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Tender Grassfed Barbecue: Traditional, Primal and Paleo by Stanley A. Fishman
By Stanley A. Fishman
Link to Tender Grassfed Meat at Amazon
By Stanley A. Fishman

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DISCLOSURE AND DISCLAIMER

I am an attorney and an author, not a doctor. This website is intended to provide information about grassfed meat, what it is, its benefits, and how to cook it. I will also describe my own experiences from time to time. The information on this website is being provided for educational purposes. Any statements about the possible health benefits provided by any foods or diet have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I do receive some compensation each time a copy of my book is purchased. I receive a very small amount of compensation each time somebody purchases a book from Amazon through the links on this site, as I am a member of the Amazon affiliate program.

—Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

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The Best Internet Source for Grassfed Beef

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Stanley Fishman's Liverloaf from US Wellness Braunschweiger

Delicious meatloaf made with U.S. Wellness Meats grassfed liverwurst.

I am often asked for recommendations as to a good place to buy grassfed meat. At this point, I have one answer, when it comes to the Internet.

Back when I wrote my first book, Tender Grassfed Meat, I decided that I would recommend a number of good sources of grassfed meat. I would not favor any particular operation. That was almost nine years ago, and I have changed my mind.

The very first good grassfed beef I received was from one supplier, and that supplier has been so superior to everyone else that I have decided to give them the recognition they have earned over the last nine years.

That supplier is U.S. Wellness Meats.

The reasons are many, and here are the most important ones.

 

Quality

The meat is grassfed, has enough internal fat to be tender and delicious, and is raised with skill and knowledge. Quality has become a huge problem in grassfed beef nowadays, as the increasing demand has led some farmers who do not know how to finish grassfed beef into the market. These farmers often produce meat that is so lean and poorly finished that it will never be tender or delicious. It takes a great deal of skill to properly raise and finish grassfed beef, and the farmers who raise beef for U.S. Wellness Meats have that skill.

 

Price

While the price of other grassfed meat has skyrocketed during the last few years, the prices at U.S. Wellness Meats have risen much more slowly. Not only are the regular prices lower than almost everyone else, there are sales every two weeks that give you fifteen percent off everything. In addition, shipping is always seven dollars and fifty cents. And additional discounts are available when you buy in bulk.

 

Reliability

I have ordered meat from U.S. Wellness Meats literally hundreds of times over the last nine years. Most orders are perfect, and in the very rare event that something goes wrong, they have always made it right. They are more reliable than anyone else I have used. Every one of the thousands of pieces of meat I have bought from them has been tender and delicious after I cooked it.

 

Tassie Beef

Much of the grassfed beef sold by U.S. Wellness Meats is imported from Tasmania. It is important not to confuse this magnificent meat with other beef imported from Australia. While some of the grassfed beef imported from Australia is of mediocre quality, beef from Tasmania is different. Tasmania has incredibly rich soil and grasslands, and the grassfed meat it produces is superb. In fact, it is just as good as the best American grassfed beef, in my opinion.

 

Service to the Grassfed Community

If you are committed to only eating grassfed beef, you cannot help but notice how much more expensive it has become over the last few years. But U.S. Wellness Meats has deliberately held their prices down, making superb grassfed beef available to many people who could not otherwise afford it. True, this does give them business advantages, such as customer loyalty, and taking customers from the more expensive sources. But it does serve our community by making grassfed beef much more affordable. At this point, they are the best price choice available to me, and I deeply appreciate their commitment to the grassfed movement, taking the long view rather than trying to grab as much short-term profit as possible. In my view, they deserve our support, and I will happily continue to buy their meat.

 

Great People

I usually order by telephone, and I have had the pleasure of much interaction with the people at U.S. Wellness Meats. Without exception, they are well informed, pleasant, helpful, efficient, good to talk to, and they get the job done right. This is the best group of elite workers I have ever worked with, in my entire life. It is always a pleasure to deal with them.

 

Scope of Inventory

While I have focused this article on grassfed beef, U.S. Wellness Meats has a vast array of other fine products, including grassfed lamb, grassfed bison, pastured pork, pastured chickens, pastured ducks, even excellent frozen shrimp and other seafood. They also make excellent grassfed beef sausages with only good ingredients, including the best organ meat sausages I have ever come across. While they produce several fine organ meat sausages, I consider their liverwurst, made from grassfed liver, grassfed kidney, and grassfed heart, to be one of the most nutritious products I have ever purchased. These organ meat sausages make it easy to enjoy the benefits of organ meats. They also make some very fine bacon, with only good ingredients, and many other fine products, including grassfed beef tallow and other healthy fats.

For these reasons, I recommend U.S. Wellness Meats as the best choice I know for purchasing grassfed meat through the Internet.

My Irish Stew—How a Traditional Recipe Finally Worked

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Simple spices like parsley, thyme, salt and pepper flavor a traditional Irish stew.

