Steak

One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef

By: Mark Schatzker

Narrated by: Mike Lenz

The definitive book on steak has never been written - until now.

"Of all the meats, only one merits its own structure. There is no such place as a lamb house or a pork house, but even a small town can have a steak house." So begins Mark Schatzker's ultimate carnivorous quest. Fed up with one too many mediocre steaks, the intrepid journalist set out to track down, define, and eat the perfect specimen. His journey takes him to all the legendary sites of steak excellence - Texas, France, Scotland, Italy, Japan, Argentina, and Idaho's Pahsimeroi Valley - where he discovers the lunatic lengths steak lovers will go to consume the perfect cut. After contemplating the merits of Black Angus, Kobe, Chianina, and the prehistoric aurochs - a breed revived by the Nazis after 400 years of extinction - Schatzker adopts his own heifer, fattens her on fruit, acorns, and Persian walnuts, and then grapples with ambivalence when this near-pet appears on his plate.

Reminiscent of both Bill Bryson's and Bill Buford's writing, Steak is a warm, humorous, and wide-ranging book that introduces a wonderful new travel and food writer to the common table.

©2010 Mark Schatzker (P)2020 Tantor

For meat lovers!

Mark has done it again. Everything he writes is informative but more importantly it’s a great story and the style makes you feel like your along for the journey. I really enjoyed this book.

A great book to learn about steak

As a steak lover, this book inspired me to start eating grass feed beef and to learn more about the cattle industry.

Journey into a deeper appreciation for beef

I had a very pleasant day today listening to this book from “cover to cover“ while getting my garden ready for fall. I enjoyed the travels with Mark and appreciate his excellent ability with words. Since I read this book a number of years ago I have had opportunity to meet a few of the people he met his travels. For me this lent authenticity to the book. I believe in flavor and I believe in soil and Mark highlights both.
Good narrator.

Derogatory language

I was enjoying the book, right up until the author referred to Dr. Temple Grandin as “an autistic”. I’m not going to give anything with such a derogatory language another minute of my time.