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Today, a chef and a home cook are blind tasting steak from a budget supermarket, a mid-range supermarket, and a butcher to see if they can tell which is from which. Is this the best day ever? If we weren't blindfolded and being made to look stupid. Yes. Chef James Jamie dressed as a butcher. We have 12 steaks for you. Four cuts. We're going to start with sirloin. So in front of you are A, B, and C. Have a taste. Is from the budget supermarket, the mid-range, and the butcher. So typically a leaner steak. It comes at
the back. It's a well worth muscle just before the rump of the cow. I feel like I need to compare it, but I'm not getting a ton of flavor from it. No. Slightly dry, I say. Yeah, I agree. Okay. Wow, that is a completely different experience. I got a massive um chunk of the fat in that and that fat was so flavorsome. So beefy. It's a lot more tender. I know Mike just said it's not necessarily a tender cut, but compared the two compared together.
Yeah. So different. These three steak have all been pan fried in oil to render out the fat. Flipped until just before medium rare before going into an oven at 50° to slowly come up to temperature. Going for C. Okay. Again, completely different from B. Yeah, I'd put that more on par with A. I agree. C again, slightly drier. Definitely not as much fat on there, but meltier than a I think. Yeah, I think it's a bit juicier than a. Some considerations to look for when purchasing sirloin. Choose steaks that have thin white flexcks of fat coming through the meat. That's what we call marbling. And that intramuscular fat
will melt during the cooking and make it taste juicier and have more flavor. Actually, each of the supermarket ranges, the budget and the mid-range have three tiers of ranges within themselves. They have a cheaper range. They have a midlevel range. And then they have a luxury or premium range. So the two sirloins that you're tasting here are both from the cheapest tier one range of both supermarkets. So with blindfolds still on, make your choices. A is the budget, C is the mid-range, and B is the butcher. That was exactly what I was going to say. Folds off. Have a look.
We nailed. Oh wow. We I don't know if we got that right. So, you're reconsidering your positions because of what? Thickness? I'm No, I'm looking more at the color. The difference in beefy taste between both of these and that one is immense. That is a completely different product. Yeah. Than both the supermarket ones. The budget little sirloin 21-day matured British beef red tractor assured and slaughtered and cut in the UK. The sainsburries, which was a 21-day aged, also British or Irish beef, packed in
the UK, and the HD Walter, which was B, the butcher, grass-fed cattle, either Abedine, Angus or Herafford cattle, sourced from smallcale farmers who rear their herds to the highest standards on a hormonefree grass-fed diet. When you look at the descriptions on the supermarket ones, it is really interesting when you're reading the words on packets to see what either is there or purposefully isn't there, what information they do or don't give you. Also something to note that all of these steaks were as sold. The butcher cut from HD Walter, that is how you buy sirloin. So that's why it's a lot thicker, but that is the smallest amount of sirloin we could purchase. budget supermarket little that was £529
for £195 g pack which comes out at £2712 per kilogram. The sainsburries was £650 for her 225 g pack which comes out at 2829 per kilo. And the butcher comes at £12.15 for a 250 g pack, which when compared across the board comes out at £4860 per kilogram. Almost double the price, but double the experience of steak. And not everybody is going to be able to afford to do it. There are only going to be a select few. Hold that thought, Jay, because moving forward, we're going to get into some interesting territory where some of the premium end supermarkets may actually get close or even surpass some butchers.
Oh, so this is a cut from the hind quarter, the upper leg part of the cow. Leaner than other cuts because the muscles are well used, generally a tougher cut, more affordable. And so we have cooked these Terrasco style Argentinian grill over charcoal. So lightly oiled the raw steaks and then just absolutely char grilled them over flame. Get stuck in. You have a B and C in front of you. A very different flavor to the sirloin. Bit gristly in places like very chewy fat. Rum steak sucks. Why? because it's chewy and the flavor on the outside is really nice because of the charcoal, but the actual eating experience is just I've never had
a really good rump steak. Like a rump tip, maybe. Wow. Oh, yeah. That's I can't wait. We asked for opinions and we're getting them. That's This is great. Just tell me if I'm being too much. No, no, no, no. We just want honest stuff to say. Where is it? Okay, that's better. Pardon? B. There's less of it. Bee doesn't really tasteed much. There's no great steaky quality to that at all. It's almost a bit crumbly.
