The Beef, 17 Dry to Juicy Questions with Mark Schatzker, Author

I gathered that the search for the holy grail, a perfect steak, runs in Mark Schatzker' s family. His father and uncle put a lot of effort into it.

For his new book Steak ('One man's search for the world's tastiest piece of beef'), Mark sampled steaks the world over from tasty to chewy while digesting a lot of information on the secret to delivering flavor, texture and tenderness in our plate.

He was kind enough to take the time to discuss all things beef with us in 17 dry to juicy questions.

Q: Mark, from your quest for the holy grail of steak, it sounds like many are made to look good but taste bad to average, why?

Simply, because people who make steak-farmers and ranchers and feeders-are more focused on producing as much beef for as little money as possible than they are producing beef that is delicious. Consumers buy beef by the pound. If we bought wine based on how much it cost per pint or per gallon, do you think the wine we drink would be any good?

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