Some reasons cited in the article for avoiding corn-fed beef include its higher levels of saturated fats and lower nutritional value, including lower levels of vitamins & minerals such as vitamin E, calcium and beta-carotene.

The list also includes canned tomatoes, non-organic potatoes, and farmed salmon. None of these foods are banned, but there may be reason to avoid them. We think this list is spot on and encourage you to read the full article. Check it out here.

Want to weigh in with your thoughts? Comment below!

If you’re curious to learn more about grass-fed cattle, you can read our blog posts about the Hidden Environmental Impact of Grain-Fed Cattle, Grain-Fed Beef vs. Grass-fed Beef and their Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Why Cattle are Fed Corn.

Rich red wine braised short ribs juxtaposed with a fresh, herby olive gremolata for a balanced dish that feels lighter on the palate.

Drink Pairings: Cabernet Sauvignon or Brunello

Ingredients:                            (6 Servings)

4lb Sliced Grass-Fed Beef Short Ribs

Oil for Searing

Braising Liquid:

1 bottle Red Wine

4 cups Beef Stock

2 Carrots

2 Celery ribs

5 Thyme Sprigs

3 Rosemary Sprigs

2 Bay Leaves

Gremolata:

3 T Pitted Green Olives

1 t Fresh Rosemary Leaves

1 t Fresh Thyme Leaves

1 t Finely Grated Orange Zest

3 T Fresh Italian Parsley

2 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Dry off the short ribs & cut the slices in half to make them easier to sear.  Season them with salt & pepper.

2. Preheat your oven to 350˚F.

3. Peel the carrots and cut them and the celery ribs into thirds.

4. Oil a frying pan or skillet and get it very hot.  Sear the short ribs on both sides, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan.

5. Move the seared short ribs to a pot or Dutch oven. Add the bay leaves, red wine, thyme, carrots, rosemary, celery, salt & pepper.

6. Bring the braising liquid to a simmer & cook off some of the alcohol.  Add the beef stock (enough to almost cover the other ingredients).  Lid the pot and braise in the oven until the ribs are fork tender (2-4 hours).

7. Remove the short ribs from the pot & set them aside.  Strain the braising liquid and discard all the vegetables and herbs.

8. Simmer the braising liquid to reduce it by 50%.

9. Finely chop the ingredients for the gremolata.  Stir them together with the extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper.

10. Before serving, reheat the short ribs submerged in some of the reduced braising liquid.

11. Serve the short ribs atop the starch of your choice, drizzled with some of the braising liquid and topped with the gremolata.

If you are a home cook, please go to Marxfoods.com to order grass-fed beef short ribs.

Dry aging beef gives enzymes within the muscle time to tenderize it and develop additional flavor.  Extended dry aging is best done with special training and dedicated facilities, but short-term dry-aging is possible using conventional refrigerators.

Use large cuts for aging, then portion them, rather than trying to age pre-portioned cuts (steaks, etc).

Instructions:

1. Remove the beef from its packaging.  Dry off all surface moisture.

2. Place the beef on a rack above a sheet pan or roasting pan to collect any escaping juices. Clear off space on the bottom rack of your fridge or walk in, well away from any foods that are already cooked or will be consumed raw & put the beef there, uncovered, to age.

3. Age the beef for up to four days, flipping the meat half-way through.

4. Trim off any partially dry or discolored portions of the meat & fat from the surface of the beef.

5. Cook the beef, wrap it in cling film for cooking later, or freeze for long term storage.

If you are a home cook, please go to Marxfoods.com to order New Zealand 100% grass-fed beef.

This stir fried noodle recipe is a great way to re-purpose leftover grass-fed steaks or roast beef into a completely different dish.

Drink Pairing: Japanese lager (Sapporo, etc)

Ingredients:  Makes 4 Servings

3/4 pound Cooked Grass-Fed Beef Steak or Roast

2/3 pound Fresh Mushrooms

1 pound Fresh Udon Noodles

4 Baby Bok Choy

1 t Grated Ginger

4 T Tamari Soy Sauce

¼ cup Beef Stock

4 Scallions, plus extra for garnish.

1/3 bunch of Chives

2 Garlic Cloves

2 t Granulated Sugar

3 T Unsalted Butter

1 T Canola Oil

Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds

Directions:

1. Slice the chives into ½” lengths, slice the scallions on the bias & quarter the baby bok choy lengthwise.  Slice the mushrooms if they’re a thicker variety.  Mince the garlic cloves & cut the grass-fed beef into cubes.

2. Stir fry the mushrooms in the canola oil over very high heat until browned.

3. Cook the noodles in boiling water until tender.  Drain off the water

4. Add the bok choy, scallions, ginger and beef to the mushrooms.  Stir fry the scallions, ginger, beef and bok choy with the mushrooms until the bok choy and scallions are tender.

5. Add the beef stock, tamari, sugar and chives to the stir fry.  Stir to combine.

6. Toss the stir fry ingredients in a bowl with the noodles and butter until the butter has melted.

7. Return the noodle mixture to the frying pan and briefly stir fry to combine all the flavors.

8. Serve topped with sesame seeds, scallions and sesame oil to taste.

If you are a home cook, please go to Marxfoods.com to order New Zealand grass-fed beef.

