Gear Patrol

Blame Anthony Bourdain and his gallivanting food porn circus. Blame Bravo’s utterly watchable, bro-it’s-not-reality-TV show, Top Chef. Blame the hipsters, the bandwagoners, the trust-funders — and for Guy Fieri’s sake — please, someone, blame Bobby Flay. Because if one thing is certain in today’s chow-crazy culture, it’s that you’ve got a foodie on your holiday…

We’ve been blessed with a very high quality supply of meat in this inaugural Month of Beef, but the reality of life is that there isn’t always a Wagyu beef cache and a hot cast iron pan in arm’s reach — especially on the road. We wondered, is it possible to get a good steak…

There are sacred destinations for people of all faiths, religious and otherwise: Mecca, Islam’s holiest city; Paris or maybe Milan for the fashion set; Kona for triathletes. But what about those who follow the beef creed — at which temple do they gather and pray? We’ve been hot on the trail for a full month,…

We’ve given you a beef baptism in buying beef online, the rules of store-bought beef, beef’s lesser-known cuts and even beef you can drink. Kicking things up a notch (BAM!), let’s explore the breeds of cattle that end up on your plate — putting a face on things, so to speak. Get your breed on…

We’re no tartare noobs: Under the guidance of chef Wes Whitsell, we concocted a spicy steak tartare that would send even the most elite of dinner party snobs into a beef tailspin. But in the beef pecking order, the butcher always pulls rank. Need further proof? See above, one of a series of videos produced…

Short and sweet. No, we’re not talking about your first girlfriend or how you like your shopping trips. Our pinnacle of pertness is far, far more important (just like every Briefings). Our theme: more content, less time spent. Reading, that is. History. Dating. Beef. More beef. Sudsy math. Our finds keep it quick, because goddammit,…

People always ask us, “How do you find time to read when you’re busy eating all that beef?” We kill two steer with one stone — that’s how. The market for beef books is robust, so we’ve winnowed the list of our favorite beef-related cookbooks and resources to only five. That should be easy enough…

You know the rib-eye, T-bone, porterhouse and NY strip, but how about the tri-tip, bavette or flat-iron? Expanding your repertoire of steak choices graduates you from a one trick pony to a culinary stallion of meat mastery. The tenderloin, that prized cut from which the filet mignon comes, makes up half of one percent of…

We can remember a time when cooking a brisket was a gamble of the highest order. Sometimes mom lifted the lid off the pot and produced a cut of meat so tender you could spread it like pâté. Other times, a tough piece of meat produced a quiet, collective disappointment rivaled only by mealtime in…

Ground beef has fallen on hard times in the public eye. It started with the October 3, 2009 New York Times cover story, “The Burger That Shattered Her Life” about a woman infected by E. coli from a frozen Cargill burger patty. Since then: more stories, many recalls, and debates about the safety of “pink…

You can purchase nearly anything online in the year 2012. Jeans and vintage watches, virtual assistants, unicorn head costumes for Halloween (a guy we know) — even brides, though it’s a rather complicated transaction (again, a guy we know). Beef is no exception. From traditional mail-order companies like Omaha Steaks to farm-direct sellers like Crystal…

Dried beef. Water. Vinegar. Sugar. Sugar. Spices. That’s it. Beef jerky, once a lightweight survival necessity for Native Americans and settlers heading west, has become so much more: a beloved snack, a traveler’s meal, backpacking fare, a gourmet treat, a protein boost after a workout. Obviously, it’s a perfect addition to our Month of Beef…

Purists, turn off your computer and go sit quietly near the grill. It’s time for us to talk sauce: often a steak requires nothing more than salt and char; a burger, cheese and bun. Other times, we want to surround ourselves in friends wearing grass skirts and eat flank steak that tastes of bygone Oahu…

It’s October, and what this month lacks in historical feasts and gift-giving holidays it makes up for many times over as autumn’s marrow. It’s apple picking season. It’s football season. It’s sweater and waxed canvas jacket season. It’s foliage season. And guess what else? It’s beef season.