Check out our recipe, How To Render Beef Tallow
Cooking Fat: This healthy fat deserves a place in your real food kitchen! Replace your cooking oil with beef tallow in a variety of recipes. Beef tallow is similar in consistency to butter and has a very high smoke point. Try using beef tallow for deep frying, searing and sautéing.
Skincare: Fat in general is a nourishing moisturizer, which makes tallow the perfect body balm. Beef tallow can make an amazing all natural moisturizer, especially when mixed with essential oils to help offset that beefy smell.
Soap: You can make your own tallow soap bars with water, tallow, sodium hydroxide and essential oils. It’s that simple! Many products on the market already use tallow, as it lathers well and helps moisturize the skin.
Candles: Never spend money on buying candles again! Simply melt tallow, place a wick in a jar and let tallow cool in that jar. Once the candle is gone, repeat the process all over again. These also make great gifts too.
]]>Make your own Beef Tallow using our 100% Pasture-Raised, Grass Fed & Finished Beef Fat
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Back ribs are cut from the rear portion of the ribs towards the spine, next to the shoulder. These rib bones are about 8 inches in length and are slightly curved with most of the meat between the bones. Back ribs don’t tend to have much meat because most of the meat is cut for either ribeyes or prime rib; however, the quality can’t be beat. When cooked right these back ribs are tender, juicy and flavorful! Back ribs are also rich in marrow, which makes them the perfect addition to soups or stews.
AKA: Spare Ribs
Primal: Rib
Best Cooked: Smoker, Braise, Slow Cooker, Pressure Cook or Grill
Try making these Texas Style BBQ Beef Ribs that are juicy and flavorful!
Shop 100% Pasture-Raised, Grass Fed & Finished Beef Back Ribs
These ribs are not called short ribs due to their length, but because they are cut from the cow’s short plate in cross cut sections of three ribs. Short ribs have that rich fat marbling with that deep beefy flavor similar to the chuck roast. They do contain a large amount of connective tissue, so short ribs should be cooked low and slow until they fall off the bone. Short ribs are a popular cut to braise, slow cook or pressure cook.
Note: Boneless short ribs are cut from a different section and will cook differently than bone-in short ribs. They have a faster cooking time and can be grilled similarly to Korean short ribs. Boneless short ribs also go by the name Denver steaks.
AKA: English Cut
Primal: Short Plate
Best Cooked: Braise, Slow Cooker, Pressure Cook, Stew
If you're looking for a comforting meal, try making these Ginger & Garlic Braised Beef Short Ribs!
Shop 100% Pasture-Raised, Grass Fed & Finished Beef Short Ribs
Korean Short Ribs come from the chuck end of the short ribs, making them one of the best sources for short ribs. They are cut lengthwise across the bone resulting in a thinner meat section (¼ inch thick) with three small rib bones. These ribs are meaty, extremely marbled and rich in flavor. Korean short ribs have the perfect ratio of meat and fat, while the meat just falls off the bone once cooked. This cut can be easily marinated or just add salt before grilling.
AKA: Flanken Ribs, Hawaiian-Style
Primal: Short Plate
Best Cooked: Grill, Pan Sear
]]>Shop 100% Pasture-Raised, Grass Fed & Finished Beef Korean Short Ribs
Cardiac muscle is only found in the heart. This muscle is involuntary (contractions happen without conscious thinking) and is striated (muscle fibers are side by side) contributing to the same grain appearance we think about with meat.
However, beef heart is extremely unique because it’s an organ meat, as well as a muscle meat! Meaning, it’s more nutritionally dense than a typical steak. Organ meats in general are a nutritional powerhouse; basically, think of them as mother nature's multivitamin to help support optimal health! All nutrients in muscle meat and organ meat are more bioavailable in Grass Fed Beef too!
Shop our 100% pasture-raised, grass fed and finished Beef Heart.
Even more impressive, 3.5 ounces of beef heart contains 356% of your recommended daily value of vitamin B12, 70% of your daily B2 and nearly half your daily selenium!
Beef Heart is a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids to provide proper muscle synthesis and brain health. It’s also surprisingly low in fat compared to other cuts of meat. Heart contains a mixture of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Check out these 2 Beef Heart Recipes, including an Instant Pot Chili & Grilled Beef Heart.
The best way to thaw, is in the fridge for a consistent temperature. Letting your turkey thaw in the fridge is the easiest method and it’s totally hands off but it does take some time.
Thawing Times for a Whole Turkey in the Fridge
12 to 16lbs 3 to 4 days
16 to 20lbs 4 to 5 days
*Allow about 1 day for each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey
If you're running short on time, the faster way is to thaw in cold water. Fully submerge the turkey in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes until fully defrosted. It’s that simple.
Thawing Times for a Whole Turkey in Cold Water
12 to 16lbs 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20lbs 8 to 10 hours
*Allow about 30 minutes for every pound of turkey
If you used the fridge method but realized in the morning the turkey is still partially frozen, try the cold water method. You can use the same steps above to finish the thawing process!
*Please note all facts are based on the USDA guidelines for safe poultry cooking. For more information on proper thawing please visit here.
Whole Rabbit is an excellent alternative to Poultry, our Whole Rabbits are rich in flavor and easy to cook. Simply roast or braise whole, or break it down for the BBQ or quick braise.
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For more ways to cook chicken, check out our Recipes section.
]]>All US beef cattle start out eating grass, but grass-fed meat means that the animal is fed grass the duration of their life and have access to pasture during their growing season. The argument behind grain-fed over grass-fed is that grain-fed animals don't have as long of a lifespan as grass-fed animals, which means they lessen the methane gas that goes into the environment. Unfortunately, grain-fed cattle often deal with more acid in their digestive system, which increases E. coli and increases the methane gas into the atmosphere. Also, grain-fed cattle require antibiotics because of these issues, which end up in our water and food supplies. Grass-fed cattle do not deal with as many digestive problems and are not given antibiotics, which makes it a far better alternative.
When a pasture is managed well, it can offer significant environmental benefits. AMP (or adaptive multi-paddock grazing) leads to more sustainable meat because the cattle are moved around to reduce the impact on the land. A recent study proves that this responsible grazing in the finishing phase makes a far better approach. Man-made water is formed from the waste produced by grain-fed livestock, which can leak into the neighboring water supply, which is an issue because this manure contains the antibiotic residue given to the cattle. This problem increases pollution and odor in the area.
For grain-fed cattle, they are consuming grain, such as corn and other grains. Growing these grains have an increase in pesticide use, which harms the environment. Plus, corn and soy - the grains most often fed to cattle - are often genetically modified to withstand the use of pesticides - which end up getting passed onto you the consumer. There is also growing evidence that genetically modified crops are bad for the environment.
Overall, the issue between grass-fed cattle vs. grain-fed meat is complicated. However, the benefits of grass-fed meat will not only help your health but also is better for the environment.
]]>For us, pasture raised is the only way. At our Northern California ranch, in the shadow of the Sierra Nevadas, our animals graze peacefully, enjoying a grass-fed diet and access to sun, light, and freshwater. That’s in contrast to cattle fed corn and even worse stuff, leading to stomach problems, and kept in poor environments, just to save a few cents on the dollar.
This isn't just humane for animals, although it is the only way to really humanely raise cattle for meat. It's also good science – organic advocates understand how squeezing animals into dark boxes requires more antibiotics and medicines, and generally decreases both the animal’s health and the ensuing quality of the meat. It’s a vicious cycle that’s basically driven by greed – that and the traditional “out of sight, out of mind” mindset about where our food comes from. But that’s changing quickly.
Our meat packages are 100% grass-fed with no hormones and no antibiotics, but just as importantly, (if not much more importantly!) they are humanely raised so that our animals enjoy a decent quality of life.
Let's talk about another principle that's becoming big in the agricultural world.
Biodiversity involves using the natural synergy of our planet to host different kinds of creatures and plants.
On our ranch, we raise not only beef and pork, but also bison, rabbit, lamb and yes, yak. Sometimes people ask us why we do that since most restaurant menus only feature two of those meats.
Our answer is that another pillar of better restorative and sustainable ag practices, along with pasturing and grass-fed diets, is promoting a more diverse diet. When we promote biodiversity, we change the equation on factory farming in which mass manufacturing processes really degrade how people grow what we eat.
Get fresh, humanely raised meats directly to your door from a producer that cares about quality, and also cares about the animal! Don’t accept anything less, because, in the years to come, factory farming is going to be seen as a barbaric anachronism. Get on the vanguard of folks who are putting their money into healthier, more humanely raised meats and a better diet in so many different ways.
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What to Look For In a Grill
Gas Grill:
For gas grills, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Ranging from $50 to $5,000, gas grills are a shining example that if something costs too much or too little, it’s probably not worth it. When shopping for a gas grill there are a few key things to look for, starting with every grill salesman’s favorite talking point, the British Thermal Unit (BTU). BTUs are a measure of heat output. The higher the BTUs, the more heat is generated and while I admit, while I love some high BTUs, I don’t need 6-digits to grill a good burger. What I care more about is the retention of heat and his comes from the material and thickness of the cook and fire boxes. Like I mentioned above with the ceramic grills, the thicker the walls, the more heat you can retain and the better your grill will be at radiant and convection cooking.
Next, take a peak at the back of the grill. How many vents are there? Is there more than one? If yes, pick a new grill. More vents means that the heat has more opportunity to escape which means your grill will have to work harder for longer to cook your food. Ideally, you will have one long vent that runs across the entire back of the grill usually in the form of a space where the lid is attached to the fire box. A 1”-1.5” opening will be perfect.
Open the lid and look at the cooking grate. You want a grate that is heavy with thick bars. The heavier bars, the more heat they will retain and be able to apply to your food during searing. They come in a variety of materials but the biggest bang for the buck will be stainless steel. Also, notice how the bars are spaced. You want bars that are close enough together to maximize surface contact but will also allow for heat and air to flow through them. I think ideal spacing is 1/2”-1”, any wider and you start to risk smaller foods to fall through. As for the right size for you needs, use the Burger Matrix, or how many 4” burgers can you cook at once. It's a pretty effective method for judging how much space you need based on how many people you generally cook for. You can eyeball it or I have seen some folks take a cutout circle to the store. You do You.
Notice the direction of the burners. are they running from front to back, side to side or in a U-shape? Best case, they are running side to side. This will allow you to turn the back burners off, the front burners up and move the food to the back portion of the grill for the best convection cooking scenario. The heat from the front burners will be pulled by your one long vent in the back, over the food and out. Front to back running burners seem to be the new standard though. My best guess is because being able to turn off one side of the grill gives you a more versatile square-shaped cooking area as opposed to the longer, narrower rectangle shape from the side to side burners. U-shaped and other wonky shaped burners tend to give off uneven heat and should be avoided.
