Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I do my best to buy local and I have two beef suppliers in a 30 mile radius. I have been asking more questions and they both seemed to adopt the same reason. One feeds grains when they are off their mother and never again. The other feeds grains right before butchering. They both said that when the meat is hung for dry aging on 100% grassfed beef that because there is no fat layer the bacteria move in and can't be removed unlike a grainfed fat covering the beef. I've had beef from Slankers and US Wellness and I believe those two were fine(believing they are 100% grassfed) but the impression I get from the local suppliers is that it taste horrible.

I don't want to tell them how to do their job but it seems they have adopted the same practice to sell more. How do 100% grassfed/grassfinished beef suppliers do it?

edited May 21 2011 at 22:37

Dexter
10.9k●1●12●31

asked May 21 2011 at 22:27

Wayne
25●3

Dexter · Accepted Answer · 2011-05-21 23:03:10Z UTC

A 100 percent grassfed animal takes about 18 to 20 months to finish before slaughter at 1200-1400 lbs...which yields about 50% of saleable meat. A grain fed animal gets shipped to a feedlot at about 450-500 pounds and is finished to 1500 pounds in about 15 months. The grain fed animal will have more fat marbling and presumablely better taste. It will also have hormones and antibiotics that are used to ward off the problems associated with feeding ruminates grain. The totally grassfed will have sufficient fat but the meat will not contain as much fat marbling as the feedlot grain animal.

If you can afford it, talk to the guy that weans on grain and say to him, I will buy the whole animal if it never sees grain and I'll pay $1.75 a pound on the hoof plus you will pay for the USDA slaughter house cut and wrap charges. That way you will get all your prime rib, tenderloins, t bones and hburger for around $3.75 to $4.00 a pound. He has to haul it to the slaughter house. You will need a 25 cu ft freezer..get one used...and you will need up front about $2500 dollars the the grower.

You will know exactly what you are getting with confidence. You can even go to the slaughter house and watch the cut and wrap.

You get to name the animal and every time you have a steak you can say Hi Clarabelle or whatever!

tartare · Answer 2 · 2011-05-21 22:49:11Z UTC

there should absolutely be a fat layer on grassfed beef, but the thing is, this fat layer takes longer to develop. A fully grassfed cow takes somewhere around 2 years to come to maturity, whereas a grain fed cow takes roughly half that time to get as fat.

I would not go around telling a farmer how to do his job, and I think it might make them more than a little annoyed with you. The notion that it tastes terrible is just wrong, however, in my opinion. There is a wide variety of flavor in grass fed beef. A lot of it as far as i understand is due to howthe land is rotated, remineralized and the variety of grasses clover that the cows are fed.

here's a great article on a great grass fed beef farmer. http://ruhlman.com/2010/11/grass-fed-beef-farmer-aaron-millerits-all-about-the-fat/

edit: incidentally, if i had to choose between those two farmers' methods of cattle rearing, I would chose the beef that has been weaned on grain and then never fed it again. Grass finishing is very important.

Michael · Answer 3 · 2011-05-21 23:03:04Z UTC

Soil mineralization is very important. I don't understand the specifics, but either the soil has to be supplemented and/or the cows have to fed specific supplements to make up for mineral deficiencies in the soil. For example, my grass fed farmer adds magnesium to the soil and allows his cows access to a salt lick supplemented with selenium and seaweed. The soil here is deficiency in magnesium and selenium.

Su Nu · Answer 4 · 2011-05-29 02:05:59Z UTC

There are numerous places to buy groceries on the internet. I save time and gas money by shopping on line. I find that La Cense is consistently dependable on its deliveries. I feel grass fed meats are the healthiest type of beef to buy. This way I can be assured of meat that is antibiotic and pesticide free, as well as hormone free. A great place to get grass fed prime grasss fed beef usda prime meats is LaCense Beef. I order from them time and again because their meat is really high quality and is much healthier than the alternatives at amazing prices. You can buy in bulk if you want to save even more money. I would definitely recommend them.

What are my local beef suppliers doing wrong?

4 Answers