Grass fed beef vs grain fed

[JohnL]

No!

FG is correct about how the press is handling these issues. The Times recently had a piece on ethically produced veal. The requisite taste test accompanying the piece was interesting in how the author (tasters) were straining to "like" this stuff and remain journalistically "ethical."

Gee a clash of ethics! Resulting in an ethical dilemma!!!

"I know this meat is produced ethically and my article should promote good cause but Damn--this stuff is so chewy and not that great tasting--but I gotta be honest--I am a journalist after all and...."

Same case with the free range beef.

Same case with free range chicken.

Same case with.......

Enough already!

Ethics are endlessly debatable. Aside from the golden rule I don't see much agreement.

It seems who controls the debate is whose ethics are being forced down our throats (the foie gras issue comes to mind--actually it has been sticking in my craw!)

To bring this back to my original beef:

How about we produce meat that tastes good to most people. How about we let the market place speak. I am all for diversity in food choices. I do not like other people forcing their ethics on the market place.

So, folks like Pollan are fine--we can read them and make our own decisions.

We should have plenty of choices.

I choose good ole Iowa corn fed prime beef (actually I don't care where they grow the cows) --plenty of fat (fat tastes good--can we stop promoting the notion that a fat free cup cake is just as good as...)

If people will keep their ethical little hands off my steak then I promise not to meddle with their grass fed meat (or whatever). Those are my ethics--freedom of choice!

We can all be happy!

[Jensen]

To bring this back to my original beef:

How about we produce meat that tastes good to most people. How about we let the market place speak.

←

I love the flavour of grass-fed beef, preferring it far more than the flavour of grain-fed beef. The Spouse is the opposite. I grew up on an island where there wasn't the land available to grow the large amounts of grain needed to raise grain-fed cattle. He grew up on the edge of the prairies where grain (and the land needed to grow it) was plentiful.

Flavours aside, there is one very good argument for not letting the market place speak for all, an argument that was tragically highlighted recently with the pet food contaminations. When the market place speaks, cost becomes a higher priority than safety.

The safety of our food supply should not be contingent upon a fiscal bottom line. Unfortunately, when one relies on market forces to drive what we eat, then that is exactly what happens.

[takadi]

I agree that safety is ALWAYS first. I'm not so concerned with animal rights issues, but quality and taste are important. I think good ethics and high quality come hand in hand anyway. If a cow was treated miserably and the meat was handled like garbage, I bet you could probably tell the difference if you've been eating good meat all your life.

[Blether]

I grew up in Scotland. I prefer grass-fed beef. (Doesn't make anyone else a bad person ) Now in Japan my favourite steak comes from NZ (via Higashi Azabu).

[MagFoodGuy]

I have been eating grass fed beef for about three years coming from two sources. 90% of my beef comes from a local farmer, but the other 10% of time it comes from my grocery store that has only been selling grass fed beef. Now, the grocery store has switched suppliers and the new beef is grain fed. I was very apprehensive to try it at first, but I brought home a couple of the strip steaks and they were so lucious that we have had them at least once a week for the past two months. Now, I am torn on whether I like the grain or grass fed better. My old thought was the grass fed beef tasted "beefier." But the grain fed beef has more of a rounded "full palate" taste. Just writing this makes me want to go to the store now and get some steaks. Steak and a baked potato loaded with toppings.

[JohnL]

To bring this back to my original beef:

How about we produce meat that tastes good to most people. How about we let the market place speak.

←

I love the flavour of grass-fed beef, preferring it far more than the flavour of grain-fed beef. The Spouse is the opposite. I grew up on an island where there wasn't the land available to grow the large amounts of grain needed to raise grain-fed cattle. He grew up on the edge of the prairies where grain (and the land needed to grow it) was plentiful.

Flavours aside, there is one very good argument for not letting the market place speak for all, an argument that was tragically highlighted recently with the pet food contaminations. When the market place speaks, cost becomes a higher priority than safety.

