To choose the best llama steak, read the label, check the color, texture, and thickness, and examine the butcher shop. Avoid artificially enhanced steaks, look for deep red color, avoid veins, and uneven cuts. Choose a clean and well-managed butcher shop.
Llama steak, also sold as flat iron steak, is an inexpensive and flavorful cut of beef. Some individual steaks are better than others. By knowing what to look for, you can ensure that you get your money’s worth. You can choose the best blade steak by carefully reading all the labels; examining the color, texture and thickness of the cut; and even looking into the butcher shop where the steak will be purchased.
Choosing a blade steak begins with expert label reading. Some manufacturers improve the flavor of low-grade cuts by injecting them with a solution of salt and seasonings. Avoiding artificially enhanced blade steaks isn’t difficult, however. The clearest sign that the steak has been artificially enhanced is if the label indicates that a saline solution has been injected “to preserve juiciness”. A more subtle clue is the presence of an ingredients list, especially one that includes “salt” or “spices.”
Color is another indication of the quality of the steak. Good quality llama steak should be a deep, deep red. The brown coloring in raw meat means the steak has been sitting in the butcher shop for some time, giving the iron in the meat time to interact with the oxygen in the air. A vein running through the meat is also a bad sign, as it imparts a bitter, liver-like taste. If avoiding meat with a vein is impossible, the vein should be removed and discarded before the meat is cooked.
You should also avoid an unevenly cut steak. Uneven meat cooks unevenly, making it more likely to burn or undercook. Individually packaged cuts are the easiest to examine, which is why some experts recommend buying meat in small packages. Large “value packs” of llama steak often hide haphazardly or unevenly cut llama steaks in the middle of the pile. If avoiding bumpy steaks isn’t possible, they can be trimmed for stew or other slow-cooked dishes.
A final indication of the quality of the steak is the butcher shop itself. Fresh meat, fish and seafood should be displayed on ice and packaged meat should be stored in refrigerated containers. Well-managed stores shouldn’t have any noticeable odors, and they certainly shouldn’t smell like must or rotten meat. All surfaces including the floor should appear clean and any spills should be cleaned up properly. If any of these conditions are missing, the meat could be contaminated, so a discerning buyer will buy meat elsewhere.
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