This meat is making people illogical. That’s more than one usually expects from a burger. And while we haven’t tried the cuts in question yet — from Pat LaFrieda Wholesale Meat Purveyors — we think maybe that’s a good thing: Writers seem to lose all objectivity and start waxing lyrical about rib-eyes and chuck ground into buttery gentle perfection. Or something. Anyways, the meat is butchered by Pat LaFrieda (the third generation of butchering Pats) although from all accounts, this particular Pat has an almost artistic, almost mad scientist-y, playful approach to meat preparation which sounds intriguing and apparently tastes pretty good. LaFrieda works with chefs to create custom blends of ground beef (or lamb) which are contractually kept completely secret and exclusive; he therefore is pleasing both restaurants (who get their own burger) and burger-enthusiasts (who can eat many different kinds of burgers.) And after being credited by many for fueling New York City’s recent haute-burger phase, LaFrieda is currently setting his sights on Philly, where he’s opened a satellite office, which is sure to escalate our own exhausting Burger Wars.
So what makes LaFrieda’s cuts so great? The beef is mainly coming from a place in Arkansas City, Kansas called Creekstone Farms. Creekstone is a boutique slaughtering operation (only certified Black Angus, only about 5,000 a week, meticulous attention to detail). All of that sounds good, except the fact that this “legendary” meat has to be shipped across the country to be prepared and served in New York. (Can I get a “large carbon footprint” with my fries?) Meanwhile, LaFrieda’s influence grows: The Philly move is part of a whole strategy that sees him branching out of the New York restaurant scene (Shake Shack, Minetta’s Tavern, Spotted Pig,) just a scotche. LA’s Burger Kitchen (also family-owned) apparently sweet-talked/harassed LaFrieda into supplying them with meat, and he is selling burger patties you can make at home via Fresh Direct (a grocery store that we don’t have here). The brand new LaFrieda Meats Philadelphia/South Jersey office (215-806-0911, go ahead, call, you know you wanna) is already servicing Starr Enterprises (he specifically mentioned Continental) and are in talks with Marc Vetri as well as many other local restauranteurs. So burger-eaters beware; if New York is telling the truth, we are all about to lose our minds.
It’s still grain fed beef which means it comes with most of the inherent risks and added moral dilemmas of eating feedlot beef as opposed to grass-fed and finished beef. Cattle aren’t “designed” to eat grain. It’s just not what they are supposed to do. The resultant meat is not what most consider “healty” (i.e high in saturated fats whereas grass fed beef is the opposite – low saturated fat, lots of omega-3s.) It’s probably tasty but that’s as far as any honest person should go in assessing it. It’s not “humane” or “green” in any sense – so in addition to the carbon foot print you have to square yourself with subjecting a steer to a few weeks of discomfort before he’s slaughtered that he wouldn’t experience at any grass-finishing operation.