When you cook from scratch, you’re eventually going to notice that not all ingredients are created equal. Fresh tomatoes from your backyard are not like the perfectly-round, perfectly-red, perfectly flavorless ones at the grocery store. Some brands of flour rise more than other brands. Is your pasta made from “hard winter wheat” or “100% durum semolina”? Or are they the same thing?
Eventually it will occur to you that maybe beef isn’t all the same either. You’ve probably noticed “Angus” on some packages, but other than that do you have any idea where your meat came from? Or why it might be better (or worse) than another brand? Does beef even have different brands?
As a matter of fact, it does. And one of the biggest differences you can find is whether the beef is grass fed or corn fed. Unless you’re older than dirt — or not living in the U.S. — you probably grew up hearing “corn fed” as a generally positive idea. You probably didn’t hear that cows are unable to digest corn. Trying to feed corn to a cow is like trying to feed tree bark to a human. They’re just not built for it.
Without getting into the biology of it, the condensed version is that feeding corn to cows makes them sick. So sick that they would die within a few months, before they’re big enough to turn them into steaks. To fix this, you can feed them grass, which they are built for, or … you can load up the corn with antibiotics. Roughly 70 percent of the total antibiotics used in the United States are consumed by healthy farm animals.
Background
If you’re interested in how we got here, including the biology, financing and politics behind modern industrial livestock production, start with The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
So you’ve read up on why corn fed beef is not just bad for you — or at the very least not as nutritious as it should be — but also bad for the environment. You go to your local grocery store and ask them if they have grass fed beef. Odds are even the butcher there won’t know what you’re talking about. Most people really don’t know there’s an alternative.
If you’re lucky, you can find a local farmer or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture [1]) program that raises grass fed beef. And if you’re luckier than I am, they won’t have a waiting list that’s two years long just to get in.
The other option is to mail order your grass fed beef, frozen and packed in dry ice.
Omaha Steaks has been doing this for years, so the idea of mail order beef isn’t that groundbreaking. At Google you can find lots of suppliers of mail order grass fed beef. But should you?
Pro and con
Health
From a health perspective it’s almost definitely better for you. Some people may be more sensitive than others to the decreased nutritional content, and possible pharmaceutical remnants, in corn fed beef. There are anecdotal reports of various immune system diseases that are alleviated by a switch away from corn fed beef products.[2]
Over the long term, heavy reliance on antibiotics carries the risk of developing antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”. By dosing the cattle so they can eat a diet they’re not biologically equipped for, we risk a return to the days when pandemics wiped out 30% of the population in a year’s time.
Environmental impact
From an environmental standpoint, it’s more of a mixed bag. The environmental impact of the traditional farming process is far better than the modern CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). See the Sierra Club report on factory farms for plenty of details.
However, mail order beef has to be frozen and shipped sometimes long distances. The environment impact of the transportation and handling is probably higher, on a per-pound basis, than the impact from higher volume systems. I personally think this analysis would favor the grass fed and mail order even today, but more importantly it is a step toward more sane practices in the future. Still, there are some people — most notably natural farming celebrity Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms — who oppose the idea of using natural farming practices only to ship the products cross-country.
Price
If you compare mail order grass fed to supermarket beef, it’s no contest. The supermarket will be much cheaper. And while that matters when it comes time to feed your family, it doesn’t actually say anything about whether it would be more expensive if your supermarket chose to carry it. If you compare premium mail order grain fed and grass fed beef, you may find that the grass fed is actually less expensive.
However the price, like the flavor, is more subject to seasonal variation. Just like fruits and vegetables have a season, so does beef. This may be one of the biggest barriers to consumer acceptance of grass fed beef, as we have been trained to expect the same exact cut of meat every time.[3]
Taste
Last but not least is taste. Fans say that grass fed beef is more flavorful, and has a better texture. But to say that it’s noticeably different, means that it won’t be what people are used to. And lots of people like their steak and hamburgers just the way they are.
Keeping in mind what I said about seasonal variation, you can generally expect grass fed beef to be leaner than grain fed. The texture may not be as tender, and you will need to cook slower at a lower temperature than you are used to.
