Click HERE to head back to the initial post about Meat Madness. Click on the bracket below to view a bracket updated for Round 2.

meat-madness-bracket-round-2

Update: Voting on the Steak vs. Buffalo match-up is now closed, with Steak winning 86% – 14%. Ground Beef and Lamb were EXACTLY tied at the moment the polls closed, which means they are heading to a 24 hour overtime vote.

Round 2 begins! For the next four days we will vote on two match-ups a day to give us our Elite 8 of meats.  Today, we return to where we started, the Red Meat region. Number 1 seed Steak takes on #5 Buffalo, while #2 Lamb takes on #3 Ground Beef.

Let me once again remind everyone that YOU and YOU alone can decide what criteria you base your vote on. You can vote on taste, affordability, availability, versatility, prestige, healthiness or any combination of all of the above. Basically, what makes different kinds of meat good in your eyes?

For example, some people will look at Steak and envision a medium-rare Porterhouse and think there is no way that should lose. Others will consider the fact that “Steak” as a category includes much less appealing cuts of meat such as top round roast or flank steak. Some people will look at Buffalo and think of delicious Buffalo burgers and Buffalo steak, all far leaner and healthier than beef – others will point out that Buffalo in any form isn’t as good as a piece of beef steak and good luck finding it in many restaurants or grocery stores.

The bottom line – vote your conscience, but please share with us why you voted the way you did in the comments.  I also encourage everyone to click into the comments below and read them before you vote – a good argument just might sway your vote!

steak-vs-buffalo

[poll id=”45″]

lamb-vs-ground-beef

[poll id=”46″]


13 Responses

  1. Peggasus

    Man, I love a good, rare, grilled lamb chop, but ground beef is just so versatile: hamburgers, tacos…meatballs! Ground beef FTW!

    Reply
  2. G

    I can’t pick buffalo. Too many snooty McSnooter Hipsters are eating buffalo. Gimme a juicy steak any day!

    And how can you not like lamb? It’s gamey and yummy and lambtastic.

    Not scientific, but that’s how I voted.

    Reply
  3. Eick

    I think if Ground Beef escapes a tough match-up with lamb I will be repping it versus steak. There is such a wide range in quality of steaks – it can be heavenly or it can be tough and chewy. The versatility of ground beef is magical. Burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, pasta/lasagna, tacos, chili – these are all terrific foods.

    I think the main argument going for steak, besides a perfect steak being awesome, is that eaten on it’s own it is amazing – most of what I listed for ground beef is the beef in a shared or complimentary role. But damn, burgers? Love me a burger….

    Reply
  5. rossitron

    i had a buffalo burger yesterday for lunch and san diego’s finest beer maker, stone brewery. it was nice, but didn’t stand out as far surpassing ground beef. i know it’s not up against ground beef. i’m just saying that it’s specialness is not overwhelming.

    ground beef, though…. i never thought of it like this. lamb probably tastes better. i’m a huge fan of lamb. however, ground beef is soooooo beloved that it’s hard to vote against it. i’m gonna struggle if it’s a ground beef/steak matchup. who knows, though, lamb isn’t far behind.

    Reply
  7. Youppi

    wowwowwowwowwowwowwowwow. this race is tight tight tight!!! GO Ground Beef!!! GO!

    Reply
  8. C

    Ground beef? Better than lamb? Seriously?

    No.

    While I love me some chili, ground beef conjures up images of Big Macs and family taco night. Lamb conjures up images of a delicious Indian lamb curry, or lamb chop appetizers on a platter served by a waiter dude in a tux.

    Reply
  9. Nathan

    No vote for Buffalo since it just isn’t all that readily available. I might like it if I had it more often.

    Growing up, grilled lamb chops were always considered a special treat. We’d have a big mound of them on a platter in the middle of the table and my siblings and I would see who could eat the most. I’m glad those days are over since, in those days, you didn’t even get to taste the first four; you just snarfed them down.

    Reply
  11. fleetwood_captain

    OK, I fail to understand how a question like this can run so neck and neck. Comparing Lamb as a whole to a very specific and simple form of beef should be like shooting fish in a barrel.

    Granted, there are a lot of uses for ground beef. But one must remember that ground meats are basically cuts that were too fatty to make anything else out of, otherwise they wouldn’t have been thrown in the grinder. Working in a grocery store, I see firsthand what cuts of meat are used to make ground beef.

    Controversly, lamb is an entire genre. To say that the finest cuts of lamb are at a 50/50 favortism ratio with simple ground beef baffles me.

    Now I adore a fine porterhouse steak. However, the greasy juices that pour out of freshly grilled lamb are nothing short of addictive euphoria.

    Reply
  12. Agave

    Choosing a vegetarian diet is the single most important thing you can do for the environment. Consider the ecological havoc caused by raising animals for meat

    Reply

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