Simple spices like parsley, thyme, salt and pepper flavor a traditional Irish stew.

Being very interested in traditional recipes, I decided to cook a traditional Irish stew many years ago. This was a famous dish, and the ingredients were few, and the method simple. What could go wrong?

Quite a bit, in fact. There were many different versions, making it difficult to pick one. But whichever one I tried, the result was mediocre, at best. After many failed attempts, over a period of years, I gave up. Maybe this old recipe was not so good, after all.

Three days ago, now being a much better and more experienced cook, I decided to try Irish stew again.

 

Irish Stew

This is an old dish, and one that was quite famous at times. Of course, there is far more than one stew in Irish cuisine, but this one got a lot of press. The ingredients are quite simple:

  • A cheap cut of lamb, preferably with bones
  • Onions
  • Lots of potatoes
  • Some fresh parsley and fresh thyme
  • Salt and pepper
  • Water

This seems to be the simplest, most authentic version, though many would disagree, especially in Ireland, where carrots are traditionally added in some areas. Chefs who make a version of Irish stew tend to pretty it up, adding more ingredients and steps. But I decided to stick with the old version, based on a very old cookbook. This old recipe did not give amounts, or cooking times, but did specify the ingredients and the method.

 

The Meat

The traditional cut is grassfed lamb neck, a cut full of bones and fat. The problem was that I had no source of grassfed lamb neck. The lamb I had access to was lean, with the fat trimmed off by the processor. I decided to add a lamb bone from a roast, and some butter to make up for the leanness of the meat.

 

The Technique

The recipe called for putting down a layer of sliced potatoes, then a layer of fresh herbs, then a layer of meat, then a layer of sliced onions. This was to be repeated, and topped with a layer of potatoes. Each layer was to be salted and peppered. I decided not to salt the very thin herb layers.

The recipe also suggested adding “just enough” water. After consulting many other recipes, I decided on an amount.

I prepared the pot. Each layer went in, was seasoned as decided, the estimated amount of water was added, the pot brought to a simmer, covered, and into the oven. I had decided that a “low oven” was 250 degrees. The cooking time given was quite common in older recipes — “cook until done.” I decided to test it after a couple of hours.

After about an hour and forty-five minutes, a wonderful smell filled the kitchen, and I got the feeling it was ready. I eagerly removed it from the oven, opened the pot, and was rewarded by a gravy that looked like — water. It seemed that I had failed again. But I decided to add a good amount of organic cornstarch mixed with water, and to simmer it until the gravy reached the “creamy” thickness spoken of by the recipe. This was done, and it was time to taste it.

 

The Result

It was wonderful. The ingredients had kind of melted into each other, though the pieces of meat were still distinct. Everything was permeated with a nice grassfed lamb flavor, not at all strong, but delightful, set off perfectly by the onions and herbs. The texture was creamy, and a joy to eat, very comforting to the mouth and stomach. It was so much more than the sum of its parts. I finally got it right, though I made a lot of adjustments. This is an example of how I am developing traditional recipes for modern kitchens in my upcoming book.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday blog carnivals.

Grassfed Hamburgers Are Not Boring!

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Grass fed Hamburger with Kebab Flavors

Hamburger with Kebab Flavors—ready to cook.

I used to hate hamburger, and ground beef in all its forms. Factory beef makes terrible hamburgers, in my opinion. But that all changed when I switched to grassfed ground beef, and found that I loved it.

As one of my favorite grassfed ranchers once said, “These are hamburger times, not steak times.” Many people think hamburger is boring and uninteresting. Yet many cultures celebrate traditional ground meat dishes, and often prefer them to more expensive cuts.

The beauty of ground grassfed meat is that you can do so much with it. You can add all kinds of ingredients, and the variety is limited only by your imagination and research ability. I have found that traditional ground meat flavor combinations can make the plain hamburger into a delicious, nutritious, delight.

 

Traditional Ground Meat Delights

I first learned of the value that other cultures give ground meat mixtures when I went to an ethnic restaurant with a friend who wanted to introduce me to his native cuisine. There were many grilled items, and I asked him what he liked best. I thought it might be the lamb kebabs, or the marinated chicken kebabs. Instead, he enthusiastically recommended the ground meat kebabs, which he said were the best thing on the menu. I took his recommendation, and was astonished by how flavorful and good they were.

Many cultures have their own unique traditional ways of preparing ground grassfed meat. The meat is almost always mixed with other ingredients. In Germany, the meat could be mixed with eggs, breadcrumbs, cream, and a little nutmeg. In Poland, a ground onion might be mixed into the meat, with some bread that was soaked in milk, squeezed dry, and incorporated into the burger.

Armenians could mix finely chopped parsley and onions into the meat, along with various spices. In India, curry spices and other ingredients could be mixed into the meat. The combinations are endless.

