USDA inspector grades a cow Prime, Choice or Select. It is almost always the most expensive piece of meat you can buy.
Being a poor pensioner, this unfortunately means that I usually have to choose the third highest grade when I’m shopping. Even for a Select ribeye, I’m used to paying close to $300 a kilo, which is more than I spend, by weight, on almost anything else that enters our kitchen or my mouth.
Now a Select grade ribeye is good enough but, occasionally, maybe once a month, I can’t help myself. I must blow the budget. I must buy one of those steaks graded in the top 50%. I must buy a Choice graded ribeye.
Don Day’s Wife and I have been living about half of the last 15 years of our lives in San Miguel de Allende. In San Miguel, almost all of our Prime or Choice ribeye business has gone to what was once called Mega and these days is called La Comer. In the old days there were occasional trips to Costco and, more recently, City Market and HEB got a little share of our meat allowance, but La Comer has consistently been the winner for quality and price.
But not any more. Recently I tried two other local retailers. First, let me tell you about the one who didn’t quite get my business.
No beef producer in Mexico is more well-known or more respected than Rancho El 17. They used to retail their meat through Carnevino on Ancha de San Antonio. I liked buying Mexican. I liked Rancho El 17’s ribeyes. But I didn’t like that their steaks were all frozen. And I didn’t like the price.
But that didn’t mean that I wasn’t excited when I saw a sign with the Rancho El 17 logo going up a few blocks south of where Carnevino was. The new shop is a franchise operation and is almost totally dedicated to beef. Maybe this was my chance to raise the red, white and green and be loyal to home-raised beef.
I was disappointed that the ribeyes were sliced less than half an inch thick.
I was disappointed that one was over 30% fat; I want lots of fat but in streaks not chunks. I was less than excited with the price of $702.50 a kilo. But I did like the enthusiasm and selling skills of the guy behind the counter and bought a couple of the fresh Choice ribeyes.
The taste was excellent with some obvious aging. But at that price, versus $536 a kilo at La Comer, I won’t be back.
And the other retailer? Well it’s one I’ve never really frequented, particularly when it came to fresh vegetables, fresh fish, or fresh meat. The other retailer is San Miguel’s other supermercado, Soriana. All of their beef used to be targeted at the Mexican market. Their featured steak cuts were diezmillo and arrachera. Which is understandable. There are more than ten times as many locals as there are expats in San Miguel.
Then, after writing about a ribeye from La Comer, I received an email from a reader. She alerted me to the pleasures to be found from the steaks in the frozen food bins at Soriana. Now I prefer fresh to frozen beef, but unlike fish or poultry where I will almost never buy frozen, I don’t have a major problem with frozen beef. So, last week, off I went.
The vacuum-packed steaks looked good. A color that suggested a few weeks of aging. A label that told me they were Hecho en Mexico. Marbling that confirmed the cattle had spent the last few weeks of their life eating corn and would have received a Choice rating from a USDA inspector. And a price tag that was close to what I was used to paying for Select grade. The ribeyes were priced at $122 for 340 grams or just $359 a kilo.
There was only one problem with these ribeyes. They were a little skinny. Which makes them very difficult to cook. Because, by the time you get a sear on them, they’re already bordering on well-done.
There was a solution. Soriana also had some cowboy cuts which are simply a bone-in ribeye with an extended short Frenched bone (a tomahawk cut has an extended long Frenched bone). Now, unless I’m trying to overly impress guests, I hate paying for that bone that ends up in the basura. But the cowboys were about an inch and a quarter thick which was perfect. Not only that, the size, 510 grams, was a perfect portion for two (about 8 oz. each not counting the bone).
Don Day’s Wife let the cowboy come to room temperature, patted it dry with paper towels (essential for a crusty sear), sprinkled her favourite spice mix, put the burner under the cast iron frypan on high and added a tablespoon of butter.
After two minutes on each side, the burner was turned down to medium and the steak was given another four minutes on each side (for rare it would have been two minutes, for medium-rare it would have been three, for well-done it would be…well let’s not go there). After 10 minutes of resting, the internal temperature was 135°F. The perfect reading for medium.
Don Day’s Wife kept the sides fairly simple, just mashed potatoes and romeritos sautéed with garlic and onions. Leese-Fitch, a Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon was an affordable ($211 at Costco) accompaniment.
The beef, from a processor called Grupa ViBa in Monterrey, was juicy, flavorful and almost fork tender. It wasn’t quite as rich in taste as the El 17 ribeyes but, at half the price, Soriana has won all of my future ribeye business. Once a week, every week, starting now.
Soriana is located in Plaza La Luciérnaga, Libramiento José Manuel Zavala Zavala, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The supermarket is open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, seven days a week.
Now that Comer is captive in Traffic, Sorianna will be getting much more business! And tips for where to get Prime rib?
Still buying our prime ribs at Costco.
But there you have to buy half a cow? City market will cut to size. Expensive but de.icious!
Our solution is to share a Costco prime rib with another family (or two). H-E-B cuts to size but the beef comes at a big price.
Linda, let’s split a prime rib!
Definitely recommend City Market! Delicious!!