My first grass fed experience
These burgers are 6 ounce LaCense steakburger patties. “A blend of our Sirloin Steak, Round Roast, Chuck Roast and Flank Steak, our Steak Burger Patties are 85% lean.” They come to $8/pound plus shipping. Considering what goes into it, I really should be comparing the price to steak, so it’s pretty close. The regular ground beef is $5.75/pound, so definitely more than I’m used to paying.
I had read the suggestions to cook them lower and slower, so I had the grill set about half as high as I normally would. They started from frozen, and I flipped them for the first time when the bottom started to drip a little fat.
Pretty soon the dripping fat was flaring up, just like I’m used to with grocery store hamburger. I had to move them around to keep them from burning, I had to avoid sticking my hands in flare ups … basically it was just like cooking “regular” burgers.
I couldn’t get these special burgers then put them on any old buns, so I made my own potato buns from scratch. (I’ll have that recipe up shortly.) Yes, the lettuce, tomato and onion were from the grocery store. But I live in Cleveland, and I don’t know anyone with a greenhouse, so I’m kind of limited there.
So how was it? The texture was definitely less tender than I’m used to. But I’m used to making my own burgers, which include bread crumbs, egg and sometimes shredded onion. And they’re never frozen. So can I say that the texture difference was definitely because of the beef? Not really.
The flavor was really good. All I used was salt and pepper while I was grilling them, and nothing mixed in with it. Again, I usually mix plenty of flavor into my burgers. But I can say that these had much more “beefy” flavor than the store bought frozen patties I sometimes get at parties and picnics.
My wife and I agree that there’s something about the taste and texture that’s bringing up a childhood memory. Neither one of us can exactly place it. It may just be that we once had grass fed beef before the industry moved so completely to CAFOs. It may be a recipe or a specific prepared food our mothers used to make. I can’t put my finger on it and it’s driving me crazy.
Bottom line: Much as I’d like to, I can’t afford to eat like this every day. But for the first cookout of the spring? My birthday later this summer? Oh yeah, I’ll be getting some more steakburgers. And I’m going to talk to my butcher about carrying grass fed beef. Maybe he can jump ahead of the waiting list.
1) A CSA is a buying group, where people buy shares in the produce from a local farm. Typically they commit to a price in advance, and each week they receive a shipment of whatever was harvested that week. CSAs that offer meat generally take orders in advance and produce to order. Check Local Harvest to find your nearest CSA.
2) Most of these reports are from people making wholesale changes to their diet, so it’s impossible to attribute the results to a single factor. This same criticism, however, can be leveled at most of the studies used by the agriculture industry to support their current practices.
3) It should be obvious that, if you want everything to meet the same standard, it’s easier to lower the standard than to improve the product.
19 Comments
One thing you might consider is making an annual beef purchase in bulk — say a quarter or half a cow. I just did that and only paid $3.69/lb for every cut of grass-fed and finished beef available.
If you pay by the individual cut, it gets very expensive. But if you buy in bulk, you can save TONS of money and still eat more sustainably.
I buy beef, chicken, and pork annually and feed my family out of the freezer for the rest of the year. These are all super high-quality meats (grass-fed, free-range, pastured, foraged), and they actually cost me LESS THAN buying the meat at the grocery store!
I know getting the freezer space can be a hurdle, but it’s SO WORTH IT. Buy a used freezer off Craigslist, and it’ll probably pay for itself within the first year or two. You can even use it to buy and save seasonal vegetables in bulk from local, organic sources. This way, even THOSE are cheaper than the supermarket versions.
Glad you liked the grass-fed beef.
I’m trying to talk my in-laws into splitting a half with me. They’ve got a huge chest freezer, and I’ve got a good-sized upright. But we wanted to try some before we ordered a couple of hundred dollars’ worth.
Right now it’s still up in the air. I read the description to my wife of what we just had, and when I got to the word “Angus” she said, “That’s what it was, I don’t like Angus.” And when someone says, “I don’t like it,” all the explanations of what “most people prefer” don’t really matter.