The safety of our food supply should not be contingent upon a fiscal bottom line. Unfortunately, when one relies on market forces to drive what we eat, then that is exactly what happens.

←

First, you and your spouse are the marketplace and since you each have your preferences you can both be satisfied.

I do not know what safety has to do with this. Nor the recent pet food situation. People do not want just cheap. They want value. That's why there is $40/lb beef at Lobel's and $4.99 a pound beef at the supermarket. something for everyone.

Bureaucrats and so called safety have prevented some great cheese from being available here for eg and frightened mis informed politicians have removed foie gras from our options.

I believe we each can decide what is good for opurselves and our families.

I am not for removing all regulations and controls--we do need them. I am simply for reasonableness and common sense.

[srhcb]

If you give cattle the choice to eat either grass or grain which do they choose?

SB

[plk]

The relationship is, there are too many food safety problems associated with feeding corn to ignore. Grain-induced health problems with the cattle's stomaches and livers mean a steady dose of antibiotics in the feed, which produces stronger microbes. Also, since salvaged and distressed pet food can be repurposed for livestock feed, that has serious implications for the safety of the food supply. Especially since a bunch of the recently recalled pet food was bought by different hog farms: http://www.centredaily.com/225/story/80061.html

And while nobody has to buy beef, when the cheapest beef is also corn-fed, you end up with a real economic disparity between those who are buying the safer beef and those who aren't.

[savethedeli]

Afternoon my beloved blimps.

Allow me to weigh in on the subject, as I lived for 2 years in Argentina and one in Brazil, consuming an average of 6 beef meals per week.

In my opinion, Argentine beef has a superiority for several reasons:

1. grass fed: I'll just defer to Pollan on this one, but the beef I had in Argentina (every cut from sirloin and filet to ribs, kidneys and sweetbreads) was sweet, tender, and had none of the gaminess people allude to on the boards.

2. Landscape: The pampas are some of the flattest land on earth, covered year round with lush grass for cows to munch upon. Unlike in North American grazing areas, there's no barn feeding in winter, and unlike Alberta or other places, there are zero hills. The cows don't need to walk far, or up, or down, keeping their fat asses nice and fat. This is why Brazilian beef or Uruguayan is gamier, although that may also be due to the herds (some Brahma, some mix) as well as the climate.

3. Method: the Argentines cook their beef slowly, over wood coals, seasoned only with salt. The whole Ruth Chris 1400 degree oven thing is insane, as slow cooking will always produce a juicier, more tender piece of meat. The method is equally as important as the meat itself, which is why Argentine steaks cooked over gas bbqs aren't nearly as perfect.

4. Cuts: Argentine beef is usually cooked in whole cuts. Due to the low cost, they don't slice up the individual steaks as much. This means there's less surface area cooking, more juicy insides, an it cooks up slower and more tender.

Grass may be the key, but these other factors certainly have an effect. I thoroughly enjoyed the beef in Brazil, but it wasn't as good as the Argentine stuff, which I miss more than the women and the wine.

[Kent Wang]

Wall Street Journal has an article by Mark Schatzker, "Having a Cow About Steak Quality" that actually focuses on the flavor of the meat, and he claims that flavor is not entirely from fat, but actually from the meat, and that a well-raised grass-fed cut is the best.

He has a book coming out "Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef" so one would assume that this is more researched than your typical WSJ staff written article.

[ScoopKW]

What are they feeding Wagyu cows in Japan?

Other than the "We feed 'em beer and have beautiful girls massage them for two hours a day" schtick I've read, I haven't a clue.

I'd love to hear from a Wagyu rancher about diet.

[ScoopKW]

By Lazarus, I command this year-old dead thread arise!

Just got my hands on primo grass fed. Seared 2-inch thick steaks on a 1,600f infra-red burner for 90 seconds per side. Perfect medium rare.

It had a slight metallic taste to it, that my wife didn't like. I didn't care for the texture -- compared to the grain finished prime ribeyes we normally get.

But as I type this, a full hour later, drinking some Sangiovese, I can STILL taste that grass-fed beef. That's quite a long finish for meat. Interesting, to say the least.

