Am I the only one who doesn't like "grass fed" beef?

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I lived in Ireland for a year and I couldn't figure out for a while why I didn't like the flavor of the beef. And the mutton and pork mostly had the same flavor, too. Something just a little different, I couldn't put my finger on it, but it always let me down.

Then someone told me when I mentioned this that it was because they don't grain-feed their livestock before slaughtering them.

Well, wow!

To be honest I never really THOUGHT about it. And I'm sure it's all what you are used to, what you grew up with, etc.,...


But... there's a REASON we started grain feeding our livestock, right? I mean, because we are able to grow enough grain to DO it, but it also helps them put on weight AND taste better, too!



At least to me.

[ScottyC13]

I also prefer grain fed to grass fed.

[58limited]

I like both. The salt grass here makes pretty tasty grass fed beef. A friend in Central Texas has a grass fed operation, his beef, while good, isn't as good as the salt grass beef here.

[smokin fool]

I prefer beef finished on corn or grains.
Do I know what I'm getting when I shop?
No but some stores and establishments are starting to make a big deal of it.
Someone on here made a great point about beef production, farmers and feedlots in North America tend feed cattle to a certain age/weight and off to market. Probably when they're 18 months to 24 months.
Australian beefers, as an example, are allowed to mature 36 months plus before slaughter allowing the animals meat to mature that much more over time.

[fzxdoc]

I don't mind grass-fed beef that is grain finished.

But pure grass-fed beef, especially the more fatty cuts, is a big turn-off for me. I can't even stand the smell of the burger meat frying. The taste is usually pretty awful, my taste buds consistently report.

I wonder if the reaction to grass-fed beef is gene-related, similar to a certain portion (OR6A2 gene-carrying) of the population's reaction to cilantro. I say that because some people I know really like grass-fed beef, so I wonder if they're tasting and smelling the same thing I am as we all eat the same meal.

Kathryn

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Agreed, I think grass-fed through most of their life is fine, as long as they are grain-fed at the end. I really never thought about it, but I was told at the time that Americans typically grain-feed for 30, 60 or even 90 days prior to slaughter. Then it made a little more sense to me as to why the meat didn't taste so good to me in Ireland.

[RustyHaines]

Since I have the "Cilantro tastes like soap gene" I believe you may be right. Could be others do not taste/smell what you do.

[Dan Deter]

I as well, and I'm sure its because its what I grew up on (and we raised). But I definitely prefer grain-finished. Before the last 3 months it doesn't really matter other than how fast they put on weight (and availability of pasturage, etc). They need grass and/or hay the whole time for their digestion to work right. Then, for my tastes, the last 3 months need to be grain with good quality hay (no onion grass, etc) to purge all of the odd tastes from whatever else was in the grass besides grass and/or clover.

One of the big reasons I haven't been buying sides of beef is the difficulty of finding local growers who aren't purely grass fed around here. And my parents are too old to feed a cow out on the farm again.

[Steve R.]

One of my grandfathers raised cattle and what you describe is what I grew up on. As a kid I always wanted to grab a handful of sweet feed out of the drum and eat it, but somehow I resisted the urge.

[Donw]

A lot depends on the grass they are feeding on. One local rancher produces some tasty grass fed beef, but a few others around here produce some awful tasting stuff. When CrowdCow was first starting and featured a lot of ranchers across the country we could tell by taste which farm the beef was raised on. Some had a unique flavor which we could identify and really enjoyed.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Makes me think of that scene in Napoleon Dynamite where he's tasting the milk and identifying what the cow ate. Love that movie. lol

[fzxdoc]

Great movie.

K.

[Huskee]

This cow got into an onion patch.

[RonB]

I prefer grain finished beef. I don't need wagu amounts of marbling, but I do prefer some marbling.

[Troutman]

Grass fed sucks. There I said it.

[DavidNorcross]

How do you really feel?

[58limited]

Now, don't hold anything back...

[drobinson]

Many informative comments. I prefer grain finished also. Having said that I would rather see cattle grazing (as I do each day across the road) than see them in a feed lot.

[Porkies]

I enjoy grass-fed/finished and I don't mind if the meat is grain finished. The main reason I look for how the meat is fed is so I get the nutrition profile I want to be eating. Of course, I am assuming that people tell the truth about "pasture raised, grass fed, etc..." haha!

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Uhhhh... good luck with that. I definitely won't hold my breath these days.

[JoeSousa]

Most of the time I prefer grain fed beef but I had some grass fed steaks last week that were among the best steaks I have ever had.

The problem is grass fed is so hit and miss. Some can he great but some tastes like swamp grass. Totally depends on the Ranch and what the cattle are eating.

[Oak Smoke]

We raised beef cattle growing up. It wasn't a huge operation, about 200 head of cows raising calves. We always grain finished a steer at least 45 days before taking it to the processor. They were very good. We had a heifer get out on the highway and get clipped by a car. The vet said it had broken one of her back legs. He also said that other than that lower leg she would be fine to eat. She was straight off pasture, no grain. I didn't care for the meat at all. The fat was yellow and it had a gamie taste to it. I've tried grass fed a couple of times since and just don't care for it.

[Texas Larry]

The Mrs. wanted to give Butcher Box a trial. This is our first grass fed beef in a long time. So far we’re enjoying it, but we’ve only had flat irons.