Great article ! Gracias
You should try the the Ribeyes at Koi on Salida Celaya. They have a few different Mexican ones including an aged(Viejo).the most expensive one is about 600 pesos a kg.
Hello Don Day
As always, an enjoyable read with good information for a foodie who lives in SMA.
I’m a Midwest Gal who loves her spuds – baked, fried, and of course mashed. S o,
I write to ask you – what is with the potatoes here? Red potatoes, the size of quarters
are not even worth the time or trouble. White potatoes you purchase, if you don’t
eat them the same day, are green by the next, and you don’t want to eat them when they’re green. When I go to the States, I can’t get enough french fries, mashed potatoes
with garlic, cream, and butter, baked, loaded or not….give me the spuds!
Also, broccoli is another issue, grade C rubber. Does all the good stuff go to the restaurants?
So, how is Don Day’s Wife able to make mashed potatoes to go with that steak?
All the best to you both!
Potatoes have always been our biggest Mexican food problem and the only real solution we’ve found is to import Russets from the U.S. It’s illegal (as they’re considered seed) but the worst I’ve heard happen is having them taken away at the border.
The best local potatoes we’ve found are from the permanent fruit and veg retailer in Mercado Sano. For mashed potatoes, we often now switch to riced cauliflower; I might even like it better. McCain’s frozen french fries, available at La Comer, are better than you can make with fresh Mexican whites.
We’ve never had a problem with broccoli. There are usually two different vendors at the Tuesday market, one just outside the market’s entrance at the Southwest corner and one in the parking lot across from the pulque stands that sell broccoli off the back of pickups, I believe it comes straight from local farms. The problem with supermarket broccoli is usually the age; very little is consumed by Mexicans so it can sit for quite a while.
Where could I find chuck roast? City Market doesn’t always carry it. For slow cookers I find it the best.
It’s a very difficult cut to get in Mexico. My butcher will cut it for you but it will be Mexican not USA or Canadian beef. For slow cooking, we find it better to use cuts that are easy to find like shank, tail, short-rib or cheeks.
Thanks Glenn. I’ll keep looking!
I´ve never been a big fan of Soriana´s meat or fish, though the butchers are very accommodating, but will look at your steak recommendations next time I´m there. One thing I have had great luck with at Soriana is their whole chickens. Lowest price in town, always fresh, and cooks up juicy. My experience at the Tianguis with chicken is about 50%, sometimes good, sometimes dry and old.
Soriana seems trying to up their game, especially since La Comer will be so difficult to access. Of course, they own both, so perhaps they are just moving product around.
I’ve seen Cowboy steaks at La Comer also. Have you tried them?
I usually get boneless ribeyes at La Comer instead of the cowboy so that I don’t have to pay for the weight of the bone.
Thanks Connie. I haven’t tried cowboy but all different types of roasts. When cooked they’re dry and rather tasteless. I’ll try cowboy.
You are not just paying for the bone, the bone adds much of the flavor to the meat, especially if not grilling.
Russet potatoes are now being grown in Sinaloa. If fruterias in a mixed neighborhood like mine and an organic market over by the unversity can stock them, surely there’s a produce guy in San Miguel who can get them for you. Please, please do not encourage people to import their own, because it’s more than a matter of risking confiscation at customs. The reason for potato import bans is to prevent potato-born diseases, so it’s a matter of showing some respect for potato growers in this country.
Great blog post, but now you’ve gone and made me jones for some beef. Defrost the tri tip I’ve got in the freezer, go to the carniceria for filet, or go to Parrilla y Canilla for vacio?
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Hey Glenn. Great post. We have found that sous vide method of cooking beef (and white chicken) with a post ‘sear’ has been a great game changer for us. Do you and Sue ever use this method?
As recently as last night, Sharon sous vided a Soriana cowboy and then finished it in the cast iron pan.
This is in response to Barb from the Midwest who mentioned red potatoes the size of quarters. I grew up in the corner of IL, IA and WI and like potatoes, too. Tell me, please, if you folks in SMA can get real red potatoes because I’ve only found small white potatoes that have been soaked in beet juice. Also in response to bringing potatoes across the border, I make at least two road trips/year to either TX or AZ and I always hide some bags of medium and small reds and Russets in my car. I’ve never had an issue.
Why do my comments never get posted? I just submitted one about potatoes. I believe I am already subscribed because I receive a private email with your posts. Am confused….
Your potatoes comment is showing on my iPad and iPhone, Georgia.
Mercado San Juan in the center of Mexico City, also known as the Chef’s Market almost always has Russet potatoes for sale. Ask for papas gringas. You can buy kilos and bring them back to either give or sell to your friends. The market is worth visiting simply as an attraction. There’s not much that is edible that you can’t find
include me olease
I got
a good chuck roast from Costco
a while back
A place acfriend took me to
buy just chicken, I cant remember the name however dissed LaComer for receiving meats frozen, then thawing and putting out as fresh true ir no?!!
whatever hapoened to rounsteak?
I’m reasonably sure that a lot of La Comer’s “fresh” fish has been previously frozen, so perhaps their meat has as well.
I’m guessing round steak ends up as burger these days.