Why Meat Enthusiasts Would Cringe At Ulysses S Grant's Steak Preference

The final cooking temperature of a steak is vital to its overall quality. Well-done cuts are often lambasted as dry and tough, but one of history's most famous commanders-in-chief felt very differently. Ulysses S. Grant took "well done" to extreme levels. In fact, America's 18th president preferred his meat to be outright charred.

Grant seemed to have a sharp aversion to physical qualities associated with meat. He balked at the very idea of slaughtering animals and wanted no reminder of the process in his food. To avoid seeing any blood or flesh, Grant insisted on having his meat served more or less burnt. Moreover, he refused to consume chicken or any meat made from animals that walked on two legs.

Although there's more than one way to cook perfect steak, medium-rare is typically the preferred temperature. Some cuts do benefit from being cooked slightly longer. Tougher ones like hanger steaks and skirt steaks, for instance, may taste better erring more toward the medium to medium-well category. And while many people feel you should never order a steak well done, lean options like sirloin can maintain some of their moisture at higher temperatures. So choosing that doneness level is not always a bad thing. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find a chef or steak connoisseur advocating for completely charred meat.

While we don't know what drove Ulysses S. Grant's feelings about meat, certain details from his life stand out as possible factors. One of those is his time in the Civil War. Despite his service, Grant reportedly said that he loathed war and even had an aversion to guns. The Civil War remains the deadliest war in the history of the United States, so we can infer that Grant witnessed some brutal happenings on the battlefield. It seems plausible that blood and flesh would have reminded him of such horrors.

We also wouldn't be surprised if Grant's upbringing played a role. His father ran a tannery, and that line of work was deeply unpleasant to the future president. Tanning involves the process of removing hair and decomposing flesh from animal hides. The operation is not pretty and produces strong, repulsive odors. The stench was purportedly one of the reasons Grant didn't follow in his father's footsteps. It's easy to see how coming of age around this environment could have led to a lifelong aversion to the smell and look of meat.