The little carnivore is on my side. We’ll need to find a local source for the half cow and try a few cuts first.
You absolutely must buy Shannon Hayes’ cookbooks for grass fed meat. The Farmer and the Grill and The Grassfed Gourmet. Absolutely essential.
One thing I did recently with some very lean grassfed hamburger was to mix in a dollop or two of bacon grease before I made the patties. Really made a difference.
My husband grew up on a beef farm…his family still raises corn-fed beef. Here’s a post that says a little about the environmental aspect of it:
http://laurashomecookin.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/steak-with-sauteed-mushrooms/
My husband will get back to you about the antibiotic stuff because I’m sure you have some facts wrong there too.
Mojo, maybe once I have a freezer full of it I’ll get the book.
Laura, when you said that post had “a little” about the environmental impact you weren’t kidding: “I won’t bore you with the details, you’ll just have to trust me on this.” Without the details, I’m not sure what part of my post you’re disagreeing with. As for the antibiotics facts, the only one I quoted was the 70% number. That originally comes from this study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. If you’d like to dispute my facts, that’s the report you’ll have to argue against. I’ve read the summary and skimmed the methodology, and it looks sound.
I think most of the comparisons of environmental impact of grass-fed vs. corn-fed beef are based on a small, grass-fed pasture farm verses a massive feed lot corn-fed operation. Not exactly apples and oranges. A better comparison would be a small, family grass-fed operation versus a small, family corn-fed operation. In that comparison the environmental impact would be much closer.
I think the antibiotic abuse also applies (by and large) to the same feed-lot operations. If you have 1,000s of cows crammed together standing around in their own crap they certainly need more antibiotics per animal than a family farm.
I also believe the corn diet make the cow’s ruminant less acidic so a better environment for human-friendly pathogens. The antibiotics help kill these off before they get to us. Since a grass-fed cow’s ruminant is more acidic the pathogens living there would be much less likely to infect humans, thus less of a need for antibiotics.
The toughness of grass-fed beef is a combination of a few different things. One is certainly the way you cook it. Lower temperatures help. The second is the way they are cooled after slaughter, most grass-fed beef is cooled too quickly and something (forget the name right now) doesn’t have the chance to relax the beef as much as it should. A third factor is probably just the life style. feed-lot cows don’t get a lot of exercise which I’m sure doesn’t help out much.
The biggest reason I prefer grass-fed vs corn-fed is the Omega 3/6 ratio. Grass-fed has around a 2-1 ration (Omega 6/3) versus 10-1 (or so) from corn-fed beef.
Wow, I should really go do some work today.
Oh, I have to chime in on this one. 3 years ago we were lucky enough to find Michelle at http://www.willowlea.com . Michelle and her hubby raise and sell steer at farmers markets (by the piece) or by the 1/4, 1/2 or whole. The taste and texture is amazing! I won’t buy steaks from anyone else! It just happens that she lives down the street from me….so I can see her operation…and the cows feed inside and out and have plenty of roaming room….
It is hard to have something labeled organic…but her beef practically is. It is grass and grain fed…the COWS have the choice!!
For the last 2 years she charges $1.20 per pound live weight…if the cow is 1000 pounds (usually they are more like 11-1300lbs) probably 150-200 pounds will be….shall we say, unusable. (if you choose, you can get the organ meat!) You also pay the butchers fees. She brings the steer to http://www.lakegenevacountrymeats.com which also has an AWESOME assortment of other meats, cheeses, jams, canned items, produce, etc. You choose how you want to have the meat cut and packaged…they have a little sheet to help you out! The butcher fees vary depending on how you have it cut and such…but it is $120-200ish for a 1/4-1/2…
If you have freezer space…and $400-700 buying a 1/4 or 1/2 steer is the WAY TO GO!
One more quick note…I figure that if you add the butcher fees and the steer cost the average cost per pound is $2.60. Michelle sells a pound of ground beef at the market for $4.49/lb steaks and roasts for $8.99-$12.99/lb!!! The average of $2.60 is for each item!!! I KNOW I can’t get steaks and roasts for $2.60/lb!
