Why you should put some thought into your selection of steak in Grenada

The unfortunate thing is that more people buy imported meats even though the local counterpart at some butchers is far superior. When visiting the grocery stores you’ll notice that there is often a larger variety of meats coming from USA, Brazil, and other nations rather than local offerings. Imported meats became accepted because the local meat of the past just didn't cut it. It got a stigma. Let’s back up a bit. Why was local beef that was processed in Grenada tough and how has it since changed? All fresh beef is aged for at least a few days and up to several weeks to allow enzymes naturally present in the meat to break down the muscle tissue, resulting in improved texture and flavor. In Grenada, however, the systems were not in place to properly age the meat and therefore it was sold before it was truly ready to be enjoyed. To age beef, it has to hang for a certain amount of days in a temperature and humidity controlled facility. This type of operation was not available in Grenada until more recent years. In fact, in the past, the Grenada slaughterhouse was not a pretty place. Now, however, some facilities have been upgraded. For example, the slaughterhouse where Meat & Meet get their meat is now all stainless steel with temperature-controlled aging areas - it's on par with what you'd find in the States or Europe.

But not only is some of the beef in Grenada now aged properly, but the cows are also free-roaming, grass-fed, and very well taken care of. They're not pumped with growth hormone drugs, fed synthetic feed, or crammed into tight spaces. Contrast the local, well priced, healthy, organic meat with the meat that is imported. Imports have to travel thousands of miles on a cargo ship in warm climates. It's often frozen or partially frozen to prevent spoiling. It then takes hours to take the meat off the ship, move them to a local van, and distribute it to the grocery stores. The imported meat is often pumped full of growth hormones, antibiotics, and synthetic genetically modified feed. And what's really annoying is that the meats for import to the Caribbean are usually the rough cuts or those that didn't make the Grade in the US or elsewhere.

Essentially, consumers in Grenada are paying over the top prices for a very substandard piece of meat. A piece of meat that they wouldn't accept in the US that has traveled thousands of miles! At Meat & Meet, we are campaigning to get locals and visitors alike to make the switch to local meat.

We are urging people to just give our local meat a try. If you don't like the price and quality of meat you can go back to the imports, but we're rather certain that you'll be pleasantly surprised. And we're not stopping at just meats. The island of Grenada is full of amazing local vegetables and beautifully made homemade goods like chocolate, honey, yogurt, jams, sauces, and spreads. With the recent economical blow from Covid-19, it's in all of our best interests to keep this beautiful country producing the things that make Grenada amazing. Our price for steak is the same if not lower than what you'll find in an import counterpart. Try it once and taste the difference. If you're not 100% happy with the product, we'll provide you with something else in our store of equivalent value for free. Visit our market store located at Le Phare Bleu Marina. We can easily be accessed by car or dinghy. And make sure to get our price list and sign up for our newsletter to hear about our weekly specials, recipes, locally sourced goodies, and much more.