|
|
|
|
M.Odom-grain-fed beef better than grass-fed ?
On 23 May 2004 23:09:18 GMT, (Nancree) wrote:
>To Michael Odom et al:
>About grass-fed beef you said:
>
>"D and I had friends over for dinner last night. I grilled T-bone
>steaks. We got a quarter of a grass-fed steer last week from our egg
>lady. It's wonderful. Everybody should get some grass-fed beef."
>
>I'm not making any pronouncements here, but I had always heard, from experts,
>that Grain-fed is much better than Grass-fed beef. The experts I refer to are
>major ranchers in Imperial County, California. We visited them, and their ranch
>is huge, don't know how many square miles, but we drove many miles to get
>there. It is big enough to have it's own grass landing-strip and hangar for
>their plane. They serve whole beef roasts the way you and I would serve
>hamburgers. They refuse to eat grass-fed beef because of the flavor. This is
>their business. They have hundreds and hundreds of cattle.
> They are "real" ranchers, to put it mildly. I would like to hear from you on
>this , Michael. When you say "grass-fed" , what is the alternative to that?
> Again, I'm not being argumentative, just really want to know.
> Nancree
>
Well, my guess is that ranchers in Imperial county have to sell what
they have. Given that they live in a desert, natural grass is
probably not in the cards. So they clearly have a need to prosper
based on something other than local native grassland. I doubt that I
would be thrilled at the taste of young beef raised on jimson weed,
chamisa, and sand either. Thankfully, much of the country has other,
and better choices of pasture. If you look, you can find them. Since
we are, beyond doubt, heavily subsidizing the raising of your
rancher's beef in the desert, he could be a bit more gracious, in my
opinion.
The best beef I have ever eaten was raised in western South Dakota, on
natural grass, without a lot of chemical assistance. It was a bit
older than beef is typically sent to market because the owner was not
trying to maximize his profits. It was also dry aged, a process that
would cost the commercial processor a lot and also probably be, at
best, lost on 95% of his buyers.
Second best was in Argentina. Also grass fed.
Still, I do not turn down a good, rare, 2" thick ribeye, even if I do
not know the pedigree.
YMMV,
Cheers,
|