Am I wrong in this? Most recently I bought beef from a farm that grass feeds and finishes on grain for 100-180 days. Still has that grassy flavor that I do not tend to like. Am I the only one? And does anyone in know of a California farm that sells whole, half or quarter carcasses that are all grain fed? Similar to Creekstone Farms? I can’t say definitively that Creekstone is 100% grain fed but their website makes no mention of grass fed. Not that I’ve noticed anyway.
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I don’t even like Grass-fed/Grain Finished
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No speaka kaliphornia. I've tried prime dry-aged grass-fed ribeyes, no thanks. Grass-fed short ribs, no thanks. More edible than actual liver, I'll give it that.
My family grain feeds a couple calves each year with a feedlot ration. Awesome, awesome beef. My ex regrets eating any of that ground meat cause after that the wolly world stuff is crap.
Grass-fed until weaning, that is all I need.
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With very few exceptions all cattle are grass fed first. During finishing they can stay strictly on grass, others given grain as a supplement to grass, and then there are the ones finished in feedlots where they are fed corn and grains for quick weight gain and fattening. If they are raised on bad pasture grass, supplementing with some grain isn’t going to change the flavor of the bad grass. Only finishing in a feedlot is going to make a difference for those. I would try a few cuts from different ranches to see if you like any of those raised in different pastures. Otherwise, buy commodity cattle finished in feedlots, or those fed a feedlot ration during finishing.Last edited by Donw; April 22, 2021, 08:21 PM.
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Yeah I've purchased from a few different ranches now and the "taste" is consistently the same. You hear so many people swear by grass fed beef as if it's the gold standard but I just can't get behind it. Same, for me anyway, with any dry aged beef over 21 days.
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Cattle are ruminants. They require some form of grass or other roughage, whether it be pasture or hay or silage or running on corn stalks, in their diet. Not to mention farmers have to keep it cost effective -- concentrated rations are more expensive than grass.
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Bought a side from a local farm this past year. Honestly, cannot wait to finish eating the meat so I can close this chapter. Just cant let myself waste it. Would not do it again. I do not think it was this farm as they try to produce good quality and I have seen the same results from others as well.
For me, grass fed and grain finished has good flavor but incredibly tough. Just not enough fat in the meat.
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Only time I ever had "grass fed" beef was when my dad used to make burgers. He was in CA and would get the meat from a farm in OR. I thought they were delicious. I remember thinking these taste different but not bad. Haven’t had a steak though.
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All the "technical" info above can be correct, but in the end taste is an acquired sensation as far as defining "good" or "bad". Sometimes it's just a matter of familiarity, sometimes it's related to body chemistry. An example of the latter is where some people think cilantro tastes like soap........likely their bodies are more sensitive to the sulphur present.
A little over 50 years ago I "won" an all expense paid trip to SE Asia. When we'd go to a restaurant and order their beef dishes we'd get something that visually resembled what we were raised on, but had a very different taste. It came from what we called water buffalo. Some folks refused to eat the unfamiliar, others rolled with it and enjoyed. Ya makes yur choices and takes yur chances.......
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I definitely think a lot has to do with familiarity. That's why some folks love game meat and some can't stand the gaminess. I heard an older relative say one time that "this is how beef used to taste!" in regards to 100% grass fed. He was from the backwoods of Missouri.
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My grandmother went to Australia many years ago. She reported that the hamburgers tasted different. She thought that given the amount of sheep in the country (at least in the 1980s), the burger was a mix of beef and mutton. In hindsight, I wonder if it was grass fed.
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With all that was said here, I have almost forgotten what beef tastes like. Been eatin mostly venison for 6 mos now with a little "real" chicken & pork sprinkled in. Can’t say I’ve ever had total grass beef, wouldn’t know. But, in relation to all this I wonder where all the venison I have been eating stands. I guess it depends if a corn field was available or not.
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I use to hunt deer, but now we usually get our deer from friends who are local farmers who get crop damage permits from DNR to cull the herds. If comparing mountain deer who forage on acorns and leaves to corn feed deer grazing in the corn and soy fields, there is a big difference and grain fed is better.
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I used to work for a butcher shop, and we had a deal with a local farm that was raising grass fed beef. We would process halves and quarters for prepaid customers. We got a lot of complaints and had to refund a few people their money. Then again, some people liked it.
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I’ve had 100% grass fed/grass finished and didn’t care for it. Even out of the bag there was a bit of an aroma that I noticed. I don’t purchase what is labeled as grass fed. I do search out grain finished, Crowd Cow being one place that offers a pasture raised, grain finished product.
The local farm/shop I purchase from now is pasture raised, grain finished as well and is the best beef product that i have had, hands down. So like others have said, the pasture could have something to do with the flavor.
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I’m beginning to solidify my opinion that "grass fed" is a keyword fad. Either that or I just like plain ‘ol no beefy flavored grain beef.
That said....the "extra beefy" flavor of grass fed should simply resemble the "extra beefy" flavor of chuck or brisket but be present in a ribeye or New York....right? Not sure if I buy the "extra beefy" argument.
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I'm not sure why this is in the "California" sub-forum rather than the "beef" sub-forum, but here we are.
We have friends where the wife grew up in Argentina. She says when she first came to the US years ago she thought there was something wrong with the beef because it was so bland. While she was telling us this, her husband was standing behind her shaking his head violently. Later he said Argentinian beef was too strong, and whenever they went to Argentina to see her family he'd act polite but he really didn't enjoy the meat.
So I think it's all what you're used to.
Next up: my wife grew up in France and eats cheeses that I find unpleasant.
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