In the drive to keep their costs down and maintain profits, many American grain-fed cattle & dairy farmers turn to a cheaper solution – replacing some of the corn in their cattle feed with byproducts.  The feed blend can vary from establishment to establishment, but below you’ll find some of the possible ingredients used in the grain-fed beef industry.

Grain & Vegetable Byproducts
A lot of byproducts used in cattle feed are leftovers (hulls, rejected crops, exhausted pulp, mash, etc) from mills & factories processing crops into specialized ingredients like corn syrup, corn starch, ethanol, beet sugar, oils, flours, rolled oats, barley malt, etc (DiCostanzo, 2003).

These byproducts may seem undesirable, but they still contain some nutritional content.  This content varies from byproduct to byproduct, but can provide protein, energy, minerals and/or roughage.

The prices of these byproducts can vary from substantially cheaper than corn to free (as long as farmers pay to have them hauled away).

Protein Supplements
Beef is muscle – so the more muscle a farmer can get cattle to pack on, the more money they eventually make.

To build muscle, cattle need a steady intake of protein, so some feedlots add protein supplements to their feed.

The contents of protein supplements can vary from feedlot to feedlot, but possible ingredients include beef tallow & feather meal (Roosevelt, 2006), chicken manure, fish protein and pig protein (Pollan, 2002).

Works Cited

DiCostanzo, A. (2003). Use of Byproducts to Meet the Nutritional Needs of the Cowherd. Retrieved December 13, 2011, from University of Minnesota: http://www.extension.umn.edu/beef/components/pdfs/UseOfByproductsToMeetNutritionalNeeds.pdf

Pollan, M. (2002, March 31). Power Steer. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from Michael Pollan.com (previously published in NY Times Magazine): http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/power-steer/

Roosevelt, M. (2006, June 11). The Grass-Fed Revolution. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from Time.com: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200759-1,00.html

A sous vide water bath is a high-precision cooking method that cooks steaks and other cuts exactly to your desired level of doneness while keeping them extra moist and tender.  The results when it’s used to cook New Zealand grass-fed beef are truly superb.

These ribeye steaks end up a perfect rare on the inside with a flavorful seared crust on the outside.  If you prefer your steaks cooked further, simply set the sous vide bath temperature hotter – to a few degrees above the internal temperature you want your steaks to have.

In the photo we’ve paired the steaks with a wine sauce and a sweet onion butter, but ribeye steaks are so beefy that they stand just fine on their own with any sides.

Wine Pairing: Super Tuscan

Ingredients:                               Makes 2 Servings

2 Grass-Fed Ribeye Steaks

1 stick Butter

1 t Chopped Thyme

1 t Chopped Chives

1 t Chopped Rosemary

1 t Chopped Sage

2 T Italian Parsley Leaves

1 T Minced Garlic

Large pinch of Salt

Oil for Searing (canola, peanut, grapeseed, etc)

Directions:

1. Fill your sous vide bath with water and set the temperature to 120˚F.  Dry off the steaks.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the minced garlic and salt.  Cook over low heat until the garlic turns translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and add the herbs.

3. Brush or rub the steaks with the herb, garlic & butter blend. Let the butter cool until it re-thickens on the steaks.  Vacuum pack them in sous vide bags.

4. Once your water bath has reached temperature, add the bagged steaks and cook for anywhere between one and four hours – whatever suits your schedule.

5. When you’re ready to serve the steaks, remove them from the bath and bags.  Sear them on all sides in a very hot oiled frying pan or skillet.  Serve with your choice of sides (we recommend fried eggs and home fries).

If you are a home cook, please go to Marxfoods.com to order grass-fed beef ribeye steaks.

The two primary reasons for the New Zealand beef’s quality are:

1. The genetics of the cattle – Silver Fern Grass-Fed Beef is certified Black Angus – read more about Black Angus beef

2. How the cattle are raised – pasture-raised – 100% grass-fed, free range cattle produce meat that is flavorful and lean.

Beyond these obvious reasons there’s another important one – economic incentives.  In the US, beef raised for domestic consumption doesn’t have far to travel.  Americans have become used to cheap, plentiful grain-fed beef, and so the industry is designed to provide the most beef at the lowest cost.

New Zealand cattle farmers are in a very different situation.  New Zealand is not close to any of the major beef consuming countries, which means the costs of refrigerated transportation to market make it impossible for them to compete with local or semi local (Canada & South America in the case of the US) beef producers on the basis of lowest cost.

Because they know they can’t compete on price, instead New Zealand farmers have set their sights on the premium beef market, and have focused on refining & vastly improving the quality of their grass-fed beef exports to appeal to high-end markets (P.L.Charteris, 1999).

