DALLAS – When you gather thousands of Argentine soccer fans in Texas for the World Cup, an exciting debate comes up. It isn’t just about who has the best soccer team or if Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. The real discussion centers around one hot topic: who makes the best steaks, and how to cook them just right.
This is a serious issue for both Texas and Argentina, known for their rich cattle-raising traditions. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Texas is the top beef producer in the U.S., while the U.S. is second globally, just behind Brazil. Argentina, on the other hand, ranks sixth. So, the question is: who really does it best?
The Case for Argentine Beef
“Argentine beef is simply unbeatable. The savory texture, the style of the cut — there is no competing with it,” says Carlos Eduardo Barahona, a seasoned Argentine chef who has called Texas home since 1998. He believes that from the least expensive cuts to the most premium, Argentina has it all.
“You can make an Argentine asado with the cheapest cut in our country and you will still enjoy it. Here, you can use the best meat, like tenderloin, and depending on its source, it can turn out tough or inedible. But our beef has a completely different flavor profile,” Barahona explains.
Argentine cattle are primarily grass-fed and roam open pastures, which means they take longer to reach the market. This method results in leaner meat packed with rich, earthy flavors.
The Case for Texan Beef
In contrast, most beef in Texas is grain-fed. This leads to more marbling, which are the streaks of fat within the meat that keep it juicy and tender. “There’s no better beef than U.S. beef, particularly Texas beef,” states Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
Miller acknowledges that Argentine beef is also great, but he believes that thanks to Texas, it has improved significantly. His agency has been connecting Texas cattle raisers with Argentine ranchers for over a decade.
“We’ve helped them improve. Their genetics were lacking. We sold them a lot of semen, embryos, and breeding stock,” he adds, noting that Argentine herds now contain American genetics.
The Verdict is in the Eye of the Beefholder
As the debate rolls on, Argentine fan Gonzalo Herrera browses through meat options at a Walmart in Arlington after watching Messi score two goals in a match. He seems unfazed by the beef debate. “Honestly, I don’t see a massive difference,” he shares, as he adds four T-bone steaks to his cart. “The key is knowing exactly which cuts to buy and finding the equivalent of what we eat in Argentina,” he says, shaking his head at the price of $45.
The conversation about beef also comes down to how it’s prepared. Different cultures have their own preferences for seasoning, cooking methods, and cut thickness. In Dallas’s Corrientes 348 Argentinian Steakhouse, steaks are simply prepared with salt and mesquite charcoal, according to assistant manager Emmanuel Tobon.
“There’s a big difference. Texans use a lot of pepper, they use butter, they use a little barbecue sauce,” Tobon explains. “Argentines like to bring out all the flavor of the steak by only using salt.”
As Argentina continues its World Cup journey in Dallas, fans flock to the restaurant for a taste of home. “They have been enjoying the Texas culture,” Tobon says. “But it has been a great pleasure to have all of them, to make them feel like home.”
Argentines take pride in their steak traditions, recipes passed down through generations, and the revered role of the grill master at family gatherings. Fernando Garcia Morillo, an Argentine from Buenos Aires living near Miami, loves the meat from both countries but misses the traditions of home when ordering steak in the U.S. “I order just salt, no pepper, just plain,” he says. “Sometimes they use a lot of sauce.”
Morillo dismisses the idea of a rivalry between U.S. and Argentine beef. “Maybe there’s a rivalry as usual against Brazil, our neighbor,” he says. “I love the U.S. meat.”
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Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
