Best Beef.....

[spressomon]

As it was 'splained to me by the rancher: Grass fed beef, for best taste, is particularly tricky to achieve in most climes. If the slaughter can take place after several months of a good green grass diet the meat is pretty darn tasty and relatively tender.

However if the slaughter has to happen after several months of very dry grass diet then the meat isn't quite so wonderful. Timing is everything.

And the whole grain (corn) fed thing creates more fat which, in theory creates more marbling/fat pockets and possibly more tenderness, is typically not healthy for cattle since they're ruminants and their digestive system isn't set up to digest grain as such...ulcerated digestive tracks are typically the result of a grain fed cattle...and then that's where the anti-biotics and/or growth hormones need to come in.

Not sure how grain "finished" applies to the above.

 

[BattleWagon]

I only buy meat out the back of a van.

 

[agomez]

The Four High End Steaks You Should Know | Serious Eats



good link...

 

[snobdds]

I have also found a lot depends on the butcher. I use to use a local guy that made good beef horrible just by the way he cut the stuff up. I was naive at the time and didn't know any better until he had to give it up due to health conditions. The new guy I found made the meat so much better just because he knew what he was doing.

Also dry aging adds a lot to steaks, but must be done right...

 

[agomez]

www.crimsoncow.com.au - Diagram of beef and lamb cuts


good beef diagrams..

 

[agomez]

I have also found a lot depends on the butcher. I use to use a local guy that made good beef horrible just by the way he cut the stuff up. I was naive at the time and didn't know any better until he had to give it up due to health conditions. The new guy I found made the meat so much better just because he knew what he was doing.

Also dry aging adds a lot to steaks, but must be done right...

good friend of mine dry ages his meat...

 

[Combat Chuck]

As it was 'splained to me by the rancher: Grass fed beef, for best taste, is particularly tricky to achieve in most climes. If the slaughter can take place after several months of a good green grass diet the meat is pretty darn tasty and relatively tender.

That's really the truth, but they've found ways around that.

Not sure how grain "finished" applies to the above.

"grain fed" is "grain finished".
As you mentioned, a grain diet is detrimental, or even fatal to cattle, so they are "finished" on grain at the feedlot, usually the last 90-180 days of the steer's life, they are often fed straight corn because it's cheaper than dirt.
"Grass-finished" means they're fed dry grass-based feed (pretty much mulch) at the feedlot. 90% of grassfed is given this prior to slaughter, so much of grassfed beef remains consistent.


Grassfed is gamey stuff, but I grew up eating game, so it's a taste of home for me.