Works Cited

P.L.Charteris, S. M. (1999). Pasture-Based Beef Production in New Zealand. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from Beef New Zealand: http://www.beef.org.nz/statistics/plc991.pdf

Jarred oil-poached tomatoes make an excellent base for wet rubs.  Blended with spices they produce an easy, deliciously savory crust for roasts.  This slow-roast, then broil method produces a very uniformly cooked, juicy roast.

Wine Pairing: Merlot

Ingredients:                         (6 to 8 Servings)

3lb Grass-Fed Beef Top Sirloin

½ t Chopped Fresh Rosemary

Large pinch of Kosher Salt

Wet Rub:

½ t Red Pepper Flake

1 t Smoked Paprika

10 pieces of Jarred Oil Poached Tomato

1 t Ground Cumin

2 t Chopped Fresh Garlic

2 t Chile Powder

3 t Olive Oil

1 t Kosher Salt

Directions:

1. Remove the roast from the refrigerator an hour before roasting to allow it to come to room temperature.

2. Preheat your oven to 250˚F.

3. Combine all the wet rub ingredients in a blender.  Blend into a paste.

4. Coat the roast with the wet rub.  Put it in a roasting pan on a rack.  Sprinkle the top with the additional salt and chopped rosemary.

5. Roast the top sirloin in your oven to an internal temperature of 120˚F (for a rare/medium rare result, longer for more well done).

6. Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes.

7. Return the roast to the oven and broil it until a flavorful crust forms.  Slice it into pieces and serve with your choice of sides.

If you are a home cook, please go to Marxfoods.com to order grass-fed beef top sirloin roasts.

“Black Angus” is a cattle breed. There are several different breeds of cattle raised around the world.  Some make better dairy cows, others make better beef cattle.  Angus cattle are highly prized for beef production because they yield especially tender and flavorful meat due to a natural disposition to marbling.

Cattle breeds carry their fat in two ways: in a thick outer layer (not unlike ducks) or marbled (in tiny specks/strips) throughout their meat.  Marbled beef is preferable to layered fat beef because marbled fat melts as it cooks, making the finished steak moist, flavorful, and tender.

Why aren’t all beef cattle Black Angus?

Black Angus cattle are originally from Scotland.  They’re bred to flourish in that cooler climate and aren’t very tolerant of high temperatures.  Because of this they are best raised in areas where temperatures stay lower, like New Zealand, rather than hotter climates like many classic US beef states.

In hotter areas it makes sense to raise different breeds.  For example, Texas is known for its Longhorn breed cattle, which are much more heat tolerant, but carry their fat in layers more than as marbling.

What does “Certified Black Angus” mean?

Because of the genetic benefits discussed above, “Certified Black Angus” is a mark of quality.  For Silver Fern beef, this means that the genetics of the cattle have been verified – all bulls siring the cattle are 100% Black Angus breed, and all cows bearing them are at least 50% genetically Black Angus breed.

Why is Silver Fern Black Angus Beef better?

Breed selection isn’t everything in determining the quality of beef.  Though you may find Black Angus beef in your supermarket, it’s probably been grain-fed.

100% grass-fed beef from New Zealand is healthier beef, pasture-raised without hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics.  It offers a clean yet intensely beefy flavor, less saturated fat, more nutrients, and shrinks less when cooked.  Pasture raising beef is also substantially better for the environment.

Grass-fed hanger steaks have a full, beefy flavor that makes them a perfect choice for recipes like this noodle soup that make several servings from a small amount of beef.

Wine Pairings: Sauvignon Blanc or Barbera

Ingredients:   (4 Servings)

1/2 Grass-Fed Beef Hanger Steak

½ t Ground Coriander

½ t Salt

1 pound Fresh Udon Noodles

4 Baby Bok Choy

Sesame Oil

Broth:

2 oz Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

1 inch of Unpeeled Ginger Root

1 ½ t Grated Ginger

½ t Red Pepper Flakes

½ t Sugar

2 t Minced Garlic

1/8 Cup Tamari Soy Sauce

2 t Sherry Vinegar

32oz + 3 cups Beef Stock

½ bunch Fresh Cilantro Leaves

Directions:

1. Trim any surface fat or gristle from the hanger steak.  Season it with the ground coriander and salt.

2. In a hot oiled frying pan, sear the steak to your desired level of doneness.  Move it to your refrigerator to cool.

3. In a large saucepan simmer the shiitakes in the 32oz of beef stock for a half hour.  Strain out & discard the mushrooms.

4. Chop the cilantro leaves & cut the baby bok choy lengthwise into quarters.  Pound the ginger root with the side of a knife to lightly bruise it.

5. To the shiitake-infused stock add the soy sauce, sugar, grated ginger, ginger root, pepper flakes, cilantro, garlic, vinegar and remaining beef stock.

6. Simmer the udon noodles in the broth or a separate pot of water until tender.

7. Thinly slice the cooled hanger steak.

8. Add the quartered bok choy to the broth and simmer until tender.

9. Serve the noodles in bowls with the broth, steak and bok choy.  Finish them with a drizzle of sesame oil.

If you are a home cook, please go to Marxfoods.com to order grass-fed beef hanger steaks.