Mojo, those are all fair points. Small family operations can raise grain fed cattle mostly the same way that the small grass fed operations work. But most of them don’t. CAFOs are uniquely a grain fed practice.
Hmm, you know what? I was starting to write how if you’re a farmer who cares about health and environmental impact, you should go all the way and go 100% grass fed. But I believe there’s a place for “better than the alternative”. Instead of holding out for a local, 100% grass fed supplier, I should look for a local small operation that doesn’t use CAFOs. That will be better than anonymous packages at the grocery store. Not perfect, but better.
Sarah, that was such a tease! There’s a town called “Geneva on the Lake” in Ohio, and when I first looked at that URL I thought that’s what you were talking about. Bummer.
Actually, 100% grass-fed or 100% grain-fed aren’t the only options. Another option, used fairly widely, in fact (including by the uncle we get our beef from), is pastured cows that are fed rations of corn right before slaughter. It’s kind of a happy medium for people who don’t want their beef to be too far from what they’re used to (grain-fed), but still want it better (grass-fed).
Excellent post and discussion, Drew (and all participants). Another expert you might want to get in contact with, one who has made beef her business is Carrie Oliver–you can find her on Twitter at @OliverRanch and also on her blog: http://discoverbeef.blogspot.com/ and website: http://oliverranch.com/ She offers an “artisan beef tasting,” that we plan on trying for a Suitable Occasion this summer.
Drew, great post and dialog. Most of the ground has been covered here in comments. If I could add a few thoughts.
In principle, raising cattle cow/calf to finish is the best from a husbandry perspective. Stress in meat – which can be inborn, man-made, or from a natural event – can permanently ruin taste and texture. Moving cattle around can be stressful so anything to minimize this is helpful. It might also be a superior system from a land management perspective, depending on the growing region.
I agree with FoodRenegade that grass-finished (grass-only) beef is on average the best choice. Unfortunately, it will take time for most farmers and ranchers to source proper genetics for grass finishing (the North American herd has been optimized for a high-intensity, grain-finished feedlot system). Grass-finishing is also a very different technique to be learned. Some grass finishers are masters at their craft and produce simply outstanding beef. If you find a source that works for you, magic!
One thing that might also help is a little discovery I made a few years back that beef (meat) is like wine, the breed (grape variety), growing region, diet, husbandry & aging techniques and the relative talents of the farmer, trucker, slaughterhouse, butcher, and chef all influence flavor and texture. USDA grade, based primarily on fat marbling, accounts for only about 1/3 of the eating experience. I’m trying to help people discover and celebrate the other 2/3s.
I’ve had La Cense steaks and burgers in some of my blind taste tests and they do quite well. But if it’s not the right purveyor for you and it would be of interest, I’m more than happy to help you find a source of artisan beef that suits your needs.
Kristin, I think I’ve convinced myself that what I need to look for is the best local source. I’m not going to mail order a half, so that’s not even an option. If the best local option is mostly grass, some grain, but most no CAFO, that’s what I’m going to go with.
Jenni, thanks for the tip. I see Carrie followed you over here.
Carrie, as I said to Kristin, I think my best bet is to go with the best of the local options. I’ve gotten some tips about sources near Cleveland, but I had been dismissing them as not 100% grass fed. If I can’t get that locally, I’m still better off with mostly grass fed than doing mail order for special occasions and the grocery store for the rest.
Here's the comment from my husband as promised. Before I C&P it, one more thing…you really should use reputable sources for providing "facts" (a book from Amazon that's probably biased is not reputable nor is Slate magazine for example). As a scientist, I'd be happy to provide you with what qualifies as a reputable source. Ok, my husband's comment:
"I know grass-fed is all the craze now, but lets take a step back. You have to consider this for what it really is.
For small family farms (which there are fewer and fewer of everyday), space, equipment, and facilities are limited, so profits are a function of how fast you can turn investment into profit. Feeding cattle high-protein foods (such as corn) increases the rate-of-gain, letting the farmer sell them sooner. Feeding lower-protein foods (such as hay or grasses) means the farmer must hold his investment longer. Even if the price they can demand in the end is higher, having large amounts of money tied up for long periods of time for alot of small farmers isn't possible.