Now the most overlooked part of a gas grill, the flame-tamers or flavor-waves. Yes, the names are silly but they play a vital role in the effectiveness of your grill. They are pieces of metal that sit on top of your burners to distribute heat evenly across the cooking surface. They also protect the burners from clogging and help to mitigate flareups. They come in a variety of styles but the inverted V shape is as tried and true as this new innovation can be. Best case, you’ll have a row of flame tamers across the entire width of your fire box to catch all the drippings from your meat that get incinerated from the extreme heat, turn to smoke and apply that smoky barbecue flavor that makes grilling worth it. Some fancier grills will come with lava rocks or other types of materials for heat distribution. What ever your grill has, make sure it has good coverage and is easy to clean.Side Note: It’s important to know if your gas grill heats evenly and if not, where the hot spots are. To test, preheat your grill for 15 mins and place standard white bread across the entire surface. Cook for 1 min. As you remove the now toast, notice which pieces were darker and which pieces were lighter. The darker the toast, the hotter the spot. Ideally, each piece will be nice and golden brown with little variation between the pieces. Then you can eat the toast or find some ducks.
Charcoal Grills:
Accessories:
Maintenance:
Note: There are several factors that contribute to quality meat besides controlling enzymatic activity during aging, such as humane living and processing conditions. We will address the latter two in a separate article and discuss why they are arguably the most important factors. Until then, let’s focus on enzymes.Rigor Mortis is identified by the awkward and unnatural poses of body parts that occurs when opposing muscles contract at the same time (ex: biceps/triceps). The actin and myosin fibers that we discussed earlier have now fused together. Once rigor mortis sets in, enzymes and bacteria left in the body are unregulated and can start to destroy proteins at will, a process that is called proteolysis. The two main enzymes that perform proteolysis are calpains and cathepsins. They work together to attack the muscles fibers, breaking them down to the point where they can no longer hold their contracted state.
Flap Meat is the black sheep of the beef cuts. Located in the bottom sirloin -- where the sirloin and flank subprimals meet -- it is one of the main three cuts that can be considered beef flank cuts but its haggard appearance and unappealing name often causes it to be overlooked. With a deep flavor and firm texture that is very similar to a flank steak, its less than uniform grain direction makes it a perfect cut for slicing into outstanding fajitas and other chopped meat dishes.
French butchers refer to as Sirloin Bavette from the French word for “bib.” A move that may have been obvious and inconsequential, just might have saved our domestic flap cuts from being sent straight to the grinder.
While it can be prepared whole, due to its inconsistent shape and undulating surface it's difficult to get an even caramelization from grilling or searing as one piece. It’s best to slice it into bite sized pieces then incorporate into stews, chilis and tacos. Where the flap truly shines though is as fajitas. It has a strong beef flavor that takes very well to marinades, your preferred seasonings left to ride the coattails of the great meaty flavor.
A 3 oz serving of cooked flap meat contains:
160 calories
2.6g saturated fat
23 g protein
1.5 mg iron
4.3 mg zinc
AKA: Sirloin Flap Meat, Flap, Sirloin Bavette, Sirloin Tips.
Impress your people with Buy Ranch Direct Flap Meat in our Coriander Citrus Fajita recipe. The taste will wow them and your newfound knowledge of meat will astound them.]]>
Fatty or lean, shreddable or sliced, here is a quick introduction to the roasts we offer at Buy Ranch Direct.
Chuck Roasts are built for pot roasts. Tough muscle fibers from supporting the animal's locomotion is complemented with some intense marbling that also comes with a lot of connective tissue. The working muscles give a deep beef flavor and the marbling keeps it juicy. Long slow cooks do their job in breaking up the connective tissue that allows the meat to fall apart.
Cross Rib Roasts are another popular cut for pot roasts. It's located lower down the shoulder as it connects with the rib portion of the animal. This location makes it a little less tender but its lack of shredability is made up by its deep beef flavor and the addition of ribs 2-5 gives a braised dish like pot roast a beautiful silky broth. It's best when cut into cubes and slow cooked as it slices better than it shreds. Also available as a boneless roast.
Rump Roasts shine as roast beef. It has a tighter muscle structure with less marbling that causes it to dry out when over cooked. It's not going to shred like a chuck roast, so it's not a good choice for a pot roast but is a great choice for a roast beef dinner or sliced thin for deli-style roast beef.
Ball Tip Roasts are often over looked due to their extremely low fat content. This of course means that they have a tendency to dry out but they work well as a deep braised roast beef (fully submerged). Slice for sandwiches and the like.
Tri-Tip roasts are a California original. Cut from the bottom sirloin, they are a great mix of beefy and tender and take marinades very well. For best results, cook more like a giant steak than a roast.
Briskets have long been an economical choice when wanting to roast a large piece of meat. The recent surge in hobbyist smoker enthusiasts has created a new demand for the juicy and flavorful roast. Synonymous with Texas BBQ, briskets are also used for pastrami. There are two pieces for briskets, the point and the flat. The point is intensely marbled and juicy. The flat is a leaner cut that is similar to a flank steak in appearance. Both cook well over long periods of time, choosing between the two comes down to personal preference of fat content.
This is the hidden gem. Like the tri-tip, this roast presents more like a giant steak and is one of my personal favorite cuts due to it's versatility. It can be cut into steaks and cooked as such or can be treated as one big piece. If you ever been to a Brazilian steak house and have seen the spits full of half-moon shaped steaks with a thick fat cap stacked end-to-end, that's a sirloin cap. Unique enough to impress guests but priced well to have a couple stashed away in the freezer, they are awesome.
The Butt Roast is the pig's answer to the chuck roast. Located in the shoulder, it's called a Butt roast because of the barrel container called "butts" that were used to transport them. Wonderfully flavored with delicious fattiness, this is what southern pull pork is made from. That's all I have to say about that. Available bone-in or boneless.
Similar to the Butt Roast in location but just a little lower on the shoulder and includes the very top of the arm. Less "fall apart" tender but just a flavorful, maybe even more so. This is a great alternative to the standard. Available bone-in or boneless.
Pork Loin roast are juicy and tender, perfect for a traditional roast dinner. They are located in the front portion of the back, just behind the shoulders. Available as bone-in or boneless and is generally tied into a round shape for roasting.
Tenderloin roasts are often confused with loin roasts because the names are similar. Tender and juicy like the Loin Roast, that's where the similarities end. The long, narrower shape of the tenderloin causes it to cook much faster, but also makes it a better fit for marinades and rubs, sometimes even wrapped in bacon and cut into filet medallions. Just sayin'.
Behind bacon, ham might be the most recognizable cut of pork. Located above the rear legs -- should be called the butt, but whatever -- hams are roasted for holidays and lunchmeat or cured and prized by foodie cultures around the world. Available bone-in or boneless. Pictured is a cooked ham.
If there is such a thing as an everyday lamb roast, this is it. Tender and juicy with that wonderful lamb flavor, a shoulder roast is the perfect choice for a lamb stew, braise or roast. Available as bone-in or boneless.
A lamb classic, these beautiful roasts present well after being trimmed of the fat and meat around the tip of the bone. With 8 bones per roast, one rack makes a perfect dinner for two or can be cut into individual ribs to make kid friendly "lollipops." Fancy can be made fancier by tying two racks together and forming them into a ring and roasted as a "crown." Great when marinated with lemon, garlic, thyme, rosemary or mint. Don't forget the EVOO.
If the shoulder is the everyday driver, a Leg Roast is the show car. The rear leg roast presents well with the bone-in but is also available as boneless. This is the Christmas Roast. Pictured boneless.
So there we have it. A crash course in grass-fed & finished roasts. While there are plenty more roast variations, these are the ones that we regularly carry or can easily get. Don't see something you want? Check our pre-order section of our website. Still don't see what you're looking for? Send us an email at info.buyranchdirect@gmail.com and we can try to work something out.
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At Buy Ranch Direct, we feel strongly that the conventional method of raising and processing of meat is unacceptable and have committed, not only to offering a premium quality product that won’t compromise the health of our families, customers and environment, but also to help educate people on how their food choices affects their health. We hope that through understanding, value can be placed on high quality grass fed and finished meats and create a new expectation that can become a standard.
To understand where the conventional meat industry has gone wrong and why grass fed and finished meat is a better choice, we will take a look at what the conventional meat industry looks like and how it has reached its monolithic state. We will focus on the beef industry because Americans eat around 50 pounds of beef per person per year (2015), second only to chicken consumption.
What is Conventional Beef?
Raising cows for commercial beef is a three step process. Step one is the Calf/Cow Stage. This stage separates calves from the herd until they are fully weened at 180 to 240 days old and have reached around 500 pounds. The second stage is referred to as the Stocker Stage. This stage moves the cows into the main herd and allows them to graze and start to pack on weight until they are around 800 pounds. Stage three, the Finishing Stage, is when conventional beef production and grass-fed production part ways.
In conventional practices, once the cows have outgrown the Stocker Stage, they are placed into feedlots. Feedlots are confined pens with little to no vegetation, where cows gorge on high energy foods, like corn and soy. Some larger feedlots can hold upwards of 32,000 cows at a time. Cows will spend anywhere between 90 and 300 days just eating, sometimes gaining 4 pounds per day. The single objective here is to have the cows gain as much weight as quickly as possible. Conventionally raised cattle reach a market weight in 12-13 months.
The grass-fed and finished process is more aligned to how the cows would naturally grow and develop. They remain in the pasture and eat grass, legumes, hay and cereal grains and grow slowly, taking 18-24 months to reach market weight. This slower growth is easier on the land and the animal's biological systems.
Up until the 1940s, nearly all beef in the U.S. was grass-fed and finished. Once the post World War Two era of prolific reproduction, suburban sprawl and convenience came about, researchers in the 1950s began to spend time figuring out how to increase the efficiency of beef production, giving birth to the feedlot industry and decreasing the days between birth and market. Since then, most Americans meat eaters were raised on grain-finished meat, adapting our taste preferences and causing our palates to expect the nuttier flavor and greasier fat that comes from this grain-finished product.
Animal Welfare
There are several dangers of feedlot-finishing worth noting, beginning with feeding high-energy diets based on corn and soy that cause the animals to grow very quickly but take a toll on their overall health.
Cows and other grazers are considered ruminants. They are specially designed to start digesting grass and other high-fiber, low-starch food by fermenting it in their rumen — a pre-stomach of sorts — then passing it to their stomach to be further digested. When given only low-fiber, high-starch grains like corn and soy, certain gastrointestinal disorders often develop, like acidosis. Acute acidosis occurs when intestinal walls are damaged from spikes in acidity and glucose levels in the animal’s intestines due to high grain consumption. High-energy diets can also lead to the shedding of E. Coli due to higher rates of liver abscesses.
The conventional way to fight against gastrointestinal diseases is to mix FDA approved antibiotics into the problematic diet. These antibiotics are absorbed into the animals tissues and are passed along to consumers. The primary danger of this practice is not simply in the consumption of the antibiotics themselves, but is rather the frivolous application of antibiotics where a medication-free option is available. The gratuitous use of antibiotics has lead to resistant bacteria that have adapted faster than medicine, making them immune and earning the name of Super Bugs, many of which are resistant to multiple types of antibiotics (Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, or MDR Bacteria). Studies have shown that 18% of conventionally raised ground beef samples contain these super bugs. Grass-fed, only 6%.
The conventional beef industry makes choices to combat health concerns in their animals that can be more detrimental to animal and consumers that the sicknesses themselves. Some producers are aware that their animals need a high-fiber diet, but instead of supplementing with grasses, they feed their herd pellets that contain plastics in place of natural fibers. While studies concerning the acute health concerns of such practices are inconclusive at this point, just imagine eating a plastic heavy diet and what toll that might take on your health. Some cattle feeds also include remnants of slaughtered animals and other waste products. I could not find a definitive reason for this practice other than bulking out the feed with a low cost ingredient.