Yeah, I know what you mean actually. But it's much easier to eat. Yeah, there was no gristle and fat and that kind of stuff going on. Um, but just no flavor. Well, let's move on to C. We are operating within tier two, the mid-range line of the supermarkets here. This steak is coming away in my hands. Why are you rubbing it on? How much have I got? You're rubbing something on me. Oh. Oh, wow. So, there's a complete separation from the fat to the meat, which is exactly what we had with the sirloin round as well. That's much better.
It's still not the best texture. It's slightly bouncy before chewing into it, but the flavor is superb. Okay. Yeah, that's really beefy, really nice. Tastes aged. I'm willing to say I'm I'm wrong. Maybe not all rump steak is bad, cuz that's actually pretty good. Here are some chef notes from Kush when it comes to rump steak. Avoid very thin rump steaks if you want to serve them whole. Thin rump can overcook before you get a good crust. And because it's lean, it becomes tough very quickly. Rump will not usually have the marbling of something like a ribeye. But you still want to look for small streaks or flexcks of fat inside the meat. Starting with you, James, lock in your answers. Which is
the budget supermarket? Which is the mid-range? And which is the butcher? B is budget, A is mid-range, C is butcher. Jamie, I wonder if something similar is going on to the first round. that I'm going to say A budget, B mid-range, C butcher. Okay, remove your blindfolds and I'll tell you. This summer, we're going back to our actual old school, the place where the four of us met to host our summer live streamed weekend show. It's 2 days of classic sorted silliness, food, fun, and origin stories where it all began. And it's happening soon on the 25th and 26th of July. You can get tickets below and join live or on demand. Either way, we would love to have you join us. I can reveal that Jamie Baffford, you are absolutely correct. A
A was Little's grass-fed rump, thick cut, 36-day matured, guaranteed a 70% grass-fed diet, and at 180 days of natural grazing in fields. B was Tesco finest rump steak. A prime cut matured 30 days UK origin and the butcher was Turner and George rump steak hand selected by Turner and George naturally reared free from growth promoters hormones and cruelty and minimum 28 days. So Turner and George are a butcher that actually supply the Hawksmore restaurants super popular in London and now around the world one of the best steakous globally. So, interestingly, the budget supermarket little was matured for the longest out of the three, 36 days.
I also think when you look at the juices that have been left on the board, A has got some juice, C has got a lot of juice. It's kind of quite bone dry. What I found particularly interesting about this, I would not buy a rump. It's really, really difficult as a normal cook to make taste good. But if I were going to be forced into buying a rump, I'd probably go to a premium range supermarket like the Tesco finest version. I'll spend the extra money in a way that I think I'm spending extra money and I that's what I would have ended up with.
It's why these videos are so important and interesting to me. You can't rely on spending more money to get a better quality product. You have to know what you're looking for and um get experience of what you should be buying instead. The Little Grass-fed budget supermarket, £6.99 for a £283 g pack, which comes out at £24.70 per kilogram. B, which was Tesco finest rum steak, £7.65 per 255 g pack. That comes out at £30 per kilog. and the butcher £30.90 but for an £800 g pack. So as we said we bought these as they are sold. So for an 800 g pack cost £30.90 which comes out at £3862 per kilogram. Do you know what a really interesting question would be? Would you spend that on a butcher's rump or would
you probably spend a similar amount on a high-end supermarket ribeye? That is the question we want to answer. Let's bring them all back at the end. Let's bring every steak back at the end. But you have lots of questions that I'm hoping you can get some answers for in round three. Fillet. So, this is from the fillet of the cow, which is the long muscle internally along the spine. Extra tender due to it being a muscle that has limited to no use. more expensive and limited due to the fact that each cow only yields about four to six pounds of it. And therefore, we are going for the top tier range of both supermarkets here. The most expensive fillet steak we could buy from little and the mid-range
supermarket. Tuck in lads. A BC as usual. Even just picking that up, that feels completely different. So, all of these steaks have been pan fried first and then basted in butter. A very classical way of cooking fillet steak. Yeah, fillet steak. It's another one that I would never order. Okay. But whenever I do have it, I do enjoy it. I'm exactly the same. I'm a ribeye guy. So am I. Um which is why we've left it to the last round. I know. And in my head, fillet doesn't have as much flavor because it doesn't have any fat running through it.
