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  • Koreans consume more foreign beef over expensive local hanwoo

    Koreans consume more foreign beef over expensive local hanwoo

    South Koreans consumed more American and other foreign beef than expensive local beef last year, a move that has lowered the country’s self-sufficiency rate for beef to below 40 percent over 13 years, a state-run think tank said Thursday.

    Last year, South Koreans consumed 362,000 tons of foreign beef, accounting for 62.3 percent of the total beef consumption in the country, according to the Korea Rural Economic Institute.

    South Korea halted imports of U.S. beef in 2003 following the outbreak of a mad cow disease. Seoul lifted the ban in late 2008, which led to mass demonstrations among people in fear of their safety.Australian beef came to 178,000 tons, making up 49 percent of total beef imports. American and New Zealand beef stood at 42 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

    Still, the market share of American beef in South Korea has gradually been on the rise in recent years.

    In comparison, South Koreans consumed 219,000 tons of domestic beef, known as hanwoo last year, accounting for 37.7 percent of the total beef consumption in the country, according to the institute.

    It marked the first time that South Korea’s self-sufficiency rate for beef fell below 40 percent since 2003 when it stood at 36.3 percent.

    The decline came as South Korean consumers shunned expensive local beef.

    The wholesale prices of local beef once hit nearly 20,000 won ($17) per kilogram last year.

    Retail prices of the best quality local beef for bulgogi, a grilled marinated beef dish, came to 4,578 won per 100 grams last year, compared to 2,464 won for American beef for bulgogi, according to the institute.

    The prices of local beef have been on the rise since late 2015 as the number of cattle is continuing to fall.

    Domestic farms cut the number of cattle as the prices of local beef went down and the government helped some farms shut down to stem the decline of local beef following a free trade deal with the United States.

    South Korea’s anti-graft law — which took effect in September — is also adding to the woes of the local beef industry.

    Local beef was one of the favorite gifts during major holidays, but was overtaken by health products, according to major retailers.

    The law imposes tight limits on free meals and gifts that can be accepted by government officials, journalists and private school teachers to try to curb the deep-rooted tradition of excessive hospitality. The maximum value of a gift that a person subject to the law can receive has been set at 50,000 won.

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  • Hong Kong gets early taste of Hanwoo, Korean beef that rivals Kobe

    Hong Kong gets early taste of Hanwoo, Korean beef that rivals Kobe

    Since late last year, premium Korean beef, called Hanwoo, has been making its way onto menus in some Hong Kong restaurants, as the city is one of the first places allowed to import it. Hanwoo refers to cattle indigenous to Korea which are raised only in the country, unlike wagyu (Japanese beef), which is bred in countries outside Japan, including Australia and the United States.

    One of its biggest fans is Korean-American chef Judy Joo, whose restaurant Jinjuu in Lan Kwai Fong was one of the first in Hong Kong to serve it.

    “It’s similar to Kobe beef and wagyu, and there are different types of Hanwoo, depending on which farm you go to,” she says. “It’s basically coveted for its high marbling. Wagyu and Hanwoo of the same grade look similar. But Hanwoo has a rich texture and is deeply marbled so it has a sweeter taste.”

    She has visited farms that raise Hanwoo cattle, and reports the animals are “raised like humans”. “Some farmers give them beer,” Joo adds.

    Each farmer has his own secret recipe for the cattle’s feed mixture, which for the most part is made up of barley and mixed grains. Joo says many farmers include fermented pine needles in the feed.

    “It’s a healthy way for the cattle to get probiotics so they don’t need hormones,” she explains. “It’s a more organic way to raise them, and they don’t need to inject as much medicine so they are more healthy.”

    In addition to the organic approach to feeding Hanwoo cattle, Joo says they are free-range, grazing on grass, though there isn’t much land for pasture, as 70 per cent of Korea’s geography is mountainous. Joo says the central and southern parts of Korea are where cattle farms are located, with each one typically raising about 40 cattle at a time.

    She says the best cuts of Hanwoo beef are rib-eye, fillet and sirloin, and adds it can be more expensive than wagyu. Her restaurant recently introduced steak boards featuring Hanwoo and USDA beef that diners can cook on sizzling hot stones. The 200-gram marinated sirloin bulgogi is HK$680 and is grade 9, the highest quality available.