 

Turning Grassfed Hamburger into a Delicious Masterpiece

The key to having a flavorful variety in burgers is to mix other ingredients into the meat.

I have tried traditional flavor combinations with grassfed ground beef, grassfed ground bison, grassfed ground lamb, and pastured ground pork. I have used olive oil, all kinds of minced vegetables, eggs, egg yolks, toasted sesame oil, milk, cream, fish sauce, and a huge variety of spices from all over the world. By using traditional flavor combinations as a guide, I have come up with a variety of wonderful burgers that are very distinct in their taste and flavors. The ground meat recipes I have published in Tender Grassfed Barbecue include:

  • Great Plains Cherry Bison Burger
  • Balkan Burger
  • Transylvanian Garlic Burger
  • Cinnamon Burger
  • Curry Burger, and
  • Cajun Burger, to name a few. They are all different, yet delicious.

My upcoming cookbook will include many new recipes for grassfed ground meat, including this one that I have already shared on the Internet:

Hamburger with Kebab Flavors

Ground grassfed meat need never be boring, and can be delicious in so many ways!

This post is part of Fat Tuesday blog carnival.

We Need to Know More About Our Meat, Not Less

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Cows in the Pasture
Creative Commons License photo credit: Brainedge

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued regulations in 2009 that required retailers to disclose the country of origin on the labels of meat products. This gave U.S. consumers some real information about where their meat comes from.

It also upset Canada and Mexico. They do not want U.S. meat products labeled with the country of origin. In fact, they filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, which ruled against the U.S. And where was the U.S. meat packing industry? Right on the side of Canada and Mexico, of course. The big meat packing industry does not want us to know where our meat comes from either.

The USDA has proposed new regulations that would provide us with even more information on the labels of meat products. This is a very good thing. But Canada and Mexico are threatening to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products if the new system is used, or the old system is continued.

Why do these nations not want us to know if a product contains their meat? Are they not proud of the meat they produce and sell?

Apparently not.

I contend that we have an absolute right to know what country our meat comes from, and much, much more about it. It is all about freedom. Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. meat packing industry have no right to deny us this information.

 

My Experience with Canadian Meat

In 1983, I visited Canada as a tourist. I still remember walking into Safeway as a consumer, and seeing some absolutely beautiful meat. A beautiful prime rib roast caught my eye. It was two ribs, and much smaller than a comparable American roast. I cooked it simply. I was astonished at how good it was, far better than American beef. Tender, with incredible flavor. If meat from Canada had been available at my local store, I would have bought nothing else after this wonderful experience. That is the kind of meat Canada used to produce.

Many years later, beef labeled as being from Canada appeared in local stores, and I eagerly bought some. It did not look any different from U.S. beef, but I was excited to get it. I was very disappointed. The meat tasted the same as U.S. factory meat. Canada had adopted the U.S. factory meat model. A great tradition of raising wonderful beef was thrown away for short-term corporate profit. That was a shame. There is no way I will ever eat factory meat again, no matter where it comes from.

While there are some wonderful grassfed Canadian ranchers, their meat is not exported to the U.S., as far as I know.

 

The Glory of Mexican Beef

I have not had meat that I know comes from Mexico, but I know the history of the Mexican expertise with cattle. Mexican vaqueros were experts in raising great cattle. They founded the huge California cattle industry, one of the most successful in the world when California was part of Spain, and later, Mexico. When the king of Hawaii wanted experts to teach his people how to raise and manage cattle, he hired three vaqueros from Mexico to teach his people, which they did. They shared much knowledge with the Americans who settled the west. I know butchers raised in Mexico who have great knowledge about fine beef, and how to raise it and recognize it. I fear that the meat exported to the U.S. from Mexico follows the U.S. Big Ag factory model, rather than the traditions of Mexico, which is another shame.

 

The Icelandic Experience

Iceland, rather than trying to hide the origin of its lamb, proudly proclaims it. Many Americans are willing to pay very high prices for lamb from Iceland, which is grassfed, raised in a traditional manner, and has wonderful taste and tenderness.

 

Canada and Mexico Should Learn from Iceland

Rather than trying to hide the origin of meat from U.S. consumers, I contend that Canada and Mexico should raise and export better meat—grassfed meat. Meat raised on the great natural forage of each nation. Meat they can be proud of. In fact, if they adopt and promote the methods of Allan Savory they will preserve and improve their grasslands and water courses, while raising excellent beef. They should give up the American factory model, which produces meat through chemicals, hormones, and unnatural feeds. I challenge them to return to the tradition of their ancestors, and produce real meat that is so good that Americans will flock to buy it. If Canada and Mexico produce meat of that quality, the label will become an advertisement of quality, rather than a handicap.

In the meantime, kindly stop interfering with our right to know where our meat comes from!

