TIL beef from grass-fed cows can have way less fat than I thought

I was reading an old farm report from a place in Iowa and saw a number that made me stop. It said some grass-fed sides they did tests on had under 5% fat in the lean cuts. I've been cutting meat for eight years now and always figured grass-fed was leaner, but I thought it was more like 8 or 10%. It makes sense when you think about the diet, but seeing that actual number... it really changes how you might talk to a customer about cook times. They'd dry out a ribeye fast if they treated it like regular grain-finished. Has anyone else run into this and had to adjust their advice for home cooks?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica92120d ago

That five-degree rule is a lifesaver, but honestly, even a good thermometer won't save you from overcooking if the heat's too high.

singh.elizabeth20d ago

Exactly, and that lower heat gives you more time to react. It's the difference between a perfect medium rare and a panicked scramble. What temp do you usually aim for with something like a ribeye?

wendy3220d ago

Tell a customer to cook grass-fed like regular beef and you're basically handing them shoe leather. Saw a guy nearly cry over a $90 strip steak he turned into a hockey puck. Now I just tell people to use a thermometer and pull it five degrees early, no exceptions.