Description
Some of the best steaks in Sakon Nakhon can be found at Pon Yang Kham Steakhouse (สเต๊กสหกรณ์โพนยางคำ). In fact, Pon Yang Kham Breeding Cooperatives (a Thai-French Sakon Nakhon cattle farm started in 1980) is widely recognized as producing the best beef in all of Thailand. During a Royal taste test between a Wagyu steak from Japan and a Pon Yang Kham Sakon Nakhon steak, the Wagyu had better marbling but the Sakhon Nakhon steak was said to be tastier.
Pon Yang Kham Farm developed its own breed of cattle by interbreeding two of the best beef producing French breeds (Charolais and Limousin) with local cattle. In addition, the cows are grass fed, and no growth hormones, antibiotics, or artificial vitamins are used. Learn more about Sakon Nakhon cattle history by reading our article on Thailand Cattle Breeds.
There are two Pon Yang Kham steakhouse restaurants nearby one another on Na Kae Road. They are located about 30 minutes from the Sakon Nakhon Airport and 20 minutes from downtown. For this listing, we visited the Pon Yang Kham Cooperative that is on the main road and identified by a large concrete sign flanked by a black cow and a white cow. The other steakhouse is just a little bit before you arrive at this one, and it is set back about 300 meters from the road.
High quality steaks range from around 300 baht to 500 baht ($9-$15), with a sirloin going for 300 baht and a rib-eye priced at 420 baht. Buy two filet mignon, and get one free! If you wish to save a little money, you could do what many Thais do and order the grilled brisket, known as Sua Rong Hai (เสือร้องไห้), which is quite fatty but very delicious. The brisket is usually eaten with sticky rice and dipped in a black sour sauce called "nam jim jao". The name of the brisket dish means "crying tiger", and its origin can be traced to long ago when tigers killed cows in Thailand, but left the brisket to rot instead of eating it. Villagers imagined the tigers would be crying if they know how tasty the brisket was that they left behind!
In addition to the steakhouse at Pon Yang Kham, there is also a butcher shop where you can buy steaks and other cuts of quality beef. Another Pon Yang Kham butcher shop is located in downtown Sakon Nakhon, not too far from The Pizza Company.