And I want to thank the United States Department of Agriculture for actually protecting our right to know what country our food comes from, and requiring even more labeling information.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday blog carnivals.

About Grassfed Lamb for Easter

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Roast Spring Grass-fed Lamb with Asperagus and Potatoes--Recipe by Stanley A. Fishman

Grassfed Roast Spring Lamb with Asperagus and Potatoes

Lamb has often been a traditional food for Easter. My family will be enjoying a grassfed leg of lamb this Sunday, using traditional flavorings. Lamb may just be the most popular meat in the world, enjoyed in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, not to mention Australia and New Zealand.

But usually not in the United States. Americans generally dislike lamb, and rarely eat it. Many Americans who taste American lamb find it gamy and not tasty.

But there are specific reasons why some American lamb tastes this way. The right kind of lamb, raised on its natural feed, properly spiced and cooked, is some of the most delicious meat you will ever eat.

 

The Problems with American Lamb

American lamb used to be wonderful, especially lamb raised in the west, by experienced Basque shepherds. But times have changed.

Most of the lamb in the world is grassfed only. But not in the United States. Most American lamb is finished on grain. This causes the lambs to grow bigger and faster, and increases profits. However, lamb, more than any other meat, tastes like what it eats. Most of the grains fed to lamb are the same GMO corn and GMO soy fed to factory cattle. Grain feeding, in my opinion, totally ruins the taste of lamb. Grass feeding, on rich pastures full of wild herbs, can give a wonderful taste to lamb.

Another problem is that much American lamb comes from breeds developed for wool, not meat. These wool breeds often have a bad taste and smell that meat breeds do not have.

American lamb is also too big, which has a negative effect on taste. The standards as to what can be called lamb are quite lax in the U.S., and older animals can now legally be sold as lamb. The selling of older lambs also contributes to the size problem.

Here is an example. A leg of lamb in the U.S. often weighs eight to ten pounds, or even more. In most other countries, a leg of lamb is closer to four to five pounds in weight.

Lamb also needs to be cooked properly. Traditional cuisines cook lamb with a variety of herbs, spices, vegetables, and marinades that really enhance its taste and provide absolutely wonderful meat. Americans generally do not know how to cook lamb.

 

The Grassfed Solution

Lamb should only be grassfed, in my opinion. The flavor is far superior, especially if the pasture is good, and it also has the health benefits of grassfed meat. Grassfed lamb can be found in the U.S., though it can take some effort. I have also found good grassfed lamb in the U.S. that is imported from New Zealand. Some imported and domestic grassfed lamb can be incredibly expensive, so it pays to shop carefully and compare prices.

Lamb should also come from a meat breed, rather than a wool breed. There are some breeds that are supposed to be equally good for meat and wool, but I personally prefer the flavor of a meat breed, raised on grass.

I also try to buy meat from smaller lambs, as I find the flavor to be milder and superior. This can be a challenge, but is well worth the effort.

It is also important to know how to cook the lamb, and to use some of the traditional flavorings that have enhanced the flavor of lamb for thousands of years. My cookbooks Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue have many delicious recipes for lamb using traditional ingredients. These include garlic, green herbs such as rosemary and thyme, traditional olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and others.

Here is a link to a recipe for grassfed lamb that I developed for Easter, which is an example of how good grassfed lamb really can be.

Eating in Season Roast Spring Lamb on the Bone

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday blog carnivals.

 

Let Them Eat Grass

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Baaa
Creative Commons License photo credit: Jeff Pang   Grassfed sheep thriving in rocky pastures.

Yet another arm of the United Nations is demanding that we stop eating meat, “to save the planet.”

It is valid to be concerned about artificial fertilizers, which have caused great harm. But the UN solution, to stop eating meat, is, to be polite, nonsense.

The UN Scientists reason that eighty percent of artificial fertilizers are used to grow crops fed to meat animals. Thus, they think, if we stop eating meat, we will use less artificial fertilizers. But the truth is that if we stop eating animal foods, we will all suffer from severe malnutrition, and the myriad illnesses that come with the lack of vital nutrients. The research of Dr. Weston A. Price established that we need good animal foods to be well nourished and healthy.

My solution is practical, and will greatly increase the food supply. Stop feeding grains and other crops to meat animals Let the animals eat the their natural food, the food that makes them healthy.

Let them eat grass.

 

Is There Enough Grass?

Yes, there is enough grass to feed all grass-eating meat animals, and we can greatly increase the supply.

Most of the scientists and government officials who attack the eating of meat dismiss the grassfed solution by claiming there is not enough farmland to feed grazing animals. But they are ignorant of one key fact—you do not need farmland to feed grazing animals. You need grazing land, which is not the same thing. Animals can graze and thrive on land that is not suitable for crops, and the earth is full of such land, largely unused. And the earth is full of deserts and wastelands than can be turned into great grazing land by the techniques created by the Savory Institute, which has turned millions of acres of desert into rich grazing land, with trees and streams. The techniques involve using concentrated herds of cattle to engage in a pattern of rotational grazing, the same system used by nature to create the grasslands in the first place.