Environmental Concerns and Sustainability
The feedlot industry harms the environment and can lead to long-term effects that are not immediately noticeable.
Imagine 32,000 heads of cattle in a tight space while constantly feeding them a high starch diet. After the nutrients are absorbed, what happens to the rest? That's right, manure. Lots of it. Some ranchers have said the their biggest concern when raising cattle is not necessarily the bottom line, but what to do with all the waste, and it's not just because it's messy.
Manure is the most ecologically harmful in liquid form, where anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions generate more greenhouse gas emissions. When animals are kept at appropriate stocking rates, on well-managed grasslands, or pasture, their manure is distributed on the pasture at levels the pasture can handle. The nutrients can return to the soil and are thereby recycled, improving the land as opposed to degrading it.
This does not occur with feedlots. Most of the manure is stomped into the ground at rates the soil cannot handle, eventually rendering it a literal wasteland. When animals are free to graze in open pastures at a natural rate, their digestion rate also normalizes, leading to less volume of manure while being evenly distributed across the acreage, especially when proper rotational grazing practices are utilized.
Rotational grazing is another way that grass-finishing practices are kinder to the environment than feedlot finishing. Animals are moved from pasture to pasture after consuming an appropriate amount of resources, giving the land a chance to recuperate. As the animals graze, they often bite off the seed heads of the grasses and leaving the stalks. This exposes the growth points to sunlight which keeps the perennial native grasses coming back and smothers out the invasive weeds. Not only does this promote healthy growth, but the plants remain to help absorb harmful carbon dioxide and burying it in the soil as opposed to being released into the air.
The last major ecological factor that is affected by raising cattle is water usage. Water usage is the most hotly debated argument between conventional and grass-fed systems. Conventional supporters say that they use less water than grass-feeders due to the shorter amount of time that the animals need water from being processed younger. What is not talked about is the amount of water that needs to be diverted to barren feedlots to hydrate the animals, along with the amount of irrigation needed on separate parcels to grow the feed crops. While there are some grass-fed operations that divert tons of water to grow the grass to feed the animals at pasture, some grass-fed programs are able to use the natural water sources due to location and climates. At Diamond Mountain Ranch (the operating property of Buy Ranch Direct), the average rainfall is 7 times the national average. This helps to replenish the grasses as well as a natural spring that acts as the animal's water source. While is does require a lot of water to raise meat, about 2 gallons per ribeye, responsible choices can be made for the sake of sustainability.
What Makes Grass Fed Better?
Grass-fed and finished meat is healthier than conventional grain-fed meat because it not only contains a lower amount of fat than grain-fed, but the fat it does contain is healthier and less likely to raise cholesterol levels. It has a higher lever of poly-unsaturated fatty acids — the good fat — while containing higher levels of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. CLA is currently being studied as a cancer preventive and is already on the market as a fat burning supplement.
Fatty acids are essential to healthy aging in humans but cannot be synthesized by the body and are only available in certain foods, like seafoods and meats. While both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are both vital to human development, they are not considered equal. Omega-6 is beneficial for brain function, but is also an inflammatory that competes with cells and heart-healthy omega-3 molecules. The healthiest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 ranges between 4:1 and 1:1. Grass-fed meat averages a 1.53:1 ratio with grain-fed meats averaging 7.65:1.
Grass-fed meat contain more antioxidants and essential vitamins like beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. Beta carotene is essential for normal vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell-division and cell-differentiation. Grass-fed meat also contains significantly higher amounts of Vitamin E that may help prevent or delay coronary heart disease and block the formation of nitrates.
But why is it considered healthier?
The answer is pretty straight forward, the grass they're eating is more nutritionally dense than the corn and soy laden diets. Those nutrients paired with the high-fiber content allows the ruminant's digestive system to properly breakdown and absorb the nutrients into muscle tissues. After all, you are what you eat.
Changing the Expectations
As I mentioned earlier, the major hurdle faced by the grass-fed meat industry is the consumer’s preconceived notion as to what meat should be. Most of us that were raised on grain-fed meat products have come to expect the nutty, fatty flavor that results from a grain-based diet. We have been taught to prize intramuscular fat as a sign of quality. While marbling is a great way of assessing quality of the meat, it does not consider the quality of the fat itself.
A common misconception is that grass-fed meat is dry and tough because it contains less fat. While this is true in some circumstances, proper pasture management and rotational grazing offers animals lush, healthy grasses that can result in significant marbling, sometimes exceeding the USDA Prime grading requirements.
Note: There is no official grading system for grass-fed meat. If you are purchasing a cut of beef that is labeled USDA Prime or Choice, then you are buying a grain-fed product.
Grass-fed meat often does not get a chance to impress because of it's unfamiliar appearance and aroma, sometimes described as “green.” Grass-fed meats smell like grass in a similar way that high quality, fresh seafood smells like the sea. The lean meat is often a deeper and darker red due to a higher amount of myoglobin in the muscle cells. The fat is usually a yellowish tint which is due to the large amount of beta-carotene, the same thing that makes carrots orange. The yellow fat is usually the most off-putting to the uninitiated, presumably due to the common association with yellowing to degradation and spoilage.
Times are changing though. With the rising popularity of farm-to-table restaurants, chefs are starting to highlight grass-fed meats on their menus, due to their deep, meaty flavors. When asked what the best steak he has ever eaten was, Chef Dan Barber of the No. 11 restaurant in the world, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York State said that it came from an 8 year old cow that was on his family farm and ate grass for her entire life. Though eating such an old cow is severely unconventional, he described the flavor as “complex and persistent, like fine wine.” While his experience is not usual, the idea of America’s changing palate is the same.
Why is Grass-Fed hard to pull off?
There is a cost behind producing high quality grass-fed and finished meats and it starts with production scale. Conventional beef producers are mostly backed by the big four meat conglomerates: Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS USA and National Beef Packaging Company. They are able to provide conventional producers, large and small, with an outlet for their products. The 3,900 grass-fed producers, up from 100 in 1998, either have to sell directly to consumers (18%) or to grass-fed specific programs (81%). The conventional meat industry produces 30 million heads of cattle a year, compared to 232,000 in the grass-fed sector. U.S. grass-fed producers also have to compete with friendly-fire; 75-80% of all grass-fed meat is imported to the US, mostly from Australia.
After considering the volume of competition, grass-fed meat is generally more expensive to produce. It takes up to a year longer for the animals to come to market weight. After supporting the animal for the extended length of time, there is a lack of resources for a streamlined and efficient supply chain when it comes to delivering meat from ranch to table. While the consumer may see as much as a 70% mark-up from basic conventional meat cuts, the producer only sees 25-30% of that, with the rest going to the cost of operating on such a small, quality-focused scale.
Another factor that plays against the grass-fed industry is the labeling system for their products. The Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS), the regulating arm of the USDA, previously stated that “Grass-fed” or “100% Grass-fed” can only be applied to meat product labels derived from cattle that were fed only 100% grass after being weaned from their mothers. Their diet must be derived solely from forage and animals cannot be fed grain or grain by-products and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season until slaughter. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Well it was, until 2016 when they revoked these requirements.
Marion Nestle, a Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies & Public Health at New York University says that the onus now relies on the consumer to decide what is and isn’t grass-fed. “I think it’s a good guess to assume that the USDA’s withdrawal of the grass-fed marketing claims is a result of pressure from big cattle producers. This means that the claims about grass-fed are no longer backed by government, Consumers will have to rely on certifications by independent groups and on what the producers say. Caveat emptor.”
What’s in a Label?
Prior to the revocation of grass-fed regulations, producers that held certifications were grandfathered in, but there's a catch. Prior to the revocation, the verification requirements were thin. Meat producers could make “grass-fed” claims that were only supported by a one-time application submitted to the USDA, with required documentation to support that the animals were not given any grain. However, there was no requirement for on-site inspections to verify the claims and no annual auditing of reviews to ensure that the claims are continuously compliant. There were fees though.
Since there is no longer any government regulation, producers must rely on third-party organizations such as the American Grassfed Association and The Food Alliance. Both organizations hold requirements that animals are raised on pasture without confinement to feedlots. Animals are never treated with hormones or antibiotics and that they are raised on American family farms. Matthew Buck, acting director of The Food Alliance says that even though the USDA was looking at feed, they were ignoring well-being. “The USDA grass-fed standard focused on what cattle ate, but left out restrictions on confinement of animals and use of hormones and antibiotics that industry pioneers thought were essential to a redial grass-fed product claim.”
His organization focuses on all aspects, but this comes with a cost. There’s a $750 application fee that consists of a $350 non-refundable administrative fee, plus $400 that goes towards inspection costs. Once certified, between 0.1-0.4% of annual gross sales are required payment for licensing.
“There are some ranchers marketing grass-fed beef with integrity who do not hold a certification either because they are too small to manage the cost and administrative burden,” says Buck, “because they have very close relationships with their buyers and don't think they need it, or because they just don’t believe in it.”
How do I get grass-fed that’s actually grass fed?
Your best bet is to talk to and buy direct from the producer. At farmer’s markets and online, this is usually achievable. Buying through other venues makes it slightly more difficult. Labels can say a lot, but avoid relying solely on ones that are associated with the USDA or FDA. You can also look for wording that refers to pasturing. Though it is not regulated, producers still have to abide by the Federal Trade Commission’s “truth-in-advertising” regulations. Look for the following and know their meanings:
If you can't find or access this labeling information, rely on your knowledge. Look at the color of the meat, is it a deep red? Does the fat have a yellowish color? Does it cost more than the supermarket, plastic wrapped variety? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then you are probably buying grass-fed. If you still are unsure, trust your gut, literally. How does the meat make you feel?
Cooking Tips:
Buy 100% Grass fed and finished meats and have them shipped directly to your door.
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The flank steak is the more straightforward of the two cuts. It comes from the flank primal, which is the first primal removed from the hindquarter of a beef carcass (a primal are the section of meat that are broken down into individual cuts). The flank primal is below the loin and in front of the round. It’s the only primal that is considered boneless, with the exception of sometimes including a portion of the 13th rib.
The flank primal is a portion of the abdominal wall and supports a lot of the animal's weight. The musculature is thin but very strong and provides a strong beef flavor with a firm texture. The muscle strands are long and thick, giving the cut a distinct striated look.
Flank steaks are long, flat and relatively fat-free. They have a thick membrane on one side and need little preparation once the membrane is removed — most butchers have or will do this for you. All that's usually left to do is remove a small, oval shaped piece of silver skin from the thicker end of the steak. A knife slides easily under the silver skin and can be discarded. Trim and square-up any tapered or hanging edges. Score the steak with a shallow cross-hatch to prevent curling when cooked.
Flank steaks can be grilled or seared whole, or sliced thin and cooked in stir-fry or fajitas. They usually benefit from tenderization and marinades, especially citrus based. To insure that your flank steak is succulent and juicy with a firm but not chewy bite, be sure to cook rare to medium and cut perpendicularly to the grain of the meat.