Next… about the antibiotics. The fact is that without proper antibiotics, a greater percentage of cattle will get sick, which a farmer cannot afford. I know it seems logical that a cow running round on a nice field of grass would be very healthy — but that is not always the case. My father, a cattle farmer all of his life, lost 10 cows in 3 days due to blackleg while the cattle were in the pasture for the summer. Since then, all of our cattle are vaccinated for this, and he hasn't lost one since. This is not to say feed-lot cattle are free from disease either — antibiotics are important wherever a cow is or what it eats. In cattle, just as in humans, a good diet and good living conditions does not always guarantee perfect health.
Also, so called 'corn-fed' cattle are not fed just corn. This is not healthy for them. They are fed a mix of corn and some sort of roughage, whether it be hay or grass, etc.
Environmentally, raising cattle has impact regardless of what they are fed. Cattle fed just grass require large amounts of land. With farm land prices rising to ridiculous levels, farmers will make cattle grazing areas out of the least-farmable land they have. Along with this, cattle need a source of water — so grazing areas are typically waterways, wetlands, etc. [which are essential to our environment]
Cattle farming is a tough business, just ask the the kid who's Christmas depends on how dad's cattle did that year. That is why I have more of a fiscal point of view to this. We need to get past the buzzwords and misconceptions and take things for what they are. So before we proclaim something as the best thing since sliced bread, make sure you see both sides. Cattle are raised and fed different ways, and I hope people chose based on the facts and not just hype. I am on the farmer's side of this, no matter what they feed their cattle.
Oh – one other thing. I see "Angus" get thrown out alot. How many people really know what that is? Angus is a breed of cattle. A pure-bred or full-blood Angus needs to have certifications and documents to prove it, much like a dog would. Most beef cattle are a mix of many different breeds. I can assure you that next time you eat that "Angus" steak you are not eating a full-blood Angus. It has become a term thrown around to make things sound better to people who don't really understand what it is. The reality is Angus meat is no better or worse than any other beef breed, or cross. Age, fat content, diet, overall size… etc, contribute way more to the taste."
Hey – I tweeted about local sources for grass fed beef & then noticed I couldn't message you on Twitter… I don't know where you are in the area, but I hope one of these is close to you. Here's a few:
http://www.freshforkmarket.com (pick up in Tremont – great people!)
http://www.sandfarmohio.com/ (at some markets, including Geauga)
http://organicsatyourdoor.com/ (Alyssa is great & she delivers!)
Berger's Green Vista Farm sells at Medina Farmers Market (seasonal, though)
North Union Farmers Market in Shaker on the 2nd & 4th Saturdays (at least)
I hope this helps! There's actually a lot more, too. We've found some people through eatwild.com…
Thanks for your blog. It's really great.
Drew,
You need to try http://www.beriswillfarms.com I told you about them a while ago. We bought a side of beef back in February and It is wonderful. they are in Medina County. Along with their produce & fruit program. they are a small family owned farm and their cows are corn-feed without hormones or antibiotics, and they are local.
It looks like I touched a nerve with some people on this one. Rather than keep going back-and-forth in the comments, I’m going to do another post responding to some of what’s been written.
and then after the next post you’ll go back to your delicious recipes, right? I think the whole grass vs corn thing is a huge political issue and everyone is going to have their opinion on it. So, I think it’s time for delicious recipes instead. : ) Also, you mentioned you garden? As an amateur gardener, I would love some tips. : ) Thanks!
"Trying to feed corn to a cow is like trying to feed tree bark to a human. They're just not built for it."
Uhh, Drew… People have been eating bark for ages and ages.
For instance, read (esp. the third paragraph of) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Ludvig_Runeberg .
Technically cinnamon is bark, and we eat that. But the only example you give — Can I assume it's your best example? — describes using it as a last resort before starvation. I'm pretty comfortable with saying, "People aren't made to eat bark." But hey, you put whatever you like in your bread.