We can use these techniques to greatly increase the grazing land available. It should be noted that several grazing meat animals, like sheep and goats, can thrive even in poor grazing land, but do even better in great grazing land.

We do not need any artificial fertilizer to grow grass and restore watercourses. But we do need grazing animals to do this, and the meat and milk of such animals is our best and most nutrient-dense food source.

 

But What Will They Eat in the Winter?

There are huge areas of unused grazing land in areas where animals can graze all year round. In other areas, where there is good land but cold winters, grass can made into hay and dried, and provide adequate food for the animals.

 

But Isn’t Grassfed Meat Tough?

Properly grazed grassfed meat is tough only when it is cooked wrong. Our ancestors knew how to cook grassfed meat, and celebrated this wonderful food in their traditions, literature, and stories. Unfortunately, most have forgotten how to cook grassfed meat, as cooking grain-finished meat is very different. The techniques developed to cook grain-finished meat ruin grassfed meat, which is why grassfed has a “tough” reputation.

I ran into this problem when I started eating grassfed meat to rebuild my body. After ruining much good meat, I researched the traditions of our ancestors and learned how to cook it. I have made much of this knowledge available in my cookbooks, Tender Grassfed Meat , and Tender Grassfed Barbecue.

I eat only grassfed meat, and it is always tender and delicious.

 

Grassfed Meat Is More Nutritious and Satisfying, So Less Is Needed

Grassfed meat has far more nutrients than grain-fed meat, and has these nutrients in perfect balance. Even the fat is different, with grassfed meat having an ideal ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids, while grain fed meat has a huge imbalance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. An excess of omega-6s has been linked to inflammation, and to many illnesses.

This means that grassfed meat is much more satisfying to the body and appetite. I have found that I am satisfied with eating only half the meat I used to, if it is grassfed. I did not intend to reduce my meat consumption, it happened naturally, because my body got the nutrients it needed and was no longer hungry. Based on my experience, people will be satisfied with less meat, but be much better fed.

We can solve so many problems, if we just let them eat grass.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday blog carnivals.

Give Grassfed Meat, not Candy, on Valentine’s Day

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Mighty Porterhouse from Tender Grassfed Meat by Stanley Fishman

Mighty Porterhouse, page 56. Tender Grassfed Barbecue

The idea of having a special day to celebrate your love is both romantic and enjoyable. People in love have been sharing special days long before the creation of Valentine’s Day. There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day has been heavily commercialized, and the candy industry has tried to seize this day for its own, to the point that many people expect to get candy as a gift on Valentine’s Day.

But candy is very unhealthy, being full of refined sugar or other sweeteners, and a host of other unhealthy ingredients. In fact, high doses of refined sugar is one of the worst things the Standard American Diet (SAD) has to offer. Too much sugar disrupts the natural functions of our body, causing havoc and setting the stage for many illnesses. Just about all candy has too much sugar, in my opinion. And I consider artificial sweeteners to be even worse.

Which is why I do not give candy to my love on Valentine’s Day. I give grassfed meat, and use it to make a romantic meal.

Grassfed meat is very healthy, supporting the natural functions of the body, including reproduction and all that goes with it. Properly cooked grassfed meat does not leave the eater feeling stuffed or bloated, but refreshed and renewed, and fueled for a romantic evening. And there is something truly romantic about sharing a special, traditional meal.

 

Our Ancestors Celebrated Special Occasions with Meat

In most cultures, our ancestors had many holidays and special occasions to celebrate. One of the most enjoyable ways to celebrate these special days was with a special meal, and meat, usually grassfed meat, was the most common choice. Grassfed meat and grassfed fat are the oldest and most nutrient-dense foods known, and are so satisfying when properly cooked. A review of recorded culinary history shows a huge variety of meat dishes prepared to celebrate special occasions.

 

Some Special Meat Selections for Valentine’s Day

Some cuts of meat have been used for romantic dinners as a matter of tradition. I have used many of these, and all of them came out great and enhanced the occasion. Some of my favorites are:

 

Thick Grassfed Ribeye Steak

These delicious steaks, cut from the prime rib area, a cut of meat that used to be the food of heroes, have a unique and delicious flavor of their own. Grassfed ribeye steaks have the most flavor of all. A nice marinade will help make the meat even more tender and bring out its flavor. Grassfed ribeye steaks are wonderful sautéed in butter to medium-rare perfection. Every bite provides strength and health, and it is possible to trim and arrange two such steaks so they form a heart shape, to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

 

Thick Grassfed, Bone in Rib Steak

This is a thick steak from the same cut of meat as the ribeye, with the bone left in. This steak is very thick, and is meant to be shared by two. It is a favorite cut in France. This meat has all the advantages of the ribeye, with the bone providing even more flavor. It is a wonderful steak to share, and so delicious!