    But when it comes to taste, the chef-owner says it’s about personal preference. “Hanwoo beef is very popular in Korea and people can’t get enough of it. You just need to try it.”

    Elite Fresh Food Company is the first firm in Hong Kong to import Hanwoo beef. Associate director Andrew Lee Chi-ho says the company was in talks with officials in Korea for more than two years before it was allowed to bring the first shipment into Hong Kong last December.

    “It’s a very special breed because it takes a long time to get consistent cattle,” he explains. “It takes five to 10 generations, 15 to 30 years, to get consistent marbling, flavour and good structure.”

    Lee says until recently Korean beef was rarely exported because there is so much demand for it domestically. As a result, Hong Kong importers like himself have to pay a premium to buy Hanwoo beef.

    We can only get the parts that don’t sell well in Korea … But this works out for the Hong Kong market because those cuts are popular here

    Andrew Lee

    “We can only get the parts that don’t sell well in Korea [where they prefer short ribs], like rib-eye and sirloin. But this works out for the Hong Kong market because those cuts are popular here.”

    He says the cost of Hanwoo beef is about the same as Japanese-raised wagyu, selling at about HK$240 per 100 grams retail. When it comes to taste, Lee also seems partial to Korean beef.

    “They are two different products. Wagyu has highly intense marbling that is very fatty and melts in the mouth, but is oily and lacks a strong beef flavour. Hanwoo is very tender, has good marbling and has more beef flavour. It also has a wider application for other cuisines because of this,” Lee explains.

    For example, steaks are usually grilled to medium rare or medium for optimum taste. But Lee claims Hanwoo beef can even be cooked well done and it still tastes good. “Wagyu beef has a ratio of 70 per cent fat and 30 per cent meat, whereas with Hanwoo it’s about 50-50 or 60-40. American beef is more lean, with a maximum of 15 to 20 per cent fat.”

    Lee reports Elite Fresh Food’s first shipment of Hanwoo beef to Hong Kong totalled 700kg. Now it ships twice a month, bringing in 1.5 tonnes to 1.7 tonnes a month. It’s not a lot when you compare it to the seven to nine tonnes of wagyu the company imports each month.

    The Steak House Winebar + Grill at the InterContinental Hong Kong recently featured Hanwoo beef on its menu. Restaurant manager Franco Leung Wai-keung agrees with Lee’s assessment of Korean beef, saying that when the rib-eye or striploin is chargrilled, the fat drips off and tastes less oily than wagyu.

    “It’s in between wagyu [grade] A5 and US beef, but they don’t have as strong a beef taste as Hanwoo,” he says.

    Leung says overall feedback during a recent two-month promotion was mostly positive. He says the restaurant is already planning to put the premium Korean beef back on the menu soon.

    “They taste the quality,” he reports, adding Hanwoo is best complemented with more acidic Italian or Spanish wines.

    At the nearby Oyster & Wine Bar at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, chef de cuisine Oscar Chow Kwok-ho says he first tried Hanwoo on a trip to Korea two years ago during a cooking competition.

    Chow says locals took him to a store that served the premium beef and he was deeply impressed by the taste and texture. He finally managed to get Hanwoo on the menu in February, and diners can have a starter of Hanwoo beef carpaccio, then a main course of either chargrilled sirloin or rib-eye.

    He reports that his guests enjoyed the Korean beef, as it is rare in the Hong Kong market. He says the price in the restaurant is reasonable when compared to other premium beef (HK$1,100 for Hanwoo versus HK$1,300 for wagyu).

    Six places in Hong Kong to get your hands on Hanwoo beef

    Oyster & Wine Bar

    18/F, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, 20 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2369 1111 ext 3145

    Mr Steak Café

    Shop 702, 7/F, New Town Plaza Phase 1, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin, tel: 2691 6263

    Shop G03A, Maritime Square, 33 Tsing King Road, Tsing Yi, tel: 2449 9945

    Myung Ga

    Shop 2702, 27/F, iSquare, 63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2369 1177

    Shop 1, 13/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2882 5056

    Jinjuu

    UG/F, California Tower, 32 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, tel: 3755 4868

     

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