Grass fed beef not for everyone

The Wall Street Journal and other mass media are suddenly running puff pieces playing up the virtues of grass fed beef. They are right that it is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories.

If that's all you eat for, then grass fed beef is for you. If, on the other hand, you dine rather than merely eat--most of the pleasure of eating beef is missing in grass fed. The taste, texture, flavor--and most importantly--tenderness, in beef comes from that last 120 days or so, of the steer's life in the feedlot.

They call it finishing a steer, for a reason. A high energy diet of grain and less roughage, plus less exercise from roaming the range, tenderizes the beef, adds the ribbons of marbling that gives beef its unique taste, texture and flavor. Extended aging of the carcass in the cooler after it is hung, finishes the process.

Grass fed beef is tough and stringy, with much less marbling, as the steers must still roam the range for forage. There is only a limited amount that can be done with cutting and aging of the grass fed carcass. Without the marbling to moisten the meat, no amount of aging or unique cutting will improve it.

If all you eat is hamburger, or long, slow cooked cuts like stew, pot roast or swiss steak, then grass fed beef won't make that much difference--although frankly, even these dishes will be improved with corn fed beef.

On the other hand, if you savor an expensive steak--love to cut into it and just watch the medium rare juices run, a grass fed steak will grossly disappoint you. The incomparable aroma and flavor of a rare prime rib, sliced off the roast at your table, won't work with grass fed beef.

It all depends on whether you merely eat, or you dine.