 

Thick Grassfed Porterhouse Steak

The Porterhouse is made for two, as it is at its best when cut thick. The Porterhouse, which is almost identical to the T-bone, contains two wonderful cuts of meat, the tenderloin, and the strip. Both have different textures and flavors, and complement each other wonderfully. The bone that separates the two cuts of meat adds incredible flavor and tenderness to both cuts, along with increased mineral content. Like most grassfed steaks, the right marinade greatly increases tenderness and brings out the wonderful flavor. The bone makes these steaks difficult to sauté, but they are wonderful grilled, or broiled with butter.

 

Grassfed Rack of Lamb

Castillian Rack of Lamb with Chine from Tender Grassfed Meat by Stanley Fishman

Castilian Rack of Lamb with Chine, page 167, Tender Grassfed Meat

This luxury cut is also perfect for two. Known in ancient times as the “Champions Portion,” the dense, flavorful meat rests on a rack of bones, and is topped off with a magnificent cap of grassfed fat. The fat and bones provide incredible tenderness and flavor. Properly marinated and cooked, the meat is not at all gamy, but has a somewhat nutty flavor that is delightful to eat. It is best cooked medium rare to rare, and is full of valuable nutrients. But it is the taste that makes this cut something special.

My cookbooks, Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue, have many delicious recipes for these wonderful cuts of meat.

By giving the gift of grassfed meat, you promote health, not sickness, as well as a wonderful taste and nutrition experience.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Fight Back Friday blog carnivals.

Great Traditional Animal Fats

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Natural, unhydrogenated, pastured pork lard.

Real pork lard, one of the most tradtional fats of all.

Americans have been told that eating saturated animal fats will clog our arteries and kill us. We are told that we need to eat only fats made from vegetable oil, modern oils, such as corn oil, soy oil, canola oil, safflower oil, and other oils that could not even be made before the twentieth century.

The truth of the matter is that fat from healthy animals eating their natural diet is very good for us, providing vital nutrients in the right proportion, and supporting the natural functions of our bodies.

Modern vegetable oils have a huge imbalance of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids. This imbalance contributes to many illnesses, and causes inflammation in many people. Our bodies have never tried to digest or use these oils before the twentieth century, because they just did not exist. These oils are often processed with chemicals, and subjected to pressures and high heat, which makes them even stranger to our bodies. Some of these oils stink so bad in their natural state that chemical deodorizers are used to hide the bad smell.

Humans crave healthy animal fats, because we know instinctively that they are good for us.

Most people think only of butter when they think of an animal fat they might use in cooking. Pastured butter is great, but there are many other animal fats that are great for cooking and eating.

 

Grassfed Beef Tallow

Beef tallow is one of the oldest human foods, used for cooking and added to all kinds of foods for countless thousands of years. In its real form, from grassfed animals, beef tallow is full of vital nutrients. It was traditionally used for every form of frying, with potatoes fried in beef tallow being a favorite food all over Europe and America. It was used to brown meat for traditional stews and pot roasts, to sauté steaks, and to baste roasting meat. It gives wonderful flavor. Vegetables roasted in beef tallow are crusty and caramelized, absolutely delicious. Grassfed beef tallow is one of my very favorite cooking fats, and I use it often. I consider it important to only use beef tallow from grassfed beef, as it has the proper balance of nutrients and tastes so much better.

 

Unhydrogenated Pastured Pork Lard

Pork lard has been so vilified that many people are horrified by the very thought of eating it. Yet real pork lard was once the most popular cooking and eating fat on the planet.

Pork lard was used extensively for cooking in China, other Asian countries, Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Many traditional American and European baking recipes make extensive use of pork lard. Pork lard has a very high smoke point, and is one of the easiest cooking fats to use, being soft even when refrigerated, and perfect for frying, sautéing, basting, and browning. It lends great flavor to food, and is very nutritious and easily absorbed by the body.

You have to be very careful in selecting pork lard, because most of the pork lard sold in the U.S. is hydrogenated, which means that its very chemical structure has been changed by processing to increase its shelf life. I have knowingly eaten hydrogenated pork lard exactly once, and found it disgusting, with a terrible taste. Real pork lard, from pastured pigs, in its natural form, is wonderful.

 

Grassfed Lamb Tallow

You can use grassfed lamb tallow for frying, sautéing , basting, and roasting. It gives incredible flavor. It is important to make sure that food cooked with lamb tallow is served hot, as congealed lamb tallow can feel greasy. Serve the food hot, and it is wonderful. Potatoes and other vegetables are particularly wonderful roasted in this fat, which lends a nutty, delicious flavor to food.

