GREEN & SUSTAINABLE

Greener Pastures: When it comes to beef, is grass-fed better?

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Grilled Steaks Balsamico

Featured Recipe: Grilled Steaks Balsamico

Healthy Beef Recipes

Presently, grass-fed beef comprises a tiny proportion of overall beef consumption in the U.S. But what if conventional production were to shift toward raising cattle entirely on pastures? Wouldn’t this lead to overgrazing, which could contribute to soil erosion and water-quality problems? Dr. Clancy acknowledges that badly managed grazing has created significant ecological damage, particularly in the arid West. However, she explains that “the key to sustainable beef production would be to use rotational grazing methods. Well-managed grazing actually improves the quality of the soil because the manure going into the soil acts as a fertilizer. The cattle don’t damage the soil, because they are rotated.” Rotational grazing can also play a role in fighting climate change. Healthy grass in well-managed pastures absorbs carbon and helps offset fossil-fuel emissions. Clancy also notes, “When cattle graze on pasture, rather than standing on a feedlot, significantly more methane can be absorbed into the soil.

A Matter of Taste

But what about taste? The feedlot system has succeeded in producing tender, succulent beef that consumers love. Grass-fed beef is definitely a different product. I found adapting ground beef recipes like my mother-in-law’s meatballs and my healthy hamburgers to grass-fed beef to be a pretty seamless transition. I also had success with beef stews and braises. Simmering a grass-fed brisket in a heady chile sauce resulted in tender, succulent meat that tasted great, especially shredded and mixed with pinto beans.

As long as I took care not to overcook high-end grass-fed steaks like New York strip and tenderloin, the result was excellent. However, when I first attempted to cook some of the more economical steaks like flat-iron, London broil and round, the results were tough. My son commented that he needed to develop Paleolithic incisors to get through dinner. To adapt Grilled Steaks Balsamico to grass-fed beef, I used the slightly more expensive cut of sirloin and marinated it for at least 6 hours.

Now that I have mastered the basics of grass-fed-beef cookery, I’ve decided the trip to Maple Wind Farm is worth it.

—Contributing editor Patsy Jamieson is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food stylist and former food editor of EatingWell.

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