This beautiful work by Willen Bastiaan Tholen is made with a coarse brush stroke that creates the atmosphere, the light but also the performance powerfully and beautifully. I would still like to debone a cow and learn from a butcher what to look for when choosing the right piece of meat for a particular dish. In a restaurant I often know. I choose a T-bone steak grilled on charcoal with olive oil and rosemary and sea salt. Quickly seared on both sides and then indirectly allowed to reach the correct internal temperature before I melt the strips of meat on my tongue with a steak knive. Naturally, the meat has been cured and preferably in a dry manner.

Curing is making (usually) beef or game tasty and tender. This specific preparation method is mainly the work of enzymes in the muscle fibers; After dying, they convert proteins into other tasty components.

With the wet variant, the meat is vacuum-sealed. The advantage is that no moisture disappears and therefore the weight is maintained and the natural lactic acid bacteria ensure a decreasing pH value and the natural enzymes break down protein compounds. Once meat comes out of the vacuum package, it needs half an hour to recover; If you leave it in the package for too long, it will become sour.

You probably know the dry variant from the term dry-aged beef, where fungi on the outside of the meat ensure that enzymes can further break down proteins, which improve the taste and tenderness. Moisture also evaporates, making the flavor of the meat extra concentrated. The process is meticulous and cannot actually be done at home. It is a combination of the meat quality, the ambient temperature (4 to 5 degrees), the humidity and the (closed) air circulation. The rot creates a natural (black) crust. This ultimately acts as a natural protective layer for the meat inside, because bacteria are not present in the meat, but on the meat and work from the outside in. The natural rind actually acts as insulation against further spoilage, while the moisture remains (better) in the meat and ultimately makes it particularly tender. A good ripening period varies between two and four weeks. Meat pieces with fat edges or good marbling are particularly suitable, because the fat also has a protective effect.

After cooking meat, it is best to let it rest for a while before cutting and serving. The meat moisture and proteins 'relax' again and connect better, so that less meat moisture is lost and the chance of the meat becoming tougher and losing strength and flavor is reduced.