Relax, the most that I've heard is that it's "beefier". If you eat bison, it'll be fine.

The burger will probably be so lean that it'll stick to a skillet and doesn't make a good burger for the grill without adding a bit of fat. I use butter for the best flavor, or olive oil if I'm feeling "healthier". LOL

Steaks can be tough because there is not the marbling of fat to make them tender. Mine aren't because I butcher "baby beef", 16 to 18 months old. Do not overcook steaks, tips, etc. or it'll be tough. Pot roast you can treat just like any other pot roast, ditto chop suey or beef burgundy or stroganoff or other things that get simmered for a longer period of time.

The soup bones will make a batch of stock that jells so thickly it'll stay on the spoon. Make it just like any other beef stock.

In my house beef ribs aren't good for anything except soup or the dog, but I know many people like them. No matter what I do, I have that layer of "tallow" in my mouth after eating them, but grass fed beef is much leaner and so you may find it very likable.

Liver you can cook how ever you like it, but keep any roast you're not going to make pot roast with a bit on the rare side and slice it thinly.

I don't really see a difference in texture, other than the lack of beef fat.

Oh, and I just read in Prevention that feeding beef grass ups the Omega-3 content to a level where it is equivalent to some fish (like tilapia, not salmon, LOL).

I hope you enjoy the beef, it may take a little adjustment in cooking techniques but the health benefits will make up for that, I hope.

Annie

Stacy, I noticed the difference in taste the most on a steak in the fat. At first when I made a grass fed Delmonico steak Lewis and I did not like it, the boys did not notice the difference. So I made some of the braising cuts for a while, then hamburgers, now we like them all.

-Robin

I grew up on it, and I was disappointed when I had to go to the "supermarket" to find beef. To me, the stuff at the supermarket never compared to the beef I was raised on. To this day, I like it better, but I know lots of people that disagree with me. It's an acquired taste I believe. From what I have heard about those that don't like it is that "it's tougher and chewier" which is no problem for me.

For the last 7-8 years, we have eaten almost exclusively grass-fed beef. It is quite different in taste. It tastes "beefier" than store-bought beef, if that makes sense. I don't find it tougher or harder to chew. We love it.
Lisa

Another Grass-Fed Beef user. Not only the increased Omega-3, but lower risk of E. coli 0157:H7, more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), and more beta-carotene, and many other health benefits. We purchase it directly from the rancher, a friend of ours, who has it processed and packaged one animal at a time at a small packing plant.

I agree with the "beefier" description. And as Annie pointed out, if you've used bison (which we also use a lot), it's very similar. For larger cuts, I do "lower and slower" - lower temperature and slower cooking times. The raw meat, you may notice it smells "stronger".

A 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished steer has almost 100 fewer calories than a 6-ounce steak from a grainfed steer, or about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken.

Grasfed beef is four times higher in Vitamin E.

For more information, check out the NY Times best selling author, Jo Robinson, and her book, "Why Grassfed is Best!". See her web site below.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Eat Wild

Yum! I agree with what others have said. Especially about adding some fat for ground meat. If you make a meatloaf, add an egg and some fat or it may crumble. You don't need as much "filler" (i.e. bread crumbs, oatmeal, whatever you normally use).
Vey similiar to bison as far as flavor.
It's what beef is supposed to taste like!!
Enjoy!

Deanna

Thanks for all the great informations! The pot roast was very good, but I'm more curious tonight to try some steaks - without so much other "stuff" contributing to the flavor.

Thanks - I had been reading about all the health benefits, too! Yea!

Stacy

You will get a grassier smell when cooking..but the taste is pure and delicious as you've now found out! LOL

My middle one can walk in the door and tell if I'm cooking grass fed, or "store" beef. LOL The others have paid it no mind.

When butchering, you could ask the butcher to add more fat to the hamburger if it is too lean. They add trim - so it doesn't matter how the animal was fed. They can always add more trim so the hamburger isn't too lean. You might want to specify that you want only the trim from your animal - they usually do that, but it wouldn't hurt to double check.