A 3 ounce serving of cooked flank steak contains:
Skirt steaks come from the plate primal and are located on the forequarter of the side. Below the rib and behind the brisket, the plate primal is directly in front of the flank primal on a whole side of beef. There are two distinct cuts on a side of beef that are considered skirt steaks, the inside skirt and the outside skirt. Both steaks have a long, ribbon-like shape with large muscle fibers but their misleading names are what makes it difficult to remember which-is-which.
Inside skirt steaks are larger and generally cut from the flank primal but also extends onto the plate primal. They make up a portion of the animal’s core muscles of the abdominal wall. Outside skirt steaks are the animal's diaphragm and are attached to the plate primal only. They have a deep red color due to the constant work needed to control breathing. The more a muscle works, the more oxygen is needed to support it's function. Since blood is the delivery mechanism for oxygen to muscle cells, more myoglobin — a protein found in blood — is left behind in the muscle cells, leaving a deeper red hue. If you recall our flash freezing series, this is the same protein that gives Drip Loss it's blood-like appearance.
Now for the confusing part. If you are looking at a whole animal, inside skirt steaks are located closer to the outside of the body and outside skirt steaks are located deeper inside the body cavity. Seems a little backwards doesn't it?
Think about it from the perspective of the butchers who named these cuts. When an animal is processed, it is split in half down the length of the body making two sides. The sides are cut in half again, but this time down the sides of the animal leaving the fore (front) and hind (rear) quarters. When the butcher begins to break down the quarters into primals, the body cavity, or what was the inside of the animal, is facing out and away from the cutting table.
Where the outside skirt steak was formally located on the inner portion of the animal, it is now on the outside. Hence, outside skirt. Likewise, the inside skirt is located inside the quarter and away from the surface giving us the inside skirt. Make sense? If not, that's okay. Just remember that the names are opposite of their anatomical locations. The name-location relationship of these two skirt steaks is important to understand because due to their location, they have distinctly different flavor profiles.
Outside skirt steaks are ubiquitously labeled as “skirt steak,” getting the honor because it is the more unique of the two skirts. Located inside the body cavity, it has a deeper, beefier flavor than inside skirts, due to their proximity to the organs. Inside skirts have a few layers of fat and other tissues separating them from the organs, so their flavor is less robust compared to the outside skirt. In fact, once cooked and sliced, one would be hard pressed to tell the difference between an inside skirt steak and a flank steak. They are more difficult to access and are usually reserved for flap or ground meat.
Note: From this point forward, because most retail skirt steaks are outside skirt steak, when you see “skirt steak”, it is referring to the outside skirt steak.
Skirt steaks are usually less than a 1/2’ thick and can be as long as 24 inches. They have thick membranes covering both sides that can be easily peeled away once the edges of the steaks are trimmed off. This is usually done before retail sale but if not, trim away about a 1/4 inch off the edge of the steak and slide a knife under one side until there is enough to hold onto, then start to pull away, placing a free hand on the steak to hold in down. Underneath will be a significant amount of intra- and intermuscular fat deposits that should be left for flavor and self-basting while cooking.
Like flanks, skirt steaks take well to marinades and must be cut perpendicularly to the grain, leaving a supple and juicy bite. The ribbons can be cut down to fit any size pan or the entire piece can be laid across a grill. Skirts are best when rare to med-rare so no matter what marinade is used (ahem, chimichurri), the best results come from inferno-hot and fast cooking. Whether you are using cast iron or a grill, you’ll need to get it as hot as possible so that a nice crust can form on the surface with only cooking a minute or two on each side. Cook outside or open all the windows and put a shower cap over the smoke detector.
A 3 ounce serving of unmarinated, cooked skirt steak contains:
Both flank and skirt steaks do really well cooked whole or sliced, so think about the process for the dish to make the best choice. Since most household stoves don’t have the BTUs to get a wok or large pan hot enough to cook stir-fry like the pros, your best bet is a 1/4”-1/2” sliced flank steak because it is more suited for longer cooking. Same goes for fajitas. If you are lucky enough to have a big burner that goes to 11 and a proper wok or comal, then go with skirt steak as it has a deeper, juicer flavor.
If you are grilling or searing whole and serving as the protein on a composed dish (protein+veg+starch/grain), I choose skirt steak every time. It takes no time at all to make a juicy and flavorful meat that has a range of textures. Just be sure to get the grill or pan freakishly hot. On that note, if using cast iron, you will probably still need some sort of high-temp oil to help prevent sticking, It's better to brush the meat with the oil instead of adding a layer to the pan to prevent the oil from burning or igniting immediately.
On a high-fat diet? Go with skirt. Trying to eat leaner? Choose flank.
Finally, skirt steaks are almost the perfect camping steak. You can marinade ahead of time and roll them up to take up less room in the cooler. Plus, when cooking over a campfire, temperature doesn't matter as much... as long as it's screaming hot. They cook quickly and you don’t have to worry about setting off the fire alarm. I have even cooked a skirt steak directly on white hot coals, no pan or nothin’. It was magical.
]]>The American Bison is commonly called an American Buffalo. While this is technically wrong, there’s a legitimate case for the latter. A true "buffalo” refers to one of two different species of animals, the Asian Water Buffalo and the African Cape Buffalo. All three species are members of the bovina sub tribe but the American Bison is more closely related to their European cousins, the European bison, and Yak.
There are two different types of American Bison, Wood and Plains Bison, differentiated by their range and habitats. However, they are similar enough for us to talk about them as one species.
Bison are big and dangerous. They are can weigh between 701 and 2,025 pounds, with the largest recorded domestic bison weighing in at 3,801 pounds. From nose to tail, they can be 11.5 feet long and 6 to 8 feet tall with 2 foot horns. What makes them dangerous is they have a natural instinct to roam and sometimes when they decide to not use their 6 foot jumping ability to leap over the fences, they will bust through them at 40 mph.
Bison have tapered bodies, holding the a large portion of their weight over their front legs. They are shades of brown, with a dark, shaggy coat in the winter and a lighter, shorter coat for the summer months.
Bison meat tastes very similar to beef and has a darker red hue. The meat has less fat and cholesterol than beef and contains more protein. Grass-fed Bison meat is full of vitamin B12, iron and zinc and contains a generous serving of omega-3 fats, making it a very heart healthy protein source. Due to it's leaner composition, bison meat has earned a reputation for being dry and tough. This is only true of bison meat that has been overcooked. If we must quantify, bison meat cooks in about 25% less time than beef.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Bison |
Beef |
Pork |
Salmon |
|
Calories |
142 |
282 |
246 |
204 |
|
Protein (g) |
28 |
26 |
27 |
22 |
|
Fat (g) |
2 |
19 |
15 |
12 |
|
Iron (mg) |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0.3 |
|
Sodium (mg) |
57 |
61 |
59 |
61 |
|
Potassium (mg) |
358 |
343 |
405 |
381 |
|
Saturated Fat (g) |
1 |
8 |
5 |
2 |
|
Monounsaturated Fat (g) |
1 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
|
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) |
0.25 |
0.75 |
1 |
4 |
|
Cholesterol (mg) |
81 |
82 |
81 |
63 |
The scientific classification for the American Bison is Bison Bison — originating from the Greek term for “ox-like animal” — and is a pretty straight-forward name. However, the first published description of the animal by a Euro-American came in 1625, who used the term “buffalo,” stemming from French fur trappers calling them “boeuf," meaning ox or bullock. The first published mention of “bison” didn’t appear until 149 years later. Meanwhile, Native American languages had their own unique terms for the animals, often specifying between males and females. While “buffalo” isn’t the most accurate name for the animal, it certainly isn’t wrong. If you see meat labeled as “buffalo” in North America, you are buying American Bison.
Even though bison are the America’s first beast, their treatment by the US government has been egregious, if not outright sad. In less than 100 years, the wild bison population in North American went from what some estimates say were between 30 and 60 million, to 325.
As Europeans arrived in North America, eastern seaboard cities quickly became over-crowded and western expansion began with promises of golden fortunes and ample land. The mass migration westward quickly turned into a war over land and cultural ideals. When people moved west, they brought with them guns and horses that they traded with non-combative tribes for bison meat and hides. Some accounts claim that the Native’s acquisition of firearms, along with the demand for food by the expansioners, led to the traditional Native practice of only hunting for what you need to be pushed aside for capitalistic reasons. While this may be partially true, the American Army also had hunters, trappers and furriers employed to hunt for provisions. All told, between 1700-1800, around 200,000 bison were killed annually.
Wagon trains and small expeditions soon gave way to railroads, bringing more people that demanded food and clothing. As railroad crews starting laying ties, Native American tribes felt that their land was being embedded upon, leading to war and new tactics from the American Armies who needed a counter-attack to the guerrilla-style skirmishes.
General Philip Sheridan, Civil War Union Veteran and leader of the Military Division of the Missouri, was placed in charge of the entire Great Plains by President Grant, who’s order was to quell Native American resistances. “Make them poor by the destruction of their stock, and then settle them on the lands allotted to them,” Sheridan then instructed. Soldiers, along with homesteaders and hunters began killing bison by the thousands. When the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, it divided the bison into the Northern and Southern Herds, effectively cornering the millions-strong herds.
In 1870, just two years after the division of herds, 2 million bison were killed in the Southern Herd alone. In 1872, 5,000 bison were being killed every day and Bison “hunting” had turned into a sport for wealthy Americans, with some accounts of firing from moving trains, without stopping to collect the bodies. By 1873, “you could walk 100 miles along the Santa Fe Railway, stepping from bison [carcass] to bison [carcass].”
A few years prior, German leather manufacturers developed methods for tanning buffalo hides into premium leather which further drove demand. One Montana county shipped 180,000 skins in 1881 alone. Hunting parties would kill 10,000 bison in just a few days, wiping out entire herds over the span of a few months. In 1882, hunters theorized that the missing Northern Herd had migrated up through Canada, but in reality, they were all killed. By 1884, only 300 wild bison remained with another 25 being federally protected in Yellowstone National Park. These 25 bison are the ancestors of what is thought to be the only pure bison herd left in North America today.
There were some thinly veiled attempts at protecting the bison during the late 1800s. It seems as though most legislators would acknowledge that over-hunting was detrimental, but only a few bills were passed and even fewer were enforced. Idaho passed laws protecting bison in the 1860’s, a few years after bison were gone from the state (as did New Mexico in 1880). In 1871, Arizona passed a law forbidding anyone from killing bison on public land except for the purposes of food and skins, then the document itself mysteriously disappeared. Kansas and Colorado had similar laws presented but the governor of Kansas vetoed the bill and Colorado just "forgot" to enforce the law. Congress passed protection for female bison on a federal level but President Grant, presumably still consumed with the goal of eliminating the native threat, refused to sign.
The Long Depression, a global economic downturn, hit the country in 1873. This lead to an influx of farmer’s-turned-hunters heading west to capitalize on the booming bison market. Bison Robes, or skins, fetched upwards of $3 each (approx. $70 today) and bones were selling for $8 per ton. Folks were making small fortunes on the humps, hides, bones and tongues and the rest was left to rot in the sun. Soon though, the supply surpassed demand and the price for bison plummeted. The last commercial shipment of hides in the US was sent in 1889. The devastation of bison populations also signaled the end of the American Indian Wars as Native Americans were pushed into reservations due to lack of resources.