Yeah. But that is delicious. It is nice. It eats really well. Yeah. You with a good fillet steak, you get beefy flavor through it. Yeah. I just struggle because it is more expensive. You get less of it for the same price. And I love fat. So, it's a hard sell for me. But amazing. Move on to be then. I don't think that was the butcher one. I've got high hopes going forward. What is that? That's not the same. That's got a lot more flavor going on. Actually, does have that has a lot of flavor going on.
Yeah, I feel like that one is got a bit more aging going on. See, cheffy tips for buying fillet. Look for thick medallions. Ideally 3 to 5 cm. Shouldn't have any tapered ends. So, fillet is already tender. So, aging is less about softening the meat and more about developing flavor. And a lot of the time the top end premium supermarkets can actually be more expensive than even the best butchers. Now C is exactly what I think about when I think of fillet. It has the most beautiful buttery texture to it. Just almost melts in your mouth.
Doesn't taste of anything. I say it's a bit unfair to say it doesn't taste of anything. It tastes subtle. I think I know what my order is. I don't know. Okay, Jay. Which is the budget? Which is the mid-range supermarket? And which is the butcher? Budget. A mid-range. C butcher. A budget. B mid-range. C butcher. Well, have a look. You can't change your mind, but you can tell me whether you wanted to change your mind.
I actually don't I don't know. I know. I was confused by that one. Yeah, that is a very different shape. It's not as medallion shaped, is it? That's very medalliony. All the other steaks, these have been cooked all the same way to a medium rare, same temp. Well, I can reveal that the budget supermarket little but in this case its most premium range, the deluxe dry abodine angus fillet steak is B. Yes. The mid-range, which is Waitro number one British center cut fillet steak is C. We've been done. And the butcher Turner and George fillet steak is a You said that was the budget one.
I thought that was the mid-range because I thought they would want to add flavor to it, but I don't think that's what a fillet should be. Yeah, that's exactly where I don't think that's the best fillet. The weight I was kind of like playing it by what I think would be the mid-range. I felt exactly the same in that uh it felt like a supermarket wanted to make sure that their fillet actually tasted of something. It's like aged and you can taste the agedness even though like that is a better fillet to me.
Well, let's talk price. B, which is the little deluxe is £7.99 for a 170 g pack coming out at £47 per kg. The Waitros, which was C, £16 for a 200 g pack, which comes out at £80 per kilogram. and a the butcher. £4360 for a 500 g pack. So you get two 250 steaks. Okay. And that comes out at £8720 per kilo. So actually very similar pricing. Really similar. I am interested in whether the little at £7.99 for the for that steak is passible and delicious when it comes to fillet. You said it's got a lot of flavor as a standalone. Like as a steak, it's really nice, but if you are shopping for fillet, I feel like you have a very specific thing in mind.
Okay. And maybe it's not doing that job. No. Fillet is always seen as probably the most premium uh steak. You kind of know what to expect from it. Because it's fillet, you're paying more. So, if you're after something that's like aged and tastes beefy, probably better off going for something else like a ribeye. Let's just finish this all off with the ribeye is what you're all looking for. It's what you're waiting for. Round four. Okay, this is it. Ribeye slash tomahawk, but the bone has been removed in the tomahawk sense. So, the rib section of the cow known for being one of the more tender fatty cuts, loads of marbling,
which leads to a juicy and flavorful cook. get stuck in. Hopefully you're not too full of steak. Quite full of steak. All of these steaks rubbed in oil and then cooked over charcoal. Riby is just the best. I'm not getting a massively beefy flavor from that. I'm getting a charcoaly flavor actually. Yeah. The texture is really nice. Like there's lots of fat running through it. The fat's rendered really nicely. Every time you bite into it, it releases more juice. And so you're just left with this incredible flavor and texture.
