I have eaten "grass fed" beef and "organic" beef in some very fancy restuarants in California, Oregon, and Washington that tought that they serve only "grass fed" and "organic". I assume that that their chefs know how to select, trim and properly prepare a steak, judging by the very high fancy prices that they charge and that they have been in business for a number of years. In each case, they have failed the tenderness test (we even had to apply plenty of pressure and several strokes with the steak knives for each piece, then chew and chew each piece untill my jaws hurt) that I am used to enjoying with the grain fed in a feedlot cuts of meat that I can cut easily with a butterknife. It isn't just my wife and I that thaught that the meat was tough, but also expressed by the different friends and family ( even granddaughter 10 & grandson 12 in Cal. and 5 year old grandson in Ore. The two 1 year old grandkids in Cal and Ore. don't count since they can only still gum their meat ) that we were dining with. I hunt, and I have harvested some pretty mature ( only a few teeth left in their mouths) bucks and none of them have been anywhere near as taugh. Can anyone enlighten me as to why this is the case?
My beef is tough!
- Thread starter GBov
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Royd Wood
New Member
Yes Bossroo I can enlighten you as I have already stated some beef is well below par - you cant turn any old cow out to grass and hay then expect it to be melt in your mouth tenderloin
Years ago I have had grain / corn fed / grass finished beef that tasted fantastic even though it was riddled with omega 6 but no denying it was good.
Some farmers are very good at grass fed beef and some are cashing in - just except that and hopefully one day you will have a slice of prime grass fed beef that you enjoy
Years ago I have had grain / corn fed / grass finished beef that tasted fantastic even though it was riddled with omega 6 but no denying it was good.
Some farmers are very good at grass fed beef and some are cashing in - just except that and hopefully one day you will have a slice of prime grass fed beef that you enjoy
Royd Wood
New Member
Yep I love deer meat too but to think they are grass fed is crazy as they hang around in a gazzillion acre cash croppers GMO corn fields esp the ones with only a few teethBossroo said:
You summed it up well. Too many people trying to cash in and at the same time not knowing how or cutting corners. But it does give those doing it right a very committed clientele once they get a reputation.Royd Wood said:Here we go again - anytime grass fed beef is mentioned all the tough as leather / worst beef I've ever had posts turn up and I am aware there is some crap beef out there grass fed and grain fed.
We are a small full time strictly grass fed (mothers milk, grass and hay) beef and lamb operation and like anything else you have to have the right formula to make it work.
First thing is good pasture and hay otherwise you fail
Choose your breeds carefully - heritage breeds work well and we chose Galloway beef and Romney lamb
Patience is also part of this as the beef is prime at 28 months and lamb at 10 months
Our big problem here is trying to keep up with demand so it cant be that bad eh
Is that an offer to supply me with some of your "prime grass fed beef" ? At least here in " The Golden State " of California where there is precous little rain ( where the State turns a golden brown from May to Nov. and the green grass maybe reaches 6" tall before ataining the golden hue) ... Unless one turns the beef on very well managed year round irrigated pastures, it ain't going to happen. The price of irrigation water is so high that the only crops that is worth irrigating is fruit orchards, grapes, field crops, alfalfa and the largest conssumers of water CITY LAWNS. . Beef are ranged in them thar "Golden Hills" then go to feed lots to gain that marbling between the muscle fibers. As for marketing old beef range cows and spent dairy cows as "grass fed "... Where are the "food cops" when you need them. In the meen time, I am done being ripped off with any restaurant that has "grass fed" or "organic" on their menu.Royd Wood said:
Where I hunt deer on the Cal. Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada Mountains... there isn't any corn much less ANY GMO crop to be seen for HUNDREDS of MILES... you see there is NO IRRIGATION WATER to be had to support any type of agriculture other than range cattle and sheep and they only consume the dry "golden " grass and other forbe forage and Oak tree acorns and berries from wild berry bushes. I haven't seen or even heard of a live deer neer our ranch at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in at least 15 years, so there is NO POSIBILITY that any of the deer that I have harvested to actually have eaten even one morcel of any GMO crop.Royd Wood said:
jhm47
True BYH Addict
This is completely off topic, but IMHO, GMO (I assume you mean Genetically Modified Organisms) is far superior to non-GMO in quality.
Royd Wood
New Member
Sounds nice - Sorry Bossroo I was refering to my area which is cash crop land soy and corn and if your ever up to Niagara Falls drop me a line and we will spoil you with some real grass fed Galloway beefBossroo said:
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- #29
In Ireland there is no such thing as grain fed beef, they all eat grass or silage. And its all good so I was just really REALLY surprised at my flavorful shoe leather. Even the ground beef is tough!
But it has a good flavor so its lots of soups, stews, chili and spaghetti and the like.
And we are shopping for a piece of land right now so we can raise our own. Wish us luck cause we are going to need it!
so I was just really REALLY surprised at my flavorful shoe leather. Even the ground beef is tough!But it has a good flavor so its lots of soups, stews, chili and spaghetti and the like.
And we are shopping for a piece of land right now so we can raise our own. Wish us luck cause we are going to need it!
What you need to remember is that your cattle have been historically raised on grass and are conditioned to it. While North American versions of the same base breed have been selectively bred to thrive on another diet and many have really lost most of the capacity to thrive, stay in condition, and produce a good beef carcass on grass alone.GBov said:In Ireland there is no such thing as grain fed beef, they all eat grass or silage. And its all good
But it has a good flavor so its lots of soups, stews, chili and spaghetti and the like.
And we are shopping for a piece of land right now so we can raise our own. Wish us luck cause we are going to need it!
For example: I've seen cattle like the Dexter in Ireland. Stand them next to most North American Dexters and you will see how they have been changed since being imported decades ago.