Despite the devastation caused by the value placed on bison — or lack of bison — it’s also what saved them from complete extinction. Brave entrepreneurs saw opportunity in having a constant supply of bison during the boom of the 1880s and captured bison calves to domesticate them as best they could. In 1884, Charles Goodnight established a domesticated herd and others started to follow suit. This was Goodnight’s second attempt, after his first pair of breeding aged bison mysteriously disappeared from his land several years prior. By the time the last commercial shipment of hides took place, there were approximately 1,000 bison left in North America; 85 wild, 200 in federally protected herds, 550 in Canada and 256 in zoos and private herds. In 1905, the American Bison Society was founded and public awareness of their endangerment spread. By 1910, the population doubled and by 1990, approximately 25,000 bison were accounted for.
Bison have since become an American Icon, especially of the American West. It appears on the Wyoming State flag as well as currency and as a moniker for several professional and collegiate athletic teams, presumably to honor their power, grace and athletic ability. In 2016, congress voted and the National Bison Act was signed into law by President Obama, making Bison the official mammal of the United States and lifting them to ranks of the American Bald Eagle. There are currently 180,000 bison on private and public lands, with the most famous still being the Yellowstone herd that is considered the only pure Bison left in America. With their value shifting from tactical to nutritional, Bison stand a chance at a tremendous comeback to be the most American of meats.
]]>Flash-freezing is an integral part of maintaining the quality and nutrients that make grass-fed & finished meat better than the conventional stuff. If you haven’t read Part 1, it might be beneficial to check it out so you can have a deeper understanding of some of the topics we are going to cover.
Author’s note: before we go any further, let’s get it on record that ‘defrosting’ is a thing, ‘dethawing’ is not. Think about it.
There are two things to consider when safely and effectively thawing flash-frozen meat. One is how gently you are transitioning the ice crystals from solid to liquid, and the other is how to safely bring the meat out of it's frozen state.
Above all else, safety should be the top priority when thawing meat. When meat is flash-frozen, it creates an inhospitably cold environment for harmful inhabitants like bacteria, yeast, molds and enzymes. While it does slow their function down to almost a complete stop, it does not kill them. As the temperature of the meat starts to rise, the bacteria & friends will begin to wake up and start multiplying… fast.
The temperature range where they start to propagate and function is between 40ºF-140ºF and is appropriately referred to as the Food Danger Zone (FDZ). Foods that are susceptible to bacteria and spoilage should not be left out at room temperature for longer than 2 hrs, or longer than one hour if the ambient temperature is 90ºF or greater (like some small commercial kitchens). Doing so will leave an opportunity to spend too much time in the FDZ and will start to spoil and most importantly, start to generate bacteria that can make you sick.
Thawing is the transition of the extra- & intra-cellular moisture within meat from a solid state, back into a liquid state. To do this, heat energy must be transferred from an energy source to the frozen meat, agitating the molecular bonds that formed during freezing, causing them to break apart. If the heat energy is transferred using a poor conductor, it will take a long time to draw in enough energy to raise the temperature of the meat out of it’s frozen state. If heat energy to transferred using an efficient conductor, say…. fire, then it will come out of it's frozen state rapidly. In most cases though, this will be too rapid.
A gentle thaw is the key to preserving the texture and succulence of the previously frozen meat. As we discussed in Part 1, when intracellular moisture freezes, it forms ice crystals that pierce the cell membranes then act as a plug while it's coming out of it's frozen state. By gently transferring heat to the meat, the ice crystals melt slowly, easing out of the punctured membranes rather than ripping themselves free. This does less damage to the cell walls — maintaining texture — and limits the amount of moisture that escapes as Drip Loss — preserving juiciness.
You know that red moisture that is always left in the bag or on the plate after thawing that you think is blood? It’s not. That’s the Drip Loss that has escaped from the damaged cell membranes. It’s red, blood-like color is from myoglobin that was present in the intracellular moisture and unfortunately, is also full of minerals, proteins and other nutrients that won’t make it into your bite of steak. In some applications, particularly ones that will cook the meat in sauce or broth, go ahead and throw that drip loss right into the pot. Just be sure to add it after the meat has browned a little but well before you are finished cooking (to give the drip loss time to safely cook through). Good save.
One drawback of a gentle thaw is the amount of time required. As the heat energy is transferred from the energy source to the meat, the surface of the meat thaws first, then acts as an insulator for the interior portion that remains frozen. Gentle is always better for the best final product but it takes time. If you want the best, go ahead and come to terms with this.
Meat is best brought out of it's frozen state in a controlled environment. This requires finding the right heat conductor for the right ambient temperatures and allowing them to work together in minimizing the amount of damage to the cell membranes while safeguarding against too much time in the FDZ.
If you’re a part of the “I used to drink straight from the garden hose” camp like I am, you are probably familiar with the sight of an icy block of meat, slowly losing it's frosty white coat in exchange for an absurdly large puddle of condensation on the counter. This is from and under-informed ideology similar to what makes me not drink out of the hose anymore.
Air is a poor conductor of heat energy. Even though a slow, gentle thaw is best, a piece of frozen meat left out on the counter at room temperature will not be able to steal enough heat from the air to thaw in a length of time that will stop it from spending significant time in the FDZ. Sure, the interior portion of the meat might only sit between 40ºF-140ºF for a few minutes, but the surface of the meat will have been harboring bacteria mummies for hours.
How will we be able to thaw slowly without entering the FDZ? All you need is a plate, a functioning refrigerator and time. Placing frozen meat, still sealed in it's package, on a plate in the fridge not only allows you to have it in a cooler environment, — creating an even more gentle of a thaw — it will prevent the meat from spending anytime in the FDZ. Yes, it will take a while, but you will end up with less Drip Loss, resulting in a well-textured, juicy piece of meat that is also safe to eat. Placing it on a plate will help collect any condensation that occurs.
In the fridge:
Most people lack either the time or foresight to work in advance and that’s okay. There is another way that is equally as safe and almost as gentle, but is less efficient. Water is a more effective conductor of energy than air, so submerging frozen meat in water will speed up the transitioning process and results in less Drip Loss.
You will need to find a container that is roughly 4x the volume of the cut you are thawing. Just guess at this. You’ll need adequate room on all sides of the cut for this to work effectively, so if the cut is touching the sides of the container, go bigger. For most items, I use the smaller side of my divided sink.
Place the cut, still sealed, in the container and cover with a weight, such as a large plate. Then add as much ice as you can spare. The goal is to keep the water below 40º as best you can. If you have an ice maker, just thrown a couple glasses full of ice in each time you notice the ice melting. If you don’t have an ice maker, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of salt onto the ice. Salt lowers the freezing point of ice, allowing it to stay colder, longer.
If you are using a bowl or other free-standing container, place the container in the sink and fill with water until is starts to overflow. At this point, turn the water down to a trickle and let run until the meat is thawed. Having still water in the container will eventually cause the water surrounding the frozen meat to match it's temperature. This will insulate the frozen meat, lowering the ability of the water to transfer energy into the meat. If the sound of trickling water makes you feel like you're taking crazy pills, you can submerge a retractable faucet into the water to prevent lunacy. If you don’t, I’m very sorry.
This cold water thawing will allow small & thin cuts, like steaks and ground meat packages to thaw in about 30 mins. Large roasts and whole birds will take a few hours.
Do you need your meat to be thawed, like, now? There is a method that allows you to preserve most of the intended quality in a safe manner but much faster. Desperate acts do however, require equipment. You’ll need an immersion circulator and a large container.
An immersion circulator, or Sous Vide machine as it is more commonly known, is used to heat water to a specific temperature and maintain that temperature over time. They are relatively cheap for the results and we will be using them in future recipes, so if you have the means, invest in one. P.S. they go on sale all the time.
Set your circulator to 140ºF and allow it to come to temperature. Notice that temperature; it's the highest degree of the FDZ. It is hot enough to start to kill off bacteria and spoiling agents but not begin to fully cook the surface meat. This method will thaw thin cuts from frozen in 8-12 mins.
There’s a catch though. This method will not work with large roasts or whole birds as they will take longer than 2 hours to fully thaw which allows too much bacterial growth and will start to cook the surface meat well before the interior is thawed. Also, when using this method for chicken, it will turn the meat from pink to opaque, but you will not notice this change once the meat is fully cooked. The amount of drip loss left in the package will be noticeably more.
We have spent all this time talking about how to get your meat from frozen to not, but what if you don’t need all the meat right now? Can you refreeze it? Yes. Yes, you can, but you shouldn’t.
Like we talked about in Part 1, residential freezers work slowly to freeze meat which results in large ice crystals that shred the muscle fibers. Because the meat has already gone through a freeze-thaw process, resulting in slight moisture and quality loss, refreezing it will start this process again under much worse conditions.
If you have to refreeze meat, cook it first. The cooking process removes a lot of the moisture in the meat which results in less moisture to form into ice crystals. If you are able to vacuum seal at home, do so. A cooked and vacuum sealed steak will be good for a few months once frozen. Also, when thinking about storage life, always consider the fat content of the cut. Fat oxidizes and goes rancid, so a fattier steak like a a ribeye, will not store as long as a lean filet.
You should now be prepared to thaw out meat in almost any situation... the right way. Now stop drinking out of the hose. That's gross.
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Our Ranch is a little under 600 miles from our distribution center, and while we would love for you to experience the wonder that is our meat when it is absolutely fresh, we simply cannot get it to you in time. Instead, we do the next best thing, flash-freezing. By flash-freezing our meats immediately after being processed, we are able to deliver you a product that retains virtually all of the quality and nutrition of fresh meat, while giving you the flexibility of enjoying our products when you want to, not when you have to.
Freezing as Preservation
Freezing has been a preservation method for meat for as long as humans have coveted the nutrient dense food. Once restricted to cold climates (the rest of the world used salt and/or smoke), freezing is now the most popular method for preserving food. If kept cold enough and under the proper conditions, frozen meat can last virtually forever.
Forever? Really?… A wooly mammoth was found frozen on Maily Lyakhovsky Island in Siberia in 2013. The animal is said to have died 39,000 years prior and when researchers initially studied the specimen, they found that the muscle tissue (read: Meat) was still bright red “like a steak” until it was thawed and exposed to oxygen. Okay, so maybe not forever, but long enough for meat.
When you start to understand how and why meat freezes, just think of water. Most meats contain 66-73% water, so when meat is freezing, you are really just changing the water inside the meat from a liquid state to a solid state. Water in it's solid state, as most people know, becomes ice. The ice crystals that are formed inside the meat are what actually preserves the meat. The icy environment halts microbial growth of the bacteria, yeast and molds that naturally occur in meat, which need liquid water to propagate. Likewise, enzymes that function to mature and decay meat are also slowed by the cold conditions.
Simply put, it's too cold for any harmful inhabitants to operate. Though ice crystals are crucial to the preservation of meat, if they are not formed properly, they can destroy the quality and nutrient density of frozen meat.
Freeze Fast for Quality
There are two types of water found in meat: Extracellular and Intercellular Moisture. Extracellular moisture is the water that is found around the outside of the cells that make up muscle fibers. This cushioning moisture contains little more than water and begins to freeze around 30ºF. Intracellular moisture is the water than is found inside the cell membranes. This moisture contains significant amounts of proteins and nutrients, which get in the way of the water molecules as they try to form the bonds needed to form ice crystals. The density that results from the presence of proteins and nutrients causes the freezing point of intracellular moisture to be much lower than extracellular moisture, dropping to around 14ºF.
