Grass Fed Beef ... will I grow to like it?

[Nora_SEA]

I grew up eating lots meals made from the 80/20 chubs and round steak ... then quit eating beef for years and then a few months ago we decided to purchase about 180 pounds of grass fed beef. My sister knew the farmer and he was giving her a great deal on it. We made the decision with our budget in mind and obviously knowing that it was good food.

BUT, I really haven't grown to like it yet. I don't enjoy the meals I make with it and neither do my girls. My husband is OK with it.

I made a French Dip that turned out awesome, but that involved first soaking the roast in a vinegar and water marinade for 4 hours, rinsing that and then soaking it in lots of milk overnight. It helped reduce the gamey flavor. Plus then it cooked for hours in the crockpot with sherry, broth and seasonings. Is that basically the kind of care I will have to take with each cut? I really, really, really want to like it. For quick meals also. Not having to soak out the gamey flavor each time. Any ideas?

[velochic]

I'm sorry you're not liking it. That's all we eat and we love it.

Commercial beef is actually treated with chemicals (ammonia being one of them) and the cows are injected with all sorts of drugs, which gives it a more "processed" flavor. They have to treat it so much because of the unsanitary conditions and they are basically killing off the microbes from e-coli to fecal matter. Studies have shown that the chemicals in processed food are actually addictive and your taste buds get used to them.

If I am browning some ground beef for tacos, for example, the beef tastes so pure and fresh, it's hard for me to not pick little bits of just beef right out of the pan to snack on as I'm making dinner. Then again, we also have a whole lamb in our freezer and love the flavor of that. We've just always been very cautious about the meat we buy (we buy it from a local farmer friend).

You might watch Food, Inc. It will convince that you've gone the right route buying grass-feed local, farmer-raised beef.

No ideas about the "gaminess" of it... I don't (an neither do any of the people I know) consider it to be such. Sorry.

[sparkygirl74]

We have found that it tastes more like meat than commercial beef, if that make sense. If I have commercial beef now it tastes bland and watery. I do think that the longer you cook it the stronger the taste....I like mine rare-med rare and it is delicious. When I make anything with ground beef I season it as it cooks. A little garlic powder and some salt or soy sauce and it is amaxing.

[LauraLoo]

I have found that cooking grass fed beef on lower temps is the key. It doesn't have the same amount of fat, so cooking on higher temps and for too long makes it tough. It does have a different taste than commercial beef, but it isn't one that I dislike.

Here's a book that you may want to get for some additional ideas -- I found it in our library.

http://www.amazon.com/Grassfed-Gourm.../dp/0967367026

[kjbrown92]

It just might be the one you got. I got some local grass fed beef when I was first contemplating making the switch. And it was VERY gamey. I didn't like it at all. Then I got grass fed beef from another source, and it was fantastic. So I don't think it's necessarily all grass fed beef, if that makes sense.

[tanyalynn]

I also think it may vary from farmer to farmer. In our first order of grassfed beef, the meat itself tasted fine, not very different, but the fat... ugh. It smelled really bad, it tasted bad, and after asking around a bit, I think it is something about this ranch/product. So I'd try another location after you work through this batch, and in the meantime, maybe focus on meals that are highly spiced?

[spring978]

I HATE the cow we bought last fall it taste NASTY. now with that said the grandparents just sent us some of the cow they had done and its ok.

The taste varies from cow to cow based on what they eat

[painefaria]

In our order we have gamey pieces and okay pieces. I think that cooking it low and slow takes some of the gameyness out. I prepared a roast this week that was gamey coming out of the package and it turned out awesome (crockpot all day with mushrooms, onions, and vegetable broth) it did have some gameyness left but it was definately better than say a burger.

[Nora_SEA]

Thanks for your responses. I agree that I will just have to settle for using this up in spicier, slow cooked meals. I honestly prefer ground turkey in things like burgers, spaghetti, lasagne, chili... but maybe if I use 1/2 and 1/2 in recipes I can work through the 40 pounds of ground beef! LauraLoo, thanks for the link for the book. I am going to try to check it out through the library.
And next time, if there is a next time, I will be more selective as to farmer and get reviews...

One more question - does your meat seem bloodier? Mine is very bloodly and makes me wonder if it wasn't bleed well/right at the butchers.

[kjbrown92]

Mine wasn't bloody at all. We got ours from Paidom Meats. Fantastic company.

[2cutiekitties]

Nora, I had the experience. Tasted different, and not good, really bloody. I have decided to stick with chicken and eliminate beef from my diet. I am not really into beef, and I dont want it to be a crapshoot to get a good piece of meat.

[elanorh]

If it wasn't a breed of cattle that fattens well on grass (which has been bred out of some breeds) then you'll have that gamey grassy flavor, more.

I grew up eating grass-fed Herefords. It was delicious, far better than storebought beef (and since the other meat I ate was venison, I can vouch that the grass-fed Herefords weren't gamey at all).

I bought some grass-fed beef at our health food store and it had a slight gamey flavor. We purchased a side of grass-fed beef this fall from a local rancher who does just grass-fed and it tastes like the beef I grew up eating. Very good.

I would say, try to get samples of the beef first - you will find a rancher who raises beef that is better grass-fed, and can use him for your beef after that.

Otherwise, the suggestions of low/slow cooking and lots of spicey foods where the meat isn't the star, are good. I got beef from my aunt and uncle (who ranch) awhile ago which we didn't like (sometimes the processor is the problem, too) -- I think they had corn-fed before slaughtering, I don't know. But I used it up by mixing it with half storebought and made it in spicy foods (Spaghetti, taco meat, chili).

[JessicaS]

I don't think it should be gamey...I haven't had that experience.