It is also important to use lamb tallow from a meat breed of lamb, as the taste of the fat from wool breeds can be strong and not very appealing. But the flavor given by grassfed lamb tallow from meat breeds is unbelievably delicious.

 

Grassfed Bison Tallow

Bison fat was one of the staple foods of the Native Americans who lived on the Great Plains, being a vital component of their survival food, pemmican. Bison fat just may be the most nutritious of all, being full of nutrients from the strong, healthy bison. It is great for basting, frying, and sautéing. It gives a wonderful flavor to meat, unique yet wonderful. It is particularly good for sautéing at medium temperatures. Adding just a bit of bison fat to stews will do incredible things for the flavor.

It is important that all of these traditional fats be grassfed or pastured. That way, you are eating the same kind of animal fat our ancestors have been eating since the beginning, and getting similar nutritional benefits.

But where do you find grassfed beef tallow?

Where do you find real pastured pork lard that has not been hydrogenated?

Where do you find grassfed lamb tallow from a meat breed?

Where do you find grassfed bison fat?

A local farmer may have any of these. But you can get all of them from U.S. Wellness Meats, which has done us all a great service by making these hard-to-get real animal fats available. The quality is superb, and I happily use all of them.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday blog carnivals.

Grassfed Feasts for the Holidays—An Old Tradition

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

English Style Prime Rib from Tender Grassfed Meat by Stanley A. Fishman

English Style Prime Rib, page 86, Tender Grassfed Meat.

A feast at the end of the year is a very old European tradition, going back to the days before Christmas was celebrated. This holiday was often known as Yule. It has generally been replaced with Christmas, which also traditionally includes a feast.

It was common to welcome the New Year with a feast as well.

These days, people are taught to fear their food. Fat from healthy animals, one of the most vital and nutrient-rich foods we can eat, has been demonized and blamed for heart disease, and almost every other chronic disease known to humanity. This is just not true. People ate foods rich in animal fat during eras where heart disease, cancer, and most other modern diseases were unknown.

Yet the propaganda has been so effective that many people do not even know which foods were the traditional centerpieces of the holiday feast, and have never tasted them.

Certainly, skinless, boneless chicken breast, or skinless, boneless turkey breast, from birds fed GMO soy and GMO corn, were never the center of the holiday feast. Neither were vegetarian concoctions such as soy substitutes for meat, laden with chemicals and flavor enhancers.

The traditional centerpiece of the European and American holiday feast was a big grassfed roast, or pastured roast, or pastured bird, roasted whole with its skin intact.

It is time to put the fear aside, and enjoy the rich, traditional bounty of the holiday. You do not have to restrict yourself to lean factory meats devoid of taste and nutrition. We can still enjoy the feasting traditions of our ancestors and the many health benefits of grassfed and pastured meats.

 

Traditional Foods for the Feast

Prime Rib Roast

This roast, grassfed until the mid-twentieth century, is a magnificent centerpiece for any holiday feast. Cut from the chine area of the steer, the most prized traditional cut, sometimes reserved for heroes, it is a magnificent sight. Resting on a natural rack of its own bones, covered by a thick mantle of its own healthy fat, it produces instant hunger when brought to the table.

Prime rib has a unique taste of its own, that no other beef or meat shares. It is a truly wonderful taste, enhanced by being roasted on the bone, enriched by the melting fat that bastes the meat as the roasting proceeds. The natural fat cap helps keep the meat moist and tender, while lending a magnificent flavor.

It is an old tradition to roast vegetables in the same pan as the prime rib. The vegetables caramelize in the flavorful fat that melts from the roast, developing a depth of flavor that must be tasted to be believed, turning crusty on the outside while remaining tender on the inside. Organic potatoes reach their height of perfection when roasted this way, which also adds scrumptious flavors to peeled and sliced carrots and onion wedges. A traditional grassfed prime rib roasted with vegetables in this manner is perhaps our favorite holiday meal, which we have at least once every holiday season. You can see a photo of one of our holiday prime ribs above.

 

Roast Tenderloin of Beef

A whole tenderloin of beef is another holiday choice for a special meal. Grassfed tenderloin, in particular, has a wonderful flavor. Tenderloin is naturally lean, and traditional preparations add fat to it in many different ways. It often had slivers of bacon inserted in the meat, a process called larding, that used a special needle. It was often wrapped in pork fat, or beef kidney fat. It was often marinated in oil with herbs. Many times, it was coated with large amounts of butter and basted as it roasted.

Grassfed Beef Wellington, page 92, Tender Grassfed Meat by Stanley Fishman

Beef Wellington, page 92, Tender Grassfed Meat.

