Name: Rob Darling
Co-owner, Concord Beef and Seafood
What got you into the meat business? I used to have a seafood business, and then I went and worked for a meat company, so I just kind of took the two and started this and asked my friends to be partners in the business with me.
What kind of training is involved in becoming a butcher? The industry has definitely changed. We don’t break down sides anymore, we buy beef that’s already been broken down. But we decided to just buy a really high grade of beef and let the beef speak for itself.
What are some of the characteristics that make a good cut of meat? It’s all about the marbling. That’s what they grade beef on is the marbling. What you want to look for are nice, small flecks of white all through the meat. Because as that fat cooks, it’s going to baste the steak from the inside out.
What’s the most exotic meat you’ve ever tried? The most exotic that you’d like to try? I’ve had alligator and wild boar. I’d like to try bear for some reason. I hear it’s a little greasy, but I’d like to try it. I know some guys who are hunters, and I hear if it’s done right, it’s really good.
Give us one secret/ pro tip/ detail to step up our grilling game? Two things. The first is to let whatever you are cooking warm up before you cook it instead of putting it on cold. It’ll cook a lot more even that way. And the second is to sear. Get a hot grill and sear it on both sides and then move it to indirect heat and let it finish up. That’s how you cook beef. And everyone knows you have to let it rest for a few minutes afterward.
Describe the perfect steak: cut, doneness, seasoning, etc. I like a strip steak, because it’s the perfect balance – it’s marbled, but it’s not too marbled. You’re paying for a high quality cut of beef, so I like to rub salt and pepper and a little olive oil on it, just keep it simple. Cook it to a medium rare, about 125 to 135 internal temperature, and it will be so tender you can cut right through it. There’s nothing better.
What’s Concord Beef and Seafood’s most popular/signature item? As far as meat, definitely our steakhouse tips. Other than that, it’s probably the strip steaks. But with the recent rise in beef prices, we’re selling a ton of chicken.
Where’s the beef? Concord Beef and Seafood.
Obviously cannibalism is illegal, immoral, and just plain wrong. But if it weren’t, what would be the choices cut of human meat? I can’t answer that. My mind won’t let me go there.
Do you ever take you frustrations out in the meat cooler, a la Rocky? No, but we do hand-tenderize our beef, which is a lot of physical work. We don’t use any chemical tenderizer, but it makes for a better product.
Guilty pleasure? Taking a long hike with no refrigeration compressors buzzing in my ears. Just a little alone time away from it all.