Tambourines

The The first cut on a carcass of a cow is usually the Matambre. What exactly it is, from which part of the body the meat comes, and how it can be prepared, you will learn here:

1. The meat

Matambre is composed of the words "matar" (to kill) and "hambre" (hunger) and means something like "to kill the hunger". This part of the beef was therefore used to satisfy the first hunger. The Matambre is a very thin piece of beef that is taken from between the skin and the ribs. It is a pink muscle that at the end looks like a kind of flank steak. Some people also call this cut of meat a "fly shaker", as it is the muscle the cow uses to shoo away flies and insects.
The meat has a proper layer of fat on one side and on the other side, meat with some pieces of fat.

 

2. The part of the animal

The Matambre is cut from the side of the beef, between the skin and ribs. This cut is a boneless cut from the front and rear part of the beef, as it extends from the shoulder to the groin area.

The only component is the cutaneous muscle, a very flat, non-skeletal muscle located beneath the dermis (skin layer, just below the outermost skin layer [Epidermis]).

The scientific name of this muscle is Trunci cutaneum. It is a thin, pink muscle, also known as the "twitch muscle" or "elephant ear" because it serves to shake off insects that land on the skin of the cattle by twitching and trembling.

 

3. There Cut

In Argentina, the Matambre is the very first cut taken from the half of the beef. The name probably originates from this. You can cut the Matambre off first and put it on the fire. For this cut, you need a sharp large knife. With it, you cut the meat vertically away from the hanging half of the beef. Usually, skin remnants remain firmly attached to the outer surface of the half carcass. These must be trimmed later.

Because you end up with a very thin piece of meat, this is ideal for rolling up and filling with various fillings.

 

4. Recipes and serving suggestions

In Argentina, matambre is rarely served as a steak, as the typical serving method is in rolled form or with various toppings. The two most common variants are the "matambre à la pizza" and "matambre arrollado" (stuffed, rolled matambre) known.

For Matambre à la pizza, the Matambre is first grilled with the meat side down. After turning it over, the entire Matambre is topped like a pizza – of course, al gusto. There are many options and ingredients, just like with pizza. Only tomato sauce and cheese should definitely be included.

Also very common is the "matambre arrollado." This is a giant roulade with various fillings. The ingredients vary from region to region, but they usually include whole carrots, hard-boiled eggs, and lots of black pepper. These ingredients are then rolled into the matambre sheet and sewn or pinned together to prevent the rolled matambre from unrolling. Then, in some regions, the roll is cooked in milk or sometimes in water, or even baked in the oven. However, the most common variant is to sear it on a grill or a plancha in the Asado style. After the meat roll is grilled, it is allowed to cool and then sliced. These slices are then served in toasted French rolls with mayonnaise and Argentine chimichurri sauce as seasoning.

In Uruguay and in very few parts of Argentina, Matambre is marinated in milk, baked flat in the oven, and covered with the marinade, with lightly beaten eggs and cheese added at the end of the cooking time. This is then called "Matambre a la leche" (Matambre in milk).