Yet our favorite method of cooking this magnificent, luxury cut is to cook it in a rich pastry, made with huge amounts of butter, known as Beef Wellington. The meat is coated with a mixture of finely chopped mushrooms and onions, sautéed in butter until they have shrunk and caramelized, which greatly intensifies their flavor. The coated meat is than wrapped in butter-rich puff pastry, and roasted to tender, flavorful, perfection.

The smell of the roasting grassfed meat, butter, and mushrooms makes you so hungry, and the sight of the wonderfully browned pastry as it is carried to the table is something to behold. The combination of the tender grassfed meat, sautéed mushroom coating, and buttery pastry is wonderful beyond my ability to describe it.

 

Roast Rack of Lamb

Castillian Rack of Lamb from Tender Grassfed Meat by Stanley Fishman

Castillian Rack of Lamb with Chine, page 167, Tender Grassfed Meat.

The rack of lamb is cut from the chine portion of the lamb, traditionally the most valuable and cherished cut. This cut is also a great choice for a holiday feast. Many people, especially in the U.S., think they do not like lamb, but that is only because they have not had quality grassfed lamb, from a traditional meat breed, which has a mild yet wonderful taste, especially when served rare to medium rare.

A rack of lamb has been prized in Europe as a holiday feast for a very long time, and we have learned how to enjoy this tradition as well.

Racks of lamb are often “Frenched,” which usually means that all the fat is trimmed off. I do not recommend this, as the fat is crucial to a magnificent roast. Sometimes during the holidays you will come across a “crown rack of lamb,” which is cut in such a way that it is almost guaranteed to come out overcooked. I do not recommend this either. Most American butchers will cut a rack of lamb between each bone, to make it easy to carve into individual chops once roasted. I do not recommend this either, as it almost always results in an overcooked lamb that has lost far too much of its natural juices and flavor.

The rack of lamb in our holiday feast rests on a natural rack of its own bones, retains a thick crown of its own magnificent fat, and is uncut and whole—no cuts between each chop to let the flavor out. It roasts quickly at a high heat, with organic potatoes and other vegetables in the pan, caramelizing in the melting fat, and taking on a wonderful, crusty flavor and texture. The smell of this cut as it roasts is almost as good as the taste when it is finally served. It is important to serve lamb hot, and not let it get lukewarm or cold. But the flavor of a true grassfed lamb, from a traditional meat breed, is magnificent.

 

Roast Goose

No article about holiday feasts in winter can be complete without at least a mention of roast goose, which was one of the favorite Christmas meals in Europe for many centuries. In fact, having a roast goose for Christmas was so important that many employment contracts provided that the employer would give the employee a fat goose at Christmas time—it was that important.

Goose is not commonly made these days, and is a bit tricky to get right, but when you get it right, it is something very special. The plentiful, crisp skin is in a league of its own, being an incredibly satisfying mouthful, with a wonderful texture and flavor. The tender dark meat has a great depth of flavor which sets off the crisp skin perfectly. Any traditional holiday goose will include a delicious stuffing, often rich with apples, which go perfectly with the goose meat. And the traditional gravy, flavored by the rich, caramelized drippings, is something special, a symphony of flavors that enhance the stuffing, the skin, and the flavorful meat.

The goose gives off a lot of fat when roasting, so much fat that it must be carefully drained at various times during the roasting. Traditionally, this fat was saved, and used for cooking, and for healing. I have saved goose fat in this matter, and it is one of my favorite fats to cook with.

There are many other traditional centerpieces for the holiday meal, including hams (both cured and fresh), duck, capon, turkey, leg of lamb, rib roast of pork, roast pork loin, roasted beef strip loin, roast saddle of lamb, and others. All of them are roasted whole, with plenty of their own fat, and usually roasted on the bone. Our ancestors knew how to celebrate with food!

My first cookbook, Tender Grassfed Meat, contains many recipes for prime rib and rack of lamb, and the best grassfed Beef Wellington I have ever tasted.

This post is part of Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Freaky Friday blog carnivals.

Traditional Food for Winter

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat and Tender Grassfed Barbecue

Beef bone broth made from nutrient-rich grass fed beef

Our ancestors sipped traditional beef bone broth throughout the day.

The huge storm that struck the Eastern United States is a sobering reminder of the power of nature. The storm has brought an early winter to much of the nation, causing intense cold and snowstorms in some areas.

Our ancestors had a number of traditional foods that they used to help them survive the long, cold winters. These time-tested traditional dishes kept people warm and filled their bodies with the nutrients needed to deal with the demands of winter. They were also delicious. My family has adopted the custom of having lots of bone broth, stews, pot roasts. and the occasional celebratory roast for a special occasion. We use only grassfed or pastured meats for this purpose. Not only do we enjoy the wonderful tastes of traditional food, but we stay healthy, without medication. Our ancestors had a lot of wisdom.

I have described some of these traditions in an article I posted on Handpicked Nation. Here is the link:

Cold Weather Cooking for Grassfed Meats

 

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