These temperature difference are the main reason why almost all residential and most commercial freezers are not capable of effectively preserving the quality and nutrient density of meat. Most residential freezers are set at 0ºF and this means that it will take the better part of 24 hours to reach the 14ºF needed to freeze all the intracellular moisture on even a thin cut of meat. That’s too long.
Due to the amount of time it takes to freeze, the water slowly crystalizes, forming large, sharp crystals. These large ice crystals literally puncture the cell membrane and subsequently plug up the hole. As the meat is thawed, those crystals melt and allow the now liquid intracellular moisture to leech out, an action referred to as Drip Loss. All the natural, nutrient dense “juiciness” is lost, escaping out of the gaping holes left in cell membranes. The more damage the ice crystals do to the cells, the grainier and mushier the final, cooked product will be.
In order to maintain the freshness and quality of meat when freezing, it needs to be done fast. Really fast. The faster that the intracellular moisture is transformed from liquid to solid, the smaller the ice crystals will be. Instead of having large, jagged crystals that puncture the cell membranes, the tiny crystals that form will not do nearly as much damage. Upon thawing, less Drip Loss occurs. To achieve tiny crystals, the temperature of the cellular moisture needs to drop quickly and well below the 14ºF mark and there are really only two ways to do it.
For the home or small-scale chef, using liquid nitrogen is the most efficient. Though the safety equipment and storage-containers called “dewars” can be a slightly pricey, the liquid nitrogen itself is not and the process is very effective. Dropping temperatures to around -320ºF, meat can be flash frozen in minutes, preserving the integrity of the cell membranes. On a large scale production though, the most common method is referred to as Commercial Flash-Freezing.
Commercial flash-freezing of foods was pioneered by Clarence Birdseye, founder of the now ubiquitous Birdseye Foods, sometime in the first decades of the 20th century and jumpstarted the frozen food industry. Using freezers set around -30ºF to -40ºF, giant air circulators are used to rapidly move cold air across the surface of the meat causing it to freeze quickly. Not as rapidly as using liquid nitrogen, but the circulation of air allows the surface of the meat to immediately drop below the 14ºF freezing point and start to pull heat away from the interior cells. This speeds up the freezing process immensely, and achieves the development of tiny ice crystals.
Our goal is to provide you with the highest quality meat we can. Proper packaging — vacuum sealing — and flash freezing allows us to preserve our meat at the peak of it's freshness. If kept frozen and well sealed, our products will last up to two years before they being to lose their quality and nutritional benefits.
Next week, we will move on to Part 2: Properly Thawing Flash Frozen Meat.
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Job Description:
Our farmer's market cashiers are the front lines to our customers. We service 6 markets across the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas on Saturdays and Sundays. A cashier will be require to show up approximately 30 mins before the start time of the market assigned to help set up for service.
Cashiers will greet customers and answer any questions they are able to; if they are unable to answer the question, they will be proactive in helping the customer get their answer. A cashier will be detail oriented in making sure that each item is properly scanned and reflects the appropriate price. Cashiers will take cash and credit card payments and issue receipts. A cashier's main responsibilities are simply to ensure that our customer's receive the best possible service and accurately ring each transaction.
Farmer's Markets range from 5hr to 8hr shifts and the ideal candidate will be able to work a Saturday and a Sunday market each weekend. Cashiers may be required to come to our Warehouse in Huntington Beach for 1 paid training session. Starting pay is based on experience and skillls.
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The Japanese beef industry is thought to have the highest quality beef in the world. Highly marbled with it's own exclusive grading system, an A5 lineage Wagyu cow can sell for as much as $100,000 and a single serving can fetch upwards of $500. Translating literally to “Japanese Cow,” Wagyu Beef and the evolution of American Wagyu Beef is as convoluted as it is coveted.
For a long time, Japan was isolated under the Tokugawa shogunate. During this period between 1600 and 1868, religious and cultural expectations prohibited meat and dairy consumption, restricting any Japanese livestock to work animals. Strict social norms and being surrounded by water resulted in zero cross-breeding with any foreign cattle, leaving the Japanese cattle lineage virtually pure until the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Attempting to catch up with developing Western societies, almost 3,000 heads of cattle were imported into Japan between 1868-1887.
After about a decade of cross-breeding, Japanese farmers started to notice that despite the larger size and increases dairy production, the work capacity of these hybrids suffered and the meat quality diminished. In 1919, in an attempt to curb the decline in quality, four cross-breeds were chosen based on being superior to native Japanese breeds, foreign imports and all other cross-breeds. The Japanese Black, Japanese Polled, Japanese Shorthorn and Japanese Brown were given the label of “Improved Japanese Cattle.” In order to maintain quality, very specific requirements were put in place to ensure that the desired traits were not bred out overtime.
Here is where it starts to get interesting. Before we go into any detail, it is important to know that this article will focus on two kinds of beef that carry the name Wagyu. One is beef born from 100% Japanese lineage and raised entirely in Japan that we will refer to as Wagyu and the other is beef that a cross between imported Waygu and another species of beef, raised in the United States, which we will refer to as American Wagyu. Both these labels are broad strokes in an attempt to make some sort of sense of all the possible breeds and species involved.
Known globally for being extensively marbled with a fat so supple that it begins to melt around 56F — literally melt in your mouth — Wagyu Beef is categorized regionally similarly to how the wine industry operates. Each region specializes in specific breeds and raising practices, with some revered more than others. The most well-known and sought after of the dozen or so brands are Kobe, Matsusaka Ushi, Ohmi and Miyazakigyu. These are referred to as Sandai Wagyu, or “3 Best Brands.” The argument over whether Ohmi or Miyazakigyu deserves the 3rd spot is a hot and sometimes sensitive topic. However, with Miyazakigyu earning first place at Japan’s National Competitive Exhibition of Wagyu — the Wagyu Olympics — in 2017, the case for Ohmi may be running out of steam.
Branding of Wagyu meat is very specific. Much like how a true Champagne must come from the Champagne region of France, only certain regions can grown certain brands of Wagyu. The most well known brand, Kobe is a great example.
In order to be marketed as Kobe, a cow needs to be a Japanese Black species that is from pure Tajima Lineage. It must be born and raised in the Hyuga Prefecture — who’s capital is Kobe. They are grown to age in 28-60 months and must have a rating of A4-5 or B4-5 (see below). There are also raising practices that are traditional and exclusive to the Kobe brand. They are fed beer to promote eating and are misted with Sake which acts as a bug repellent. Only about 5,000 out of 2 million Japanese cattle goes to market as Kobe and of that 5,000, only 10% is exported. If a Waygu cow doesn't meet all of these requirements, it is not legally allowed to be called Kobe.
Similarly, other Wagyu brands have specific requirements. Matsuzaka cows are held to a strict 900 day growth period and only allow virgin females to be marketed under the brand. Miyazakigyu cattle are fed sake mash and are raised on grass grown in coastal volcanic soil, nutrient rich with fish bones and mineral deposits.
Wagyu Beef is visually stunning, with the highest rated meats being almost completely white with intramuscular fat. The quality of all Wagyu is based on 15 possible grades, involving several factors with specific rating measurements and standards. Each carcass is is given a final grade consisting of a Letter (A, B or C) and a Number (1-5).
The letter designation, referred to as the Yield Score, is assigned based on the percentage of meat that is present in a given carcass. A requires 72% percent or higher, B requires 70%-71% — considered average — and C is any carcass registering 69% or below.
The number grade refers to the quality of the meat. Broken into four categories, each is rated on a specific scale and then scored on a 1-5 scale. The categories include: Beef Marbling, Color & Brightness of Meat, Firmness & Texture of Meat and Color, Luster & Quality of Fat.
Beef marbling is rated using the Beef Marbling Score (BMS). BMS initially included ratings of 1-12 but has since eliminated scores of 1 & 2 and now the lowest rating is 3. The higher the intramuscular fat, the higher the rating, with BMS ratings of 8-12 bringing a score of 5.
Color & Brightness is scored using the Beef Color Score (BCS) and is quite subjective. The BCS is rated based on a scale of No. 1 - No. 7 with 1 being closer to pink and 7 being closer to maroon, with brightness being scored from Very Good to Below Average. The depth of color seems to be more of a description and the visual inspection of brightness is what determines quality. The combination of the two delivers the 1-5 grade.
Firmness and Texture falls into the subjective camp with Color & Brightness. Firmness is scored on a Very Good to Inferior scale and texture on a Very Fine to Course scale. Both will be considered when assigning the 1-5 grade.
Color, Luster & Quality of Fat is slightly easier to comprehend than the last two categories. Using the Beef Fat Score (BFS) and is ranked on a No.1 - No. 7 scale based on the color of the fat; 1 being pale white and 7 closer to beige. Luster and Quality is a visual appraisal that influences the overall quality rating.
Once these categories are assigned their numerical grade of 1-5, the lowest of the 4 ratings determines what number will be assigned along with the Yield Ratings. For example, a Kobe beef cow that comes in and yields 80% meat to total weight and has quality scores of 5, 5, 4, 3, then the meat will earn a rating of A3. If it scores 5, 5, 5, 5, then it gains the coveted rating of A5 the highest rating possible. For perspective, the highest USDA rating of Prime would register a total score of no higher than A3 on the Wagyu scale due to it's respective lack of marbling.
Wagyu beef is a point of pride for Japan. It can fetch hefty sums on any restaurant menu in the world, not only because of the quality it infers, but the exclusivity of actually serving true Wagyu.
In 1997, Japan labeled Wagyu as a national treasure and instated an exporting ban that lasted until 2012. During the ban, the market for smuggled and fraudulent Wagyu exploded due to there being no active US trademark on the term Wagyu or any iteration of the word. In 2009, the US officially banned any Wagyu being brought into the county amidst concerns of an outbreak of Foot & Mouth Disease in Japan.
The first appearance of Wagyu Beef in the US happened in 1976 with the import of two Tottori Black and two Kimamoto Red bulls. Between 1976 and 1997, only 200 head of Wagyu were imported to the US. The imports struggled in their new environments, so ranchers began to cross them with proven Black & Red Angus, as well as Holstein cattle. These hybrids are referred to as American Wagyu and were first exhibited at the 2012 National Western Stock Show. The following year, only 17 Wagyu cattle were imported to the US.
American Wagyu does not follow the same Letter/Number rating that is enforced in Japan. Instead they have the F Scale. F1 refers to any cows that have 50% Wagyu bloodlines. F2 means 75%, F4 means 93.75% and Full Blood grade means exactly that. Anything less than a 46.875% Wagyu lineage does not allow it to carry the American Wagyu label to market. Even though these Flood Blood rated cows have pure lineages, they are not raised in the same manner or regions, thus they cannot be considered Wagyu cows. Of the 30,000 Wagyu influenced cattle in the US, only 5,000 are Full Bloods.
Due to aging farmers and declining production numbers, the price of locally raised Wagyu Beef is skyrocketing in Japan. Ironically, most of the American Wagyu Beef is being exported back to Japan.
