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

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?

4 comments

4 Comments

jessica9217mo 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.elizabeth7mo 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?

theajohnson6mo ago

My buddy at a butcher shop in Des Moines told me they started printing little cooking cards to hand out with every grass-fed cut. The big thing for me was telling people to aim for 125 internal temp on a ribeye and then let it rest under foil for a full ten minutes. That resting time is crucial because the leaner meat tightens up way faster than grain-finished. I actually ruined a couple of my own steaks before I figured out you gotta treat it more like a venison roast than a prime rib. Now I just keep it simple: lower heat, pull it early, and don't skip the rest.

wendy327mo 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.