Grain fed vs. grass fed beef

Their is no question that the right thing to do is eat grass fed beef. Grain fed cattle are given a diet of mostly just corn (because corn is inexpensive). Cattle were never meant to live on corn and unable to digest it properly. They are given a stream of antibiotics to combat it and slaughtered before it becomes life threatening. Grain fed is about profit and not about the welfare of you or the animal. This cattle is fatty and reducing saturated fat in my diet is a good thing. When I explained my intent to switch to locally grown, grass fed beef, my friend Jay simply replied. “Corn fed tastes better.” I decided to put politics aside, and do a strait taste test myself.

For the test, I purchased ground chuck and top sirloin. A trip to Oliver’s netted me Petaluma’s Hick’s Valley Grass fed and Oliver’s own grain fed variety.

Ground Chuck: Appearance on the grain fed was noticeable brighter red to the grass fed slight brown coloring. The two patties were cooked on a iron skillet with only a little salt and pepper added. I gave Roz a blind taste test and she immediately picked the grain fed. On my tasting, I was in agreement. It had a better beef flavor and texture. Grass fed had a slightly rubbery texture and the gamey  flavor was still apparent.

Top Sirloin: Again the corn fed had a more appealing color, but a larger cut of fat on the side. Unfortunately this was not close. The grain fed was juicier and had better beef flavor, while the grass fed gamey-ness was much more apparent on the strip cut. It was more chewy too.

To be fair, I may not be accustomed yet to the flavor of the grass fed variety. Beef really must have tasted different 50 years ago, when all cattle were grass grazers. The chuck was not different enough to change my inclination to support the grass feed variety, but the steak did leave me with a tough choice on my special weekend purchase. I try to cut back my beef intake as much as possible. Most surprisingly, the price was identical for both at Oliver’s $3.98 lb. for Ground Chuck and $9.95 lb. for Top Sirloin. At least a clean conscious, won’t cost me more as well.