That being said, I think I still prefer grain fed/finished.

[Simon_S]

Interesting thread.

I live in Ireland where grass-fed beef is simply called "beef", and I'd never even heard of cattle finished on grain until I started reading eG. In my (admittedly limited) experience, US beef tastes strange to me, somewhat bland, and I personally don't like the mouthfeel. I don't find it juicy, I just find it fatty. The most expensive steaks I ever bought were USDA prime, and they were also some of the most disappointing to my palate. Does this tell us anything? Probably not.

The thing is, I don't believe my tastes have anything to do with superiority of grass-fed over grain-fed per se, it's simply a question of what I grew up with and what I'm used to. I don't find it at all difficult to imagine that US-based consumers find grass-fed beef strange. Most of my Irish friends find US beef strange. Why the push for a "winner"?

[Mjx]

By Lazarus, I command this year-old dead thread arise!

Just got my hands on primo grass fed. Seared 2-inch thick steaks on a 1,600f infra-red burner for 90 seconds per side. Perfect medium rare.

It had a slight metallic taste to it, that my wife didn't like. . . .

I thought that slight metallic tang had to do with its being aged; is that incorrect? I don't care for it myself, and since meat tenderness isn't a top priority for me, I tend to steer clear of aged beef, because of this impression.

[BadRabbit]

The marketing dishonesty inherent in the term "grass-fed" ticks me off. All conventional cows eat grass. I know of know operation in the US that has cows strictly fed on grain since birth. Maybe one exists but I doubt it. Grass finished is what is really meant by the term.

All that said, count me in on the grain finished side of things. Grass finished beef is usually one note and chewy. No thanks.

[ScoopKW]

The texture was "odd" as well. It had almost a liver-like quality -- sort of grainy. If it weren't for the perfect pink in the middle, I would say that the steak was overcooked. Certainly not what I expected.

I'll chop one into a tartare and report on that.

[Morkai]

The marketing dishonesty inherent in the term "grass-fed" ticks me off. All conventional cows eat grass. I know of know operation in the US that has cows strictly fed on grain since birth. Maybe one exists but I doubt it. Grass finished is what is really meant by the term.

All that said, count me in on the grain finished side of things. Grass finished beef is usually one note and chewy. No thanks.

While all cows are capable of eating grass, it's availability to grain-fed cows is remarkably low if it even exists at all. While these cows may have access to grass for a very brief period, they live the vast majority of their lives eating exclusively grain. It is not necessarily "finished" on grain as much as it is completely raised on it.

That said, I recently have been enjoying a rather large amount of grass-fed steaks I picked up from a local VA farm. I like the taste and texture, personally. I find it to be "beefier" with a flavor that is more capable of standing on it's own. The texture feels meatier to me as well. Rougher, but in a good way. Of course, I'll always go for a nice grain-fed steak at any restaurant, but the grass fed is a nice change of pace. I reccomend people try it if they haven't already.

[David A. Goldfarb]

The informal beef-purchasing coop that I've been participating in for some years has settled on beef from an upstate New York source that's grass-fed for most of its life, and then finished on grain for better marbling. It's usually got excellent flavor and typically grades prime.

[bmdaniel]

Bryan Flannery has some grass fed Pacific Northwest wagyu that is prime without being grain finished (my understanding at least) - would like to try it at some point (although I'm sure it is outrageous).

[Honkman]

The marketing dishonesty inherent in the term "grass-fed" ticks me off. All conventional cows eat grass. I know of know operation in the US that has cows strictly fed on grain since birth. Maybe one exists but I doubt it. Grass finished is what is really meant by the term.

All that said, count me in on the grain finished side of things. Grass finished beef is usually one note and chewy. No thanks.

I might misunderstand you but are you implying that "grass-fed" cows are only grass-finished ? This is definitely not the case. I don't see why "grassfed" is dishonest - there are some farms who grainfed and only grass finish but there are many farms who fully grass-fed their cows their whole life - which wat least in my opinion gives a much better beef flavors (in addition it is much less painful for the cows). Like with many other food issues it comes down to have trust in your source for the meat.

