My beef is tough!

[GBov]

As a stop gap between us getting our own calf to fatten up and not having any good beef - supermarket beef is nasty - I bought an 8th of a grass fed cow from a ranch the other side of the state. It has a nice flavor but OMG its like rubber bands

Having moved over here from Ireland where ALL cows are grass fed, I do know how to cook grass fed beef and its never been tough like that over there. So whats up with that? Why is Florida grass fed beef so tough that I am going to have to stew T-bone steaks?

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

That stinks! Sorry to hear that. Here are some possabilities and I'm sure there are others as well. If the meat is not cut correctly (coming from my husband the butcher) it could be tough. It has also been our limited experience that if the bovine is around 2 years old when butchered it is great, but if it is 3 or older, it is more tough. Again, there could be other reasons as well that I am not aware of.

Now that you know it is tough, this is what I would suggest. They make gadgets to tenderize the meat. We eat a lot of wild game and this comes in handy some times. You can get them at Cabelas.com and plenty of other places. They really help to make the meat more tender. Also, marinating the meat will help.

It is sad to have spent the money and not have it meet your expectations. I am sure that if they know, the ranch that raised that beef is dissapointed too. Maybe mention it to them and see what they have to say. If you don't, you probably won't buy from them again, if you do, they may be able to compensate you in some way and keep you as a customer. Best wishes!

 

[jhm47]

There are many factors that influence the tenderness/toughness of beef (or any meat for that matter). There is the age of the animal, genetics of the animal, what the animal was fed, and also the amount of exercise, and the activities that the animal has been doing will also impact it. Of course, age and genetics are probably the biggest factors.

Personally, I am not a big fan of "grassfed" beef. I have never eaten any of it that was as good as beef from animals that were corn fed. I realize that this is my personal taste, and many here would disagree with me. I like the whiter marbling, vs the more yellow that grassfeds have. Also, grassfeds are almost always older, thus they will usually be tougher. I can get my Sim/Angus crosses to 1500 lbs in 14 - 16 months when I really push them on the corn, and this is my favorite beef. I have the T-bones cut 1" thick, and you can always cut them with a fork. YUM!!!!!!!

It has also been my experience that supermarket beef is not of the quality of our own, however, I have gotten some that was pretty good. I guess that varies from area to area. Here in South Dakota, the markets better have the good stuff, or it won't sell. We've gotten pretty spoiled with local beef, and won't tolerate the poor stuff.

Better luck next time with your purchase!

 

[Bossroo]

Along with genetics, age, etc. , the grass fed beef is almost never hung to age long enough. They need to age at least 18-22 days. I have eaten at some very fancy restaurants that tauted their organic grass fed beef as the very best steak one can buy with a price tag to match... tough as shoe leather. I learned to save my money real quick. I buy our beef from our neighbor who owns 5,000 acre Sierra Nevada Mountain foothills in Cal. beef ranch ( cattle are a 3 way cross of Polled Hereford x Beefmaster x Shorthorn). After the calves are weaned, they are turned out on irrigated pasture on green grass up to 5 months. Then they brought in to his own feed lot, where they are fed alfalfa and corn for at least 120 days that finish at @ 1,000 lbs. I get to pick out the best one out of several hundred head, that would grade at PRIME+++. I butcher myself, hang the carcass for 20-22 days then cut it up myself with my commercial 220, 3phaze meat band saw and 220 commercial meat grinder. Best tasting, juiciest, cut with a fork tender meat one can ever savor.

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

The way our beef guy does it is to only have about 6 or 7 a year and he pastures them but supplements with some concentrate, silage and grains all along so that they develop they marble a bit better. It was hands down the best beef I've ever had.

 

[GBov]

I plan to get a yearling as soon as we get a piece of land and give it two acres. Hay and sweet feed for six to eight months and then eat em.

Thats my plan anyway lol.

Am soooooooo disappointed in my beef but at least its better than the supermarket. Its like the time I bought a side of free range pork and it turned out to have absolutely NO fat. None! Turns out it was a production breed and the exercise it got just kept the fat off of it in a free range situation. The meat was tasty but it took awhile to learn to cook it so it was juicy and tender instead of dry and fibery.

I shall just have lots of stews adn soups and keep my fingers crossed for a steer of my own.

 

[Royd Wood]

Gbov - I hear you loud and clear as we moved to Canada from England 5 years ago and couldnt find local grassfed beef anywhere (big cash crop + fruit area) but did find a lamb which was the worst I have ever tasted.
So 5 years on we are running a Strictly grassfed op using Galloway cattle and Romney sheep. These breeds are very much suited to a life without grain as long as good pasture and hay is available. For the cattle its around 24 to 28 months to finish and the results are fantastic. We run a farm store and have a job to keep up with demand.
Good luck with doing your own

 

[GBov]

Gbov - I hear you loud and clear as we moved to Canada from England 5 years ago and couldnt find local grassfed beef anywhere (big cash crop + fruit area) but did find a lamb which was the worst I have ever tasted.
So 5 years on we are running a Strictly grassfed op using Galloway cattle and Romney sheep. These breeds are very much suited to a life without grain as long as good pasture and hay is available. For the cattle its around 24 to 28 months to finish and the results are fantastic. We run a farm store and have a job to keep up with demand.
Good luck with doing your own

LOL! I have had to re learn cooking with American meat

Your set up sounds exactly like I want to do but with my budget, 5 acres is about all I can afford. Still, its enough to keep us in good meat with maybe a little bit to sell to friends and family. We were driving around today and found two properties in our budget but one was on land that was prone to flooding and the other one was really good but had no pond on the property.

Our wish list is not very long but water is one of them.

 

[CESpeed]

I'm no expert by any means but i would thin that if you only have one or two cattle five acres should be plenty if it is mostly pasture. I'm positive I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.

 

[Royd Wood]

I'm no expert by any means but i would thin that if you only have one or two cattle five acres should be plenty if it is mostly pasture. I'm positive I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.

I agree CE so please come out from under the chair