Is beef finished on grass tough? - Page 2

[spughy]

Originally Posted by ~*~MamaJava~*~

well, they hang it, raw, for two weeks (in our case) that is sort of rotting it, right? if you listen to kevin trudeau etc they say that's terrible for you. but it's SO much more tender.

Who is this Kevin Trudeau person and what is he smoking exactly? Meat SHOULD be aged. Enzymes start to break it down, tenderizing it and also probably making it easier to digest. It improves flavour (especially the umami flavour that makes meat so succulent) too.

Hanging meat is *extremely* traditional, especially for game that can definitely be tough, especially if it had to be chased before it was killed (stress hormones can toughen meat). I can't see how it would be bad for you though. So many of the processes that unlock nutrients for all foods - fermentation, soaking, etc. - are controlled rot; hanging meat is no different, and CERTAINLY humans are adapted to eating less-than-fresh food, we'd have never survived prehistory or even the middle ages otherwise.

[JElaineB]

The current issue of Mother Earth News has a good article on grass-fed beef in it. It does say that certain breeds and techniqes of grassland management can make the beef taste better (or worse). It doesn't appear that the article is online yet though.

[BedHead]

Yeah, it's totally normal (and good) to hang meat to age it. I didn't know it tenderized it too.

I found a local source that sells from their farm but also at an organic grocery, it's grass finished (which seems to be unusual here), so we're going to try some of it and then see about getting a 1/4 or something of beef and some chickens. They also sell nitrate free bacon and hot dogs!!! :