Caring for your meat
About Grass Fed Beef and Tenderness
The single biggest reason for toughness in grass-fed meat is overcooking. However, it is also important that the consumer be realistic in their expectations of grass-fed meat. The good news and bad news is that grass-fed beef, whether from our farm or someone else’s is NEVER going to be like meat in the store.Beef purchased in the store has been confined to a feedlot and fed high calorie junk until it is obese. The extreme marbling you see in supermarket meats, especially cuts that grade “prime’ is caused by fat overload in the cow. Animals store the majority of their fat along the outside of their body as a “wrap". When they can’t hold any more fat that way, the system overloads and begins sticking fat anywhere it can, hence fat is then stored in the muscle tissue.
Our grass-fed beeves consume a natural diet of grass, legumes and native plants. Even though they grade choice, they are not going to stack on fat like a feedlot steer. Fat is much less firm than muscle, so much of the tenderness of grocery store beef is due to the amount of fat in the product. Think of our own body, which is firmer, the muscled places or (for those of us over 30) the mid section? Our beef is naturally tender. Our beef is harvested when it is still young and is dry aged for 21 days, which allows for enzymes to break down the tougher tissues within the meat. This helps the tenderness a great deal, but if you overcook it, it won’t matter.
Tips for Cooking your Grass fed Beef
- The main reason for tough grass-fed beef is overcooking. This beef is intended for rare to medium-rare cooking. If you like well-done beef, then cut grass-fed beef into smaller pieces and cook at very low temperatures in a sauce to add moisture.
- Bring your grass-fed meat to room temperature before cooking. Do not cook it cold, straight from the refrigerator.
- Thaw your beef in the refrigerator or, for quick thawing, place your vacuum sealed package in cold water until it is thawed. Do not use a microwave to thaw your grass-fed beef.
- Always pre-heat your oven, pan or grill before cooking grass-fed beef.
- Always use tongs to turn your beef... never use a fork! Precious juices will be lost.
- Since grass-fed beef is lean, coat with virgin olive oil, truffle oil or a favorite light oil to prevent sticking and for easy browning.
- Grass-fed beef has high protein and low fat levels. The beef usually will require 30% less cooking time and will continue to cook when removed from heat. If you use a thermometer to test for doneness, watch the thermometer carefully. Since grass-fed beef cooks quickly, your beef can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked in less than a minute. For this reason, remove the beef from your heat source about 10 degrees before it reaches the desired temperature.
- We recommend marinating your beef before cooking, especially lean cuts like the New York Strip and Sirloin Steak. A marinade using your favorite oil-based salad dressing, olive oil, balsamic vinegar or spirit is a great choice. If you choose to use a spirit, use slightly less than you would use for grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef cooks more quickly so the liquor won't have as much time to cook off. For safe handling, always marinate in the refrigerator.
- If you do not have time to marinate, just coat your completely thawed steak with your favorite rub, place on a solid surface, cover with plastic and pound your steak a few times to break down the connective tissue.
- Stovetop cooking is great for any type of steak. You have more control over the temperature than on the grill. You can use butter in the final minutes when the heat is low to carry the taste of fresh garlic through the meat as steak chefs do.
- When grilling, sear the meat quickly over a high heat on each side to seal in its natural juices and then reduce the heat to a medium or low to finish the cooking process. Also, baste to add moisture throughout the grilling process. Don't forget grass-fed beef requires 30% less cooking time, so don't leave your steaks unattended.
- When you are preparing hamburgers on the grill, use caramelized onions, olives or roasted peppers to add low fat moisture to the meat while it is cooking. We add no fat to our ground beef (they are 90%-93% lean), so some moisture is needed to compensate for the lack of fat. Make sure you do not overcook your burgers. At least 30% less cooking time is required.
- If roasting, reduce the temperature of your grain-fed beef recipes by 50 degrees. This usually means around 275 degrees for roasting, or at the lowest heat setting in a crock pot. The cooking time will still be the same or slightly shorter, even at the lower temperature. Again, watch your meat thermometer and don't overcook your meat. Use moisture from sauces to add to the tenderness when cooking your roast.
- When roasting, sear the beef to lock in the juices and then place it in a pre-heated oven. Save your leftovers... roasted grass-fed beef slices make good, healthy, luncheon meats instead of processed "lunch-meats".