Grass Fed Beef

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

Yeah pardon me when I say this but emotions and personal preference should not be taken as facts. Some of these posts appear to be opinions.

One of the biggest problems is the USDA doesn’t adequately regulate the term grass fed. So people assume grass fed is grass fed. Thats simply not the case. Grass fed beef in the US can receive grain. New Zealand however truly has grass fed livestock. I believe Iceland might fall into this camp as well.

Another is this assumption that all grasses are created equal. They are not. There are lots of types of grasses. If you’re putting cattle on a monoculture of bluegrass in your backyard sure that might result in nutrient deficiency. But allow a cow to graze on a diverse ecosystem of plants and they will do quite well.

There is also proof regardless of flavor profile you like that grass fed beef has a significant amount more Omega 3s (good) vs Omega 6s (bad) compared to grain fed cattle. That doesn’t make it good for competition BBQ meat but it might make it good for your everyday meals. This is why there is so much marketing. When research shows something is healthy people want to categorized their product in the same light.

Also marbling has plenty to do with breed and age of the cattle as we all know. So you can still get well marbleized grass fed beef. May not be as marbleized as the grain fed cows but plenty of fat for flavor.

Grass fed meat can also have a unique and potentially polarizing flavor. Some like it some don’t. Pretty simple.

I buy a quarter of grass fed beef each year from a well regarded farmer (happy to share with anyone interested) who only feeds them grass and hay. It’s our daily go to meat. Flavor is enjoyed by our family. The meat is rich in fat both on the border of the meat and inter muscular. I just smoked some short ribs from my quarter on Saturday and turned out amazing and I’m personally less worried about eating a nice chunk of that fat.

[NurseWizzle]

Originally Posted by MeatyOakerSmoker

There is also proof regardless of flavor profile you like that grass fed beef has a significant amount more Omega 3s (good) vs Omega 6s (bad) compared to grain fed cattle. That doesn’t make it good for competition BBQ meat but it might make it good for your everyday meals.

I think this right here is the #1 reason to seek out grain-fed beef.

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

Originally Posted by NurseWizzle

I think this right here is the #1 reason to seek out grain-fed beef.

Pretty sure you got that backwards. Grass fed has more Omega 3 and less Omega 6 thus contains a healthier fat content.

[hurricanedavid]

Eat more chikn....

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

Originally Posted by hurricanedavid

Eat more chikn....

Depending on which diet you follow even chicken can be deemed evil. High in Omega 6 and too little of the good fats say some in the high fat diet community.

Not to mention washed in chemicals and super strains of salmonella now withstanding much higher temperatures.

There is no escape! I often wonder if we will every truly know if there is an optimal human diet.

[T MARK J]

Thank you all for a very lively discussion on the grass fed issue. I never there were so many opinions and variations of ideas on beef. I certainly will try to be a more savvy shopper in the future. Mark.............Now for my next question-------

[Ylouder]

[QUOTE=MeatyOakerSmoker;3934274

There is no escape! I often wonder if we will every truly know if there is an optimal human diet.[/QUOTE]

Vegetarian, just look at human teeth compared to meat eating animals.

I'm not one, but I've watched many people lose and easily maintain a healthy weight by reducing meat from their diets. Truth is meat is cheaper than it ever has been and we just eat way too much of it.In decades past a whole family could have meals for M- Friday on 1 chicken made into 4 or 5 meals.

Best way I've heard it said - we used to eat meals with meat in them(soups, stews, casseroles, etc), now we eat meals of meat (multiple pieces of chicken, steak multiple times a week, etc).