Okay. What are we getting from B? And how does it compared to A? Definitely a chewier texture, but you still get lots of nice rounded fat. Tasty. Yes. M. But I think mostly because of the fat. It's not that much beefy flavor. Not as tasty as a That's got a beefy flavor. Too beefy or beefy enough? No, it just tastes like really good quality. What I would say is that the texture difference, like the fat running through it, the marbling blindfolded doesn't really taste that different. I would go
as far as to say A is actually more melty. C has a better flavor. Yes, definitely. It see flavor. In both cases of the budget and mid-range supermarket, these are the most expensive ribeye that you can get from both of those shops. So, some chef notes from Chef Kush. Cheaper versions can be forgiving because of the fat marbling and it makes it easier to cook. You want fine white streaks of fat running through the meat, not just one big lump of fat in the middle. Ribeye needs enough thickness for fat to render whilst the inside stays juicy. Boneless ribe eyes easier, quicker, more practical for home cooks. But bone in ribe eyes are more dramatic. They're often thicker, better for sharing, but
you're often paying for the bone weight, too. And he's just told me that cooking it on the bone adds absolutely zero to the end result. We're going to ask you to lock in your answers. Um, James, B is budget. A is mid-range supermarket. Yeah, mid-range supermarket. C is butcher. B is budget. C is premium supermarket. A is butcher. Woo. Have a look. You can't change your answers. I preferred this one. That was my favorite. That's why I picked it as the butchers. Yeah, I see. I wasn't picking favorites. I was picking what I thought was that because it melted in your mouth. I can reveal that the budget supermarket little deluxe ribeye was B. The mid-range supermarket was M&S collection
British ribeye steak and that was A. And the butcher was ox steak from El Caprico and that was C. You said that was an ox. This is steak from an older ox from El Caprico's farm. Same cut from a male cow from an ox. Similar to like X dairy cows of the female variety. Obviously they can't produce dairy. So same cut older male cow. So James, your favorite was the M&S. I still think that's really good. How does a budget supermarket steak hold up as a ribeye? I really didn't think that was bad. If you're talking about texture and forgiveness during cooking, I think this is a really good cut to
get. I also think now knowing that is a much older cow helps me place where it is in comparison to the M&S one because when you look at X dairy cow steak it has a very different flavor to a normal more be more beefy more almost earthy grassy and that was the tomahawk. So Kush removed the bone and then cooked it on charcoal like the rest the bone. And as we've said a lot of the time you will pay for the weight of that. Right. Let's talk prices and then I want your overall summaries on what you've picked up from this test and where you're likely to spend your money for all the cuts. B the budget supermarket the little deluxe ribeye. £8.19 per 255
g pack coming out at £3212 per kilo. The mid to upper supermarket range was Marks and Spencer's British ribeye steak salt dry aged. That was £16 per 240 g pack and that comes out at £667 per kilo. Wow. And then our butcher steak from El Capricio was £130 for a 1.072 kilo pack. That actually came out at being 537 g worth of steak after we removed the bone. So 535 g of fat was bone. Now, the offbone price, just to confuse things even more, was £130 for 537 gram of meat, which comes in at £242 per kilo for the offbone price. Does that make sense? Yeah. Lots of stuff.
El Capricio is a legendary beef restaurant and producer in Himenez de Himuz Leon in Spain and it's considered the world's best steak restaurant by renowned international publications. Time magazine called it the perfect steak. American Vogue food writer Jeffrey Steinarten described it as probably the greatest steak I've ever eaten. That steak was hung at a low temperature for 60 to 100 days, 100% Spanish beef, and it was sold frozen. So, what you're telling us is that is an incredibly special steak that we probably shouldn't compare to these two. No, we included it for talking points to just show if you have almost unlimited budget to buy a ribeye, you could go
down this avenue. However, still cheaper than Wagu. So, anything that you picked up from today's test that will affect your buying habits in and around steak moving forward. The main thing wasn't that the cheapest steak was as good as the others. I was really surprised by the butcher rump. I thought that was far and away better than the other two. And I was really surprised by the mid-range supermarket fillet, which I would never two cuts I would never really buy. And I think for me, it's worth spending money on things that are that much better. But I think what surprised me was that the mid-range supermarkets were more expensive and weren't always better than the cheap supermarket.
Well, even though I've eaten no steak, I've learned a lot. So, thank you very much. Have you learned a lot? If you have, then let us know in the comments. Uh, and if you'd like to do this with other foods in other categories, then let us know in the comments below and give the video a like. We're trying to hit 15,000 likes per video back to back. We're calling it streaking because we're childish.