Once Japan realized the economic potential of exporting Wagyu Beef, they did so under very controlled circumstances. Only four Japanese distributors are allowed to export globally and in the case of Kobe, any buyer must apply for a membership with the Japanese Kobe Beef Association and each cow exported is tracked from source to destination.
Though the exportation ban has been lifted, due to there still not being any regulations on what can and cannot be called Wagyu, misrepresentation of Wagyu Beef on US menus is still rampant. Therefore, you should be careful of what you are buying and where.
As of 2017, only 9 restaurants in the US offered genuine Kobe Beef. While that number is growing, it is still a very exclusive product. If you see a Kobe Beef product for less than $200, it's probably not real Kobe, especially that 12oz - $19 Kobe Beef Burger you’ve been waiting to try. True Kobe Beef is so rich that more than a few ounces is too much for most eaters.
If you want to know if the Kobe Beef being offered is legitimate, ask the restaurant to see the meat’s certification papers. Each Kobe Beef grown in Japan is assigned a number, much like a vehicle’s VIN number. This number follows each cow from birth to consumption. Any restaurant that is serving Kobe Beef should have the certificate. Often times the certifications are written in Japanese but all official Waygu imported beef will carry a sticker with the Wagyu symbol as well as the grade.
Clearly, this is left this up to the individual. As a life experience, sure, Wagyu Beef is borderline magical. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford the steep cost, it will be well worth it, but there are a few things to consider.
Wagyu meat is actually healthy, in moderation. Typically high in monounsaturated fat at a rate of 3:1 compared to other beef, they are considered heart healthy due to the amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Historically, some of the raising practices are questionable. While it doesn't appear torturous, some types are limited to small spaces to encourage fat rather than meat development. The whole feeding them beer to encourage eating is also debatable. While I don’t disagree that a drunk cow will eat more, I do question the voluntary nature of the process. So, the choice is your’s.
If you do get a hold of true Wagyu Beef, there is really only one way to prepare it. Invite over a few close friends and ask them to gather around to witness the spectacle. Slice the snowy meat into 1 inch slices and lightly salt both sides. Heat a dry pan over med-high heat and place the meat in without any added oil. Wagyu is so fatty that it will render out almost immediately and cook in it's own fat. Sear quickly on all sides and serve over lightly dressed greens — you don’t want to take a chance of masking the flavor of your $20 bite.
At Buy Ranch Direct, we do not offer Wagyu Beef because of everything you just read. What we are doing is integrating the Wagyu bloodline into our entire herd. Our goal is to give you the highest quality meat at the best possible price. We want all the delicious grass-fed and finished flavor without the 2nd mortgage level cost.
]]>Cast Iron is a metal alloy consisting of roughly 2% carbon and 98% iron. First thought to be used by early eastern cultures, the first western record of using cast iron as cookware dates back to 7th century England. Starting as large cauldrons to cook over open flames, when cooking methods changed from fire pits to stove tops, cast iron has adapted accordingly. In regards to modern cast iron cookware, there are two main types: traditional and enamel.
When you think of cast iron, most will imagine the deep black metal that is always on the stove top regardless if it's cooking anything, that's traditional cast iron. Aside from being more well know, it is also more versatile. It can sear, sauté, braise, bake and roast with the best cookware. It’s often cheap, starting around $30 for a good 10” skillet. It can withstand significant abuse, often being brought back to life after years of neglect. If properly maintained, it can develop a durable layer known as patina, and will become as reliable as any non-stick skillet.
Enamel cast iron cookware is the dressed-up sibling of traditional cast iron. Touted as easier to maintain, it's made from the same metal alloy as traditional, but then covered with an enamel coating, often in vibrant colors. Though prices may vary, they range from a little more, to way more expensive than traditional cast iron. The benefits of enamel over traditional is that it's far easier to clean and maintain, without needing to season or re-season. But, just know, that it will never develop or retain any of the non-stick properties like traditional cast iron. Also, if it chips or cracks, it’s done.
Before we get into how to properly care for your cast iron, it is important to let you know what you will be getting into. Cast iron is heavy — a 10” Lodge Cast Iron Skillet weighs about 5 pounds — and that's a good thing. It’s density is what allows it to heat evenly and retain that heat. It's weight makes it a little unwieldy, especially when it's hot, so special attention is needed when handling. It would be a shame to have your favorite skillet fall into the sink and absolutely obliterate your wife’s favorite pair wine glasses — just sayin’.
Cast iron is available in many sizes and forms. There are reversible griddles for indoor grilling on one side and pancake making on the other. There are dutch ovens with legs and wire handles designed to sit in hot coals or hang over open flames. There are even pans made to look like corn cobs for the cutest little cornbreads imaginable. Most common though are the skillets. About 2-3 inches deep and ranging from 3.5” all the way to 17” wide, the skillet is the most versatile. A 10” skillet is perfect for 1-2 person meals and a 12” is best for families.
For the purposes of explaining how to prepare and maintain your cast iron, we will be focusing on the skillet. The same practice is required for any shape or size.
Most manufacturers sell their products labeled as “pre-seasoned.” This means that a layer of oil has been baked into the skillet so that it will not rust, but don’t be fooled. To get the most out of your skillet with the least amount of frustration, some work needs to be done.
You’ll need:
A note about oil: There are several schools of thought on which oils are best for seasoning cast iron, and while there’s no definitive answer, some choices are better than others. Currently, the best oil for seasoning is thought to be flaxseed oil. It can often be found in health food stores in the refrigerated section.
Properly seasoning a skillet is the product of fat polymerization. Meaning that heat makes fat molecules link together and bond to the surface of the pan. Fat polymerization is optimized by using a drying oil, like the linseed oil that woodworkers use to give their projects are hard, durable finish. The only edible drying oil is flaxseed oil.
Walnut oil is the next best choice because of the hard film it leaves, but like flax oil, it's expensive. The best economical choices would be grape seed or safflower oil, but any other high temperature oil will work. Your grandma will say that bacon fat is the best to use because it adds flavor. Because grandmas know best, she’s not wrong, she's just under-informed. Any animal fat used to season assumes a high risk of spoiling in between uses.
Seasoning New Cast Iron:
Okay, yes, this will take the better part of two days. What's a weekend relative to a lifetime of impressing your friends by being able to dry fry an egg in your cast iron. Plus, it will make maintaining your skillet much easier.
*If you are starting with a rusty skillet, start here.
Using Cast Iron:
Once you have developed that initial protective layer, it’s time to cook. This is where the time and effort of seasoning will pay off.
Cleaning & Storing Cast Iron:
This is what scares most people away. Cast Iron is not hard to clean, it just requires a different approach than other cookware.
I know this seems like a lot, and at first it might be, but stay strong. If you follow these steps in caring for your cast iron, it will become your go-to piece of cookware and you’ll annoy all your friends and family with the joys of cast iron like all other believers.
]]>Keep your home cool and check out our selection of ready made Bone Broths - Click Here
Bone broth is one of the most nutrient-dense foods for healing the digestive system and is one of the best natural sources of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and can be found in bones, skin, muscles, eyes, nails, hair, tendons and ligaments. Within collagen are other special nutrients including amino acids like proline and glycine, along with gelatin, which may help promote probiotic balance, muscle recovery and improve sleep.
Bone broth is made from animal parts including bones, marrow, skin, feet, tendons and ligaments. The broth is slowly simmered over several days, normally with veggies, an acid (optional), fresh herbs and additional animal parts, which allows all the ingredients to release their stored nutrients in forms the body can easily absorb.
Poultry bones should simmer for at least 8 hours, or 12 hours for beef bones; less than that will likely not draw substantial amounts of nutrients or gelatin out. However, to get the maximum health benefits poultry bones can cook for 24 to 48 hours, while beef bones can cook 48 to 72 hours or until bones are soft. A good rule to follow – the larger the bones, the longer you’ll want to cook them! The longer it cooks, the better it tastes and the more nutritious it becomes. Depending on your cooking appliance, times will vary with specific bones but they're done when the bones are soft and brittle.
What kinds of bones are used for broth?
You can use bones from any type of animal – beef, bison, chicken, yak or pork. Make sure to get a variety of bones such as our popular 5 pound beef mixed bones (neck, knuckle and marrow) or for chicken use a combination of frames and feet. Larger bones such as beef knuckles or chicken feet contain more cartilage, which will make a broth that will become jiggly at room temperature.
What can you do with broth?
You can drink broth right out of a mug. In fact, a warm cup of broth first thing in the morning will help jumpstart your digestive system. Use bone broth as a cooking liquid for grains, legumes or as a base for sauces and soups.
Check Out 12 Unique Ways To Use Bone Broth - Read More
How to store bone broth?
For a quick addition to any recipe, freeze some in an ice cube tray. Larger amounts can be stored in mason jars, containers or sealable bags. But make sure the broth is cooled before transferring, especially into glass! Also, leave enough space in the jar, about 1 inch, for the frozen broth to expand otherwise it can break.
Why add vinegar to broth? (optional)
Adding an acid is an optional ingredient (like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar) may help pull the minerals from the bones as it slowly simmers. Use a mild flavor vinegar so it won’t overpower the final flavor. Acid is typically added at the beginning with the water.
Should you roast the bones first?
Roasting bones browns and caramelizes them, which means more flavor. Keep in mind, this will also create a darker bone broth color. You can skip this step if you like but we always roast our bones!
Should you skim foam from the top of bone broth?
Skimming the white or gray foam is completely optional and this step can be skipped in the bone broth recipe. When the broth begins to simmer the proteins start to denature, which can create a foamy top. However, that foam will eventually disperse but it will leave the broth a bit cloudy. So if you're already roasting the bones as well, that broth will already have a darker color. It won't hurt the taste of the broth, only the appearance.
How to choose between pressure cooking on high vs. slow cooking on low in the Instant Pot?
If you're short on time a pressure cooker takes about 2 to 4 hours depending on the bones, plus the natural release time. While the slow cooker will take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. We love using the slow cooker as it builds a nice flavor; however, you can get a great bone broth using the pressure cooker too.
Pressure Cooker Time Tips
Poultry bones do cook in a shorter amount of time with any method, while beef, bison or pork bones will increase the cook time by about 2 hours in the pressure cooker, plus the optional natural release. This time will vary depending on your bones of choice. You will know when the broth is done when the bones are falling apart and brittle. However, if this has not happened, place the lid back on the pressure cooker and cook on high for another 60 to 120 minutes. You can either allow the Instant Pot to release its pressure naturally or open the steam valve to release pressure to check on broth right away. It's about experimenting and finding what works for your recipe.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Winter or Summer below are 3 cooking techniques to make bone broth from the comfort of home.
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This may be surprising to some, but outside of long, slow cooking methods like smoking and braising — which allow the necessary time at the perfect temperatures to break down tough muscle fibers and connective tissues — the tenderization of raw meat is only accomplished mechanically. Pounding, poking and grinding are the only ways to make raw meat more tender. Soaking in a marinade simply cannot deliver the same results.
Before we go over why marinades don’t tenderize well, lets take a minute to identify the four basic types of marinades.
While all these methods can tenderize meat, there is a simple reason why they don't work well. Think of meat as a tasty sponge. This sponge is soaked to capacity with water (75%), amino acids, fatty acids and minerals (25%). Now submerge this sponge into a solution of oil and acid. What's going to happen?
