Your family can enjoy Beartown Farms healthy grass-fed meat at home!
Cooking grass-fed meat is different than store-bought conventional meat. Lean grass-fed meat has less fat than grain-fed meat. The key to cook grass-fed meat cuts is conserving the remaining fat and juiciness inside the meat.
Lacking fat means the meat is not protected by sufficient insulation for long periods of cooking at high temperature. You probably noticed how much the conventional burger shrinks as it completely cooked; unlike grass-fed hamburger. If you cook grass-fed meat at high temperature for long, the fat will be lost quickly, resulting in toughness. You also don’t want to lose health promoting fat from the grass-fed meat, either! Pasture-raised meat also has its own savory flavor. You can fully discover its distinctive natural taste by not over-seasoning the meat.
Different cooking methods should be considered for different cuts of meat. The meat close to the loin such as tenderloin, steaks, and lamb chops can be cooked with a dry-heat method such as grilling and frying. You will be most successful if you cook steaks rare to medium rare, in this case, so the meat is firm, but still juicy inside. The longer you cook, the more fat and water is lost from the meat. This may apply to basic pan frying and here is how to handle them. Heat a cast iron skillet or your favorite pan and pour a few drops of olive oil. Place the meat on the skillet and sear the meat for about 40 seconds on each side at high temperature to lock up the juiciness inside using tongs to turn over. Then reduce the temperature down to medium and further cook it for a few minutes. Just remember the rarer the better with the grass-fed meat.
Roasts, such as chuck, round, and prime rib can be cooked with moist-heat methods. It is always a good idea to sear the meat before oven cooking. You can slow roast these cuts at the lowest heat setting for several hours. Many recipes are available on the internet. Be adventurous and try a new dish. Healthy grass-fed roasts from happy animals will give everybody a memorable experience.
For the hamburgers, you can use some olive oil to compensate for the low fat content by rubbing the burger before cooking.
You can now add hot, sweet italian, and mild beef and lamb sausages on your menu. Start breakfast with healthy mild beef sausages and have some hot sausages and pasta or sweet italian sausages and three color pepper sautee dinner. You will love more of the Beartown Farms beef and lamb.
Don’t overcook. Grass fed meat will continue to cook when removed from heat, so it needs about 30% less cooking time than grain-fed meat. Monitor temperature to serve as a measure for doneness.
Don’t serve immediately; let sit loosely covered at least 5 minutes before serving (longer on a large roast). This minimizes moisture loss through steam in very hot beef.
Don’t use a fork to turn meat; use tongs to turn grass fed meat.
Don’t microwave. Microwaving changes the texture and flavor of meat, and reduce tenderness.
Don’t cook frozen or partially frozen grass fed meat, it causes the meat to be dry, tough and to cook uneven.
Don’t defrost roasts or steaks in a microwave oven. Microwaving causes tough spots and reduces moisture. Thaw grass fed meat in your refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours to allow ice crystals to thaw gradually and be absorbed into the meat before cooking. Place the meat in a large bowl of cool water if you are in a hurry.
Don’t cook steaks to medium-well or well-done. Try a grass fed steak done to medium, if you usually like your meat well done. Grass fed steaks have a different texture and taste at medium. Add a little marinade, and cook as carefully as possible if you must have your meat well done.
There are many good cook books for pasture-grown meat. If you are going to stay on a healthy natural diet, it is worth an investment for the long term.
Enjoy our grass-fed meat for your health, starting today.
More recipes can be found online at: