Grass fed beef taste so bad??!!

[amandawool]

i am having such a hard time with the grass fed beef? It taste so bad to me, very very gamey! it is sourced local and i have tried every cut and they all have such a bad taste! Is it my source or does it take time to get use to or am i cooking it wrong! Help.

[Susan W]

Grass fed beef is REALLY easy to over cook. There is very little fat, so if you cook it on heat that is too high, it will be tough. I suggest you cook it between med and med high. Even if it's MR in the middle, if you cook it too high, the outside will be a little liverish in my opinion.

[megelkins]

A lot of people say that grass fed tastes delicious. A lot of people are in your camp. Truth is, it is kind of what you are used to is what you like. My mother does not like farm-fresh eggs because the yolk is too robust. And in all honesty--I don't like my hot dog chili when I make it with grass fed beef.

Give it another try, and if you still don't like it then just do the best you can at sourcing your meat.

[Adagio]

I have found that the leaner the grass fed beef, the gamier the taste. Perhaps try fattier cuts. Or do what I do - add a lot of garlic and spices.

[Laura B]

A lot of people say that grass fed tastes delicious. A lot of people are in your camp. Truth is, it is kind of what you are used to is what you like. My mother does not like farm-fresh eggs because the yolk is too robust. And in all honesty--I don't like my hot dog chili when I make it with grass fed beef.

Give it another try, and if you still don't like it then just do the best you can at sourcing your meat.

OMG hot dogs in chili?? You are a genius!

[Robin Strathdee]

Was all your meat from the same farmer? Sometimes the farmer, the cow, or the grass makes a difference. Perhaps try a few farmers (if you can find them) - I definitely have my preferences.

[Adagio]

I've been ordering from US Wellness for a long time. The fattier ground beef tastes much better than the leaner ground beef.

[bodygeek]

I grew up on a dairy farm, and the breed of cattle and the type of feed/grass makes a huge difference in flavor. For example, I can't stand Geurnsey milk because it full on tastes like a mouthful of grass to me. Yuck. But Jersey milk is delightful to me, like butter. Not that I drink milk anymore, but... Also, one farm's beef and lamb tastes very different than another's. Test it out, try some other farmers! It's like wine; the terrior makes a difference in the finished flavor!

[Kim]

I am new to the job, but I sell grass-fed beef and will be getting more into production as time goes on. So I'm not an expert, but I know a thing or two about beef.

Grass-fed should have a stronger beefy flavor than conventional, but it shouldn't be gamey. I agree with those who say try a different farmer. Sounds like you've gotten a hold of some not-so-great beef. Raising tasty grass-fed beef is not fool-proof. The breed is certainly a huge factor, as is the genetics within the breed. Some breeds finish much better on grass (Scottish Highland, Devon, Belted Galloway, Shorthorn, and smaller-bodied Angus). The huge Angus that is bred specifically to finish well in a feedlot won't do very well on grass because it can't gain fast enough to stay tender with that much bulk. Other factors that affect taste: age of the animal (again, optimal age is dependent on breed. For instance, a good age for a Highland is much older than for an Angus), soil pH, pasture quality and management, slaughter conditions, stress, whether the animal has to walk a long way to get water and is therefore more well-exercised, etc.

I say all this not to make it super-complicated for you to buy a steak. My point is that you should talk to the farmer/rancher and find out what their practices are. If it sounds like s/he just learned that you can get a better price for grass-fed and left whatever they had on grass instead of sending it to the feedlot, if they don't pay attention to genetics, if they don't steward their pastures carefully, try someone else. If s/he sounds like they really know their stuff and care about finishing delicious beef, give it a shot! Good grass-fed beef is really amazing and well worth the effort!

It is also a different ball-game to cook grass-fed beef. Cook it more gently and don't cook steaks past medium rare. Check out Shannon Hayes' books and her website, grassfedcooking.com.

[Delaine Ross]

Here are some cooking tips that might be helpful. It probably won't change the gaminess but it will help with the toughness!

http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/tips-for-cooking-grass-fed.asp

[SpinSpin]

I have managed to source pastured eggs (yea!) and I get them free (double yea!) because they are too small to sell. They are definitely wild chickens, and the yolks are pretty strong tasting, and I what I did to get used to the taste is mix half battery eggs with half farm eggs. Made it much easier for dd and dh to get used to the taste... just an aside.

[michellebp]

I agree that good grass fed beef should taste "beefier" than store bought. I really can't even stomach conventional beef.

Also, good grass fed beef fat will taste like the meat and not fat. It literally will melt in your mouth - kind of like butter. You should most definitely look around for another supplier.

When you say you have sourced local - did you meet the farmer and ask them what they feed their cows? Do they administer any medications or things to the grass? Just additional info you may want to gather

[AmandaLP]

Try another cut or another farmer. I get my beef from a grass finished source that dry ages it for 14-21 days, and it is amazing. The grass fed beef that doesn't get dry aged is gamey and not as good.

[kew]

I've found grass-fed beef from different suppliers to be liverish, unpleasantly so to my tastes. But I have also found that this taste varies even in different parts of the same cut, as well as from cut to cut. I think that how and how much I cook it may be very important in this. I have had a piece of beef that I did not like for dinner become a reheated lunch that I absolutely slobbered over.

On a related note, is the fat from grassfed cows more firm at room temperature than conventional beef fat? I have had the devil of a time cleaning up after my grass-fed cooking. Not sure if my water heater is playing games with me, or whether the fat itself is different.