Lucknow Farms

How to Cook Grassfed Beef - A General Introduction

To be its most tender and flavorful, Grass-fed beef is best cooked like game meats, such as venison and bison, and domestic meats with big flavor, such as lamb, goat, and mutton.

The basic technique for lean meat is slow-cooking with low heat. When cooked slowly for a sufficiently long time, meat liquids are reabsorbed by the meat. Muscle and connective tissues break down and soften, making them delicious, flavorful, and tender. When cooked rapidly, muscle protein toughens.

Commodity beef, which is grain-finished and fatty, can be cooked rapidly and remain tender, because the fat in the beef insulates the muscle protein. Of course, you want to reduce your fat consumption, so you are avoiding commodity beef.

While techniques for best cooking such lean meats might be new to American consumers, the techniques are well-developed and traditional. Until the 20th century, most meats were lean like grass-fed beef. Animals were not fattened in feeding lots; they were raised on ranges or lived in the wild, where they walked or ran around unable to accumulate fat, eating grass and other vegetation and strengthening their muscles. 

The following discussion is only a general introduction. Follow recipes for specific directions, cooking temperatures, and cooking times, and other preparations, such as marinating and spices.

Only a few pots and pans are required, and cooking can be done on stove-top or in the oven.

Implements:

• Braising pan with tight fitting lid (or cover with aluminum foil)
• Dutch oven
• Large heavy, oven-safe, fry pan

Also useful:

• Electric slow cooker or crockpot
• Pressure cooker (electric or stove top)

Techniques

The appropriate technique depends upon the cut of meat being cooked. For muscle meats, the two basic techniques are braising and frying (or grilling).

Braising is simple and requires little attention. Though seldom used in the American home today, it is the basic technique used in restaurants to prepare meats for barbeque recipes and for sandwiches, such as pulled pork and pulled beef. You can learn it quickly, it's easy.

Braising is the basic technique for the following cuts of meat:

• Rump
• Chuck
• Brisket
• Round
• Short ribs

Braising is a three-step process:

• First, let the meat come to room temperature (not more than 4 hours out of refrigeration)
• Optional step, marinate the meat
• Second, brown the meat in a braising pan
• Third, cover the pan with a tight cover or aluminum foil and roast in the oven

Cooking times in the oven depend upon the cut and weight of meat. Below are typical temperatures.

Brown the meat at medium-high heat in the braising pan.

Cook the browned meat in the oven at 300 degrees fahrenheit for 1 to 4 hours.

Pan roasting is the basic technique for these cuts of meat:

• Rib steaks
• Tenderloin filets
• Short loin steaks
• Sirloin steaks

Filets and steaks should be 1 inch minimum, preferably 1^1/2 inches, thick.

Pan roasting is a four-step procedure.

• First, let the meat come to room temperature (not longer than 4 hours out of refrigeration). If you use salt, salt the meat lightly, both sides, 30 minutes before cooking. 
• Second, sear the meat in a fry pan on the stove top;
• Third, the cooking is finished by roasting the meat, in the same pan, in the oven.
• Fourth, after cooking, let the meat rest for a few minutes, before serving, to reabsorb juices.

Cooking Time To Doneness for Pan Roasting

Filet or steak one and one-half inches thick

Heat stove-top to medium-high, just below oil smoking point

Oven preheated to 425 degree fahrenheit

Rare

• sear 5 minutes (2.5 minutes per side)
• roast 5 minutes
• rest 5 minutes

Medium-Rare

• sear 5 minutes (2.5 minutes per side)
• roast 7 minutes
• rest 5 minutes

Medium

• sear 5 minutes (2.5 minutes per side)
• roast 9 minutes
• rest 5 minutes

Internet References

Internet texts and videos are easily accessible and useful.

"Braising Technique". The Reluctant Gourmet

"Pan Roasting - The Chef's Secret Cooking Technique". The Reluctant Gourmet

"Braising Beef - Beef Cheek". Video. All-Clad Complany. YouTube.

"Pan Roasting Beef Tenderloin". Video. Rocky Julianelle, chef. YouTube. 

Print References

Clear and extensive discussions of braising meat are provided in these classic print cookbooks.

for braising

Craig Claiborne. The New New York Times Cookbook. With Pierre Franey. New York: Times Books, 1975.

Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck. Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Volume One. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976

Alton Brown. I'm just Here For the Food. Version 2. New York: Steward, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006.

Why Brangus?

Brangus cattle are a hybrid, 3/8 American Brahman and 5/8 Angus. Brangus combine the best qualities of Brahman and Angus cattles and have hybrid vigor.(1, 2)

For the producer

• Brangus cattle tolerate hot and humid ranges better than Angus cattle. They will eat and gain weight in humid weather. They will gain weight on less rich pasture than Angus.
• Brangus are resistant to diseases that afflict Angus, such as eye cancer and pink eye.
• Brangus's thick hide makes them resistant to insects.
• Brangus cows have outstanding maternal instincts.

For the Consumer

• Brangus meat is leaner than Angus.
• Brangus meat is more tender in some scientific tests than Angus meat.(3)
• Grass pastured, grass-finished Brangus beef has delicious, genuine, beef flavor - no soapy taste of fat as in grain-finished commodity beef.
• Grass pastured, grass-finished Brangus beef:
  • is lower in saturated fat, and
  • is higher in iron, B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin, Omega 3, conjugated linoleic acid, and vitamin E, than commodity grain-finished beef,
  • lowers unhealthy levels of Omega 6, and
  • has a nutritional profile similar to skinless chicken breast meat and wild game meats.(4)

Grass pastured, grass-finished Brangus beef is a healthy meat, especially desired by athletes and fitness competitors who must build muscle and muscular strength and stamina. Grass-fed beef is the best food to build lean muscle.(5)

 ____________

1. Brangus (Wikipedia), Braham (cattle) (Wikipedia), Braham (Oklahoma State University), Angus cattle (Wikipedia).

2. American Brahman Breeders Association, American Angus Association (black Angus), Red Angus Association, International Brangus Breeders Association

3. Texas A&M carcass test

4. Health Benefits of Grassfed Beef, Health Benefits of Grassfed Products, The Grass-Fed Vs Grain-Fed Beef Debate (especially helpful), American Grass Fed Beef vs Organic Beef, Utah State University "Grass Fed vs Conventionally Fed Beef" ([AG/Beef/2011_01] carefully dissects the debate over fat content, downplaying claims over Omega 3 and Omega 6), Grass Fed Beef Nutrition Information versus Grain Fed Beef (clear explanation of nutritional comparisons)

5. Beef Vs Chicken - Which Protein is Best to Build Muscle?, Top 10 Muscle-building Foods, Eat Beef for Bigger Muscles, Nutrition 101. Eat To Build Lean Muscle. The 15 Best Lean-Muscle Building Foods (grass fed beef is number 1 best food to build lean muscle)

Starting Our Brangus Herd

To start our herd, we have purchased five, registered, replacement, brangus heifers, all pregnant, from Don Thomas & Sons farm in Madison, Missouri. These animals have great EPDs, with wonderful conformation on the hoof. The girls are now in West Virginia, grazing on lush, green, bottom land pasture. Four are due around April, one is now in second trimester.

Here is a photograph of Ms Thomas Traction 100Y out of AV Traction and Ms Thomas, one of our purchases. She typifies the quality of these brangus heifers.