Edited July 15, 2011 by Honkman (log)

[Jaymes]

The marketing dishonesty inherent in the term "grass-fed" ticks me off. All conventional cows eat grass. I know of know operation in the US that has cows strictly fed on grain since birth. Maybe one exists but I doubt it. Grass finished is what is really meant by the term.

All that said, count me in on the grain finished side of things. Grass finished beef is usually one note and chewy. No thanks.

While all cows are capable of eating grass, it's availability to grain-fed cows is remarkably low if it even exists at all. While these cows may have access to grass for a very brief period, they live the vast majority of their lives eating exclusively grain. It is not necessarily "finished" on grain as much as it is completely raised on it.

I suppose everyone's experiences differ. No news there. But my experience leads me to find your comment utterly astounding.

After having driven thousands and thousands of miles through cattle country grasslands during my lifetime, and seeing what must have been literally millions of cattle out grazing on that grassland, including my own father's herd, that are then, after having been raised to yearlings while free roaming and eating grass, sold to the feedlots where they are indeed, just as BadRabbit says, "finished" on grain, I can't imagine what cattle it is that you think "live the vast majority of their lives eating exclusively grain."

What on earth are all those cattle out on all those plains doing with their heads down in the grass all day long?

[Snadra]

The marketing dishonesty inherent in the term "grass-fed" ticks me off. All conventional cows eat grass. I know of know operation in the US that has cows strictly fed on grain since birth. Maybe one exists but I doubt it. Grass finished is what is really meant by the term.

All that said, count me in on the grain finished side of things. Grass finished beef is usually one note and chewy. No thanks.

See, your one note and chewy is my robust and textured. Having done several side-by-side comparisons, I generally prefer grass fed to grain fed, which just shows how individual taste is.

But couldn't you say there is as much misdirection in the marketing of grain fed beef? Based on some of the feedlots I've seen "Intensively fed in close proximity to a cesspool" wouldn't be completely inaccurate either. Of course, you could say that about any intensive stock operation, including dairy...

Regarding the comments on how much access cattle have to grass, in Australia most cattle are slaughtered between 30 and 36 months, and the grain feeding is anywhere up to 240 days, although most of what I have seen marketed as premium is 90 to 180 days grain fed. Supermarket beef would be less than that, if at all, and the cattle destined for economy packs may be slaughtered older and not finished, depending on the quality of their pasture. I suspect it's similar in the US and Canada. I wouldn't call that completely raised on grain by any stretch.

[BadRabbit]

Feeding a cow nothing grain for their entire life would be prohibitively expensive unless you could get Kobe prices for it. All cows in the US are raised mostly on grass with occasionally some supplemental feed. The exclusive feeding on grain doesn't happen until they arrive at the "feed lot", hence the name.

I am not speaking from second hand knowledge. My father is a Veterinarian and when I was growing up he handled large animals (mostly cattle). I've never known a producer to feed strictly grain (or even mostly grain) until they arrive at the feed lot.

Edited July 16, 2011 by BadRabbit (log)

[Jaymes]

Feeding a cow nothing grain for their entire life would be prohibitively expensive unless you could get Kobe prices for it. All cows in the US are raised mostly on grass with occasionally some supplemental feed. The exclusive feeding on grain doesn't happen until they arrive at the "feed lot", hence the name.

I am not speaking from second hand knowledge. My father is a Veterinarian and when I was growing up he handled large animals (mostly cattle). I've never known a producer to feed strictly grain (or even mostly grain) until they arrive at the feed lot.

And in the winter, when the grass was sparse, or non-existent, having been covered with snow, we were hauling hay out to the fields. Hay is grass.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

In the refrigerator I have a small, organic, rib eye wet aging...for lack of a better term.  There is no visible marbling on this steak.  I was thinking to cook low temperature sous vide, then sautee in butter.

 

Any other suggestions.