The water in the meat-sponge acts as a barrier against the oil/acid solution, causing it to loiter on the surface, not being allowed to penetrate down into the interior. The acidity will affect the portion it can touch, but that's really it. The longer it sits, the more it will denature the surface proteins/fibers, but will still only penetrate a few millimeters deep.
The idea that marinades can tenderize meat is not wrong. If left for long enough, the water will eventually leech out, allowing the tenderizers to reach the interior. But by the time it does fully penetrate, the surface of the meat will have been denatured to mush. This mushy meat will lose it's capability to retain any moisture and when cooked, will dry out almost completely.
Even if marinades are ineffective as meat tenderizers, they excel at flavor delivery. Almost any flavor profile can be achieved if used correctly.
MEAT 101: The Basics |
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Clean, grass-fed and finished meat is good for you and we want it to be accessible to everyone. It contains essential nutrients unavailable from other sources. We often get new or returning meat-eaters that have sought us out due to a literal need for our product.
When we meet these customers, they are often intimidated by cooking meat for the first time. We do our best to share our experience and reassure them that while it does take a little practice, cooking safe and delicious meat is nothing to fret about.
Usually there is only time for a hurried crash course with the hope of pointing them in the right direction, so I’ve decided to break it down into a little more detail. This is the start of a series focusing on meat cooking equipment and supplies and below, you'll find a quick introduction to foundational items needed to start down the road of meat perfection.
They are listed in order of importance.
High Temperature Cooking Oil: Put raw meat on any hot cooking surface without oil and it's going to stick. Once it's stuck, the only way to get it to the plate is to pull and pry until it comes loose, usually leaving the browned crust — the results of the Maillard Reaction and the best part — left on the surface to be scrubbed to waste in the sink. Oil is what will allow that delicious crusty goodness to make it to your plate and more importantly, still attached to your meat. But not any oil will work.
Since the Maillard Reaction (which will be covered in detail in a later post) works best at high temperatures, you’ll need an oil with a smoke point to support it. Once oil reaches it's smoking point, the fats start to degrade, leaving your meal with acrid flavors and in some cases, the release of carcinogens. The lower the smoke point, the lower the ability to form an ideal crust.
Best High Temp Cooking Oils:
This is not a comprehensive list. There are plenty of other high temp cooking options but these are the healthiest options that are the most readily available.
Cast Iron: If you’ve been reading these posts regularly, you may have noticed an affinity for cast iron cooking. For good reason too. Cast iron pans and skillets are durable and work magic on meat. They retain heat better than almost any other cooking material and can be used on all cook-tops from induction to open campfire flames. You can sear, saute, roast, braise, shallow fry and even bake in them. They are cheap and if treated properly, can be more dependable that any synthetic non-stick material. The only downside to these kitchen work horses are that they need special attention when cleaning and storing, but if done correctly, they will last through generations.
A 10” cast iron skillet is plenty for one or two person meals and a 12” skillet will handle family meals with ease. Lodge is the standard but if you want to show off, companies like Butter Pat Industries are doing some crazy things.
Meat Thermometer: Though it's not as vital as the above, the meat thermometer is the most underrated piece of equipment on this list. Does biting into raw chicken gross you out? Get a meat thermometer. Do you find grey-centered ribeyes disappointing? Get a meat thermometer. WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE DONE? Get a meat thermometer.
If you have the means, get an instant read digital one. They are expensive but their ease of use and accuracy will be your secret weapon. If the price deters you, there are plenty of useable options for less than $10 available at kitchen supply stores that are open to the public, like Chef’s Toys. Be wary of the grocery store ones and probes with external displays that have bells, whistles and alarms that tell you when your food is done. These are priced for desperation and are often inaccurate.
Tongs: Tongs are extensions of your hands. Despite a lack of appendages, they are the most dextrous utensil for cooking meat. They allow you to grasp the meat rather than stabbing with a fork or messily flipping with a spatula — eww and ouch.
Look for ones with a pull tab on the end, rather than a sliding ring or a need to shake it one direction or the other to lock and unlock. Short tongs won’t get your hands far enough away from pain and long tongs become unwieldy. Go for a length in the middle, about 12”. Also, go ahead and get a set of metal and silicone tipped tongs. You’ll want one when you only have the other.
Slow Cookers: Slow Cookers are a novice’s best friend. They take braising (a personal favorite meat technique) and make it virtually fool-proof. Virtually. They are the first plug-n-play, set it and forget it kitchen tool. They can be as simple as meat + water + time = food, but I implore you to get more creative than that. Their reliability has resulted in a world of resources to find your favorite techniques, ingredients and recipes.
Crock-Pot still sets the standard for slow cooker-only set-ups, but the new kid in town is the Instant Pot. It's more complicated with a higher learning curve, but with complication comes versatility. They are multi-function machines that can braise a lamb shank and bake a cake.
The only downside to slow cookers is that it takes some fore thought. But, if you find a recipe, buy the necessary ingredients, get them ready to go the night before and in the pot in the morning, you’ll have a seriously good meal ready for you when you get home.
Rimmed Baking Sheet (w/ parchment paper): Most people already have a baking sheet. And most people are not using them to their full potential. Cookies are great and all, but are they bacon? No they are not. Baking sheets made the list because of bacon.
I grew up cooking bacon all wrong and I have met plenty of people that have done the same. Preheat your oven to 450F and lay out your bacon strips on a parchment lined baking sheet so they are close but not touching. Bake for 9 mins, spin the sheet 180 degrees and bake for another 7-9 mins depending on how crispy you like it. Remove the strips to a paper towel to suck up the excess grease. Pour the grease from the baking sheet into an airtight container and save it to add bacon goodness to anything.
This technique can be used to roast virtually any kind of meat from chicken thighs to sirloin caps with fantastic results. Time and temperature will vary, but what will not is the usefulness of parchment paper. Simply because it makes cleanup a breeze and it sticks to almost nothing. Just be sure to get the kind that has a high temperature rating. You’ll need at least 450F+ to get it's full potential; it’ll say so on the packaging, if it doesn’t, don’t buy it.
Protip: Kitchen supply stores like Chef’s Toys has the good stuff.
And finally…
Grills: I almost left them off the list because they require a designated outside space but grill fanatics are a passionate bunch. They facilitate the most time tested method of cooking meat but not everyone has room for one. If you do, charcoal is best for flavor and gas grills are best for convenience.
They both have their share of pros and cons that we will definitely address in a later post, but all their results can be achieved with the methods above, minus the delicious smokiness. Grills will have their day, it's just not this one.
Of all commercially raised livestock, Yaks were the last to be domesticated. They are prized for their resilience and versatility. Originating from the Himalayas, they thrive in harsh climates and high altitudes. They have since been acclimatized to more human-friendly environments through several thousand years of intentional breeding. Domestically, they are growing in popularity because of their calm demeanor, tolerance of physical contact and as excellent sources of wool and dairy, but more importantly, for their lean and nutritious meat.
History
The nomadic Qiang People of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau first domesticated Wild Yaks (Bos mutus) around 4,500 years ago. Fully matured Wild Yak bulls have trouble living at altitudes below 10,000 ft and are massive, topping out at around 2,200 pounds, so we can only speculate as to how they were first tamed. Presumably, they were captured as calves and brought down to environments that were more hospitable to humans.
As the Qiang wandered across Asia and into the Middle East, they allowed Wild Yak bulls to mate with their captured herds, which resulted in Bos grunniens, now referred to as Domestic Yaks. There is even a third species of Yak called Feral Domestic Yaks, who were taken to pasture by herders, then wandered off and were never recovered, yet managed to survive due to their natural resilience.
As westerners traveled through the Asian highlands in the mid-1800s, a British captain named Samuel Turner took notice of the animals and had a pair shipped back to England in an attempt to appease the first Governor-Central of India, Warren Hastings, a Far Eastern Culture enthusiast. In 1854, twelve yak were imported for display at the Museum of Natural History in Paris and just after the turn of the century, Yaks started to appear in North American zoos.
It wasn’t until 1908 that Domestic Yaks were looked at as viable ranch livestock, thanks to naturalist and Boy Scout founder, Ernest Thompson Seton. Seton was of Scottish and Canadian decent but grew up in England, where he came across domestic Yaks in the northern English prairies. In order to establish a Canadian national game park, he needed a breed that could withstand harsh Canadian climates. He immediately thought of the hardy Yak.
Hybridization studies took place over the next several decades but didn’t make it beyond a 1932 study conducted by the Alaskan State Department of Agriculture which concluded that Yaks raised as livestock was “worthy of more attention.”
North American Domestic Yaks managed to survive in small numbers on Canadian and American exotic game ranches, most notably when Jerry McRoberts imported 35 yaks to Nebraska in 1987. They remained inconsequential until 1997, when a rancher from Montana named Larry Richards brought Yaks to the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, enlightening ranchers to benefits of adding Yaks to their herds.
Appearance & Ease of Care
Domestic Yaks are smaller than their wild counterparts. Cows (females) weigh in at 600-700 pounds and bulls (males) approach 1400 pounds, with both measuring a relatively short 5-6 feet at the shoulder. Both males and females have horns that protrude outward from the sides of the head and have horse-like tails. They have long, fibrous hair with a woolen undercoat that can be harvested for clothing and rope. They have naturally minimal odor which results in textiles that are naturally odor resistant. Their dried manure is still used as a fuel source in Mongolia due to it's low odor. Historically they are black or dark brown with grey muzzles, but have since evolved into having white trim and patterning. On rare occasions, they can have a entirely golden coat.
Yaks are quiet creatures that communicate through grunts and head-shakes rather than moos. If their caretakers have established themselves as the leader of the herd, Yaks are non-aggressive and quick to realize that their caretakers are friendly so they will follow commands well. Even though Yak prefer cold, high-elevation environments, they quickly adapt to all types of climates by learning to wade in streams and pools as well as panting to keep cool. They require less acreage to grow compared to beef cattle at a ratio of 4:1, not to mention their ability to thrive in mountainous terrain where beef cattle cannot.
Lean, Nutritious Meat
With less that 5,000 breeding pairs in North America, Domestic Yak are still a very small percentage of ranch livestock but are quickly growing in popularity thanks to studies into the raising and processing of Yak meat.
Studies comparing Yak ribeyes and ground to similar cuts of beef and bison have shown Yak to be a great alternative to conventional red meat. It has a sweet beefy flavor with no gaminess and does not leave you with a greasy mouthfeel. At an approximate 95/5 lean ratio, what little fat it does have is high in healthy unsaturated fatty acids, about 3x more polyunsaturated fat -- but less monounsaturated fat -- and a lower amount of saturated fat than beef. It has a low sodium content and comparable amounts of iron to beef and bison. Yak meat contains comparable amounts of Omega-3 acids to turkey breast and comparable amounts of Omega-6 acids to skipjack tuna. Its cholesterol level is closer to tuna and turkey than to beef or bison.
With its high protein and high ratio of unsaturated fats, yak meat is considered by some to be the healthiest meat available, especially when raised entirely on nutrient dense grasses and foraged diets like the ones we grow at Diamond Mountain Ranch!
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Falling in line with our efforts to raise the best quality grass-fed meats in a sustainable and responsible way, we feel it's important to educate our community on what exactly is in their meat products.
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