Grass fed beef --Your Opinion?

[PLR]

I have decide to base my educational poster for our county fair on Grass Fed beef vs Grain Fed Beef. Mainly because despite all my efforts my steer refused all grains. SO my question is What is your opinion of Grass fed beef? What breeds do you feel are best suited for grass finishing? What breeds aren't? Do you feel the end result is superior or inferior to Grain finishing? How does flavor and tenderness compare in Grain vs Grass?

Please let me know you opinion on this matter.

Thanks,

Shelby

 

[TXBobcat]

I prefer grain finished beef over grass. I have not ate a lot of grass finished beef; however, the samples I have tried were not as good as the grain fed beef I am used to eating.

We just butchered a Longhorn calf that was about 18 mths old. He was grain fed for 120 days prior to butcher. This is the first Longhorn I have had slaughtered and I wasn't expecting the meat to be all that good; however, when we ate the first ribeye, I was quiet suprised. The meat was tender as well as tasty. There wasn't a lot of fat (which can be expected from the lean Longhorn meat), but it was tender. The ground hamburger meat was also very good.

 

[TXBobcat]

despite all my efforts my steer refused all grains.

Forgot to ask, but do you raise longhorns (noticed your avatar)? Also, how were you trying to feed out the steer (penned up, call it up out of pasture for feeding, etc.) Also, what types of feed did you try and how old was the calf when you started offering it grain?

 

[PLR]

despite all my efforts my steer refused all grains.

Forgot to ask, but do you raise longhorns (noticed your avatar)? Also, how were you trying to feed out the steer (penned up, call it up out of pasture for feeding, etc.) Also, what types of feed did you try and how old was the calf when you started offering it grain?

I currently am building a herd of Register Highlands but also have A Longhorn, Hereford X, Black Baldy, Jersey and crosses of the above breeds. I attempted starting him on a COB mix in Mar/Apr and he ate it for a day or two but then quit and hasn't touched it since. I was feeding about 2 pounds morning and night. The steer was born last June 26 and was weaned several months before I started him on grain. He now weighs in at over 1000 pounds at 13 1/2 months old, fed only with some alf/grass hay and he has been on Open range since April. I have tried drizzeling molasses on his grain and it doesn't make a difference. He will put his nose in it, not even tasting it and will lie down and look bored. I figured I would take him to the fair anyway because he will definately be over the 1000 pound minimum weight limit even with shrink by September 9. He was confined to the barn pasture, which here in Okanogan, WA grows nothing when the cows spend all winter there.

The steer is the best you could look for in a steer he is square, beefy, well muscled, and would have finished beautifully if he had ate his grain. His mother and Uncle are the same way Square, Beefy and Beautiful. He is a mix of Hereford, Shorthorn, Angus and just about anything else you can think of.

My avatar is the breed I would like to own Just one cow of, the Watusi/Ankole.


Shelby

 

[Larry Sansom]

I have decide to base my educational poster for our county fair on Grass Fed beef vs Grain Fed Beef. Mainly because despite all my efforts my steer refused all grains. SO my question is What is your opinion of Grass fed beef? What breeds do you feel are best suited for grass finishing? What breeds aren't? Do you feel the end result is superior or inferior to Grain finishing? How does flavor and tenderness compare in Grain vs Grass?

Please let me know you opinion on this matter.

Thanks,

Shelby

Would suggest you go to http://www.eatwild.com for more health benefits on grass fed beef. yes it works. Breed wise - stay with english types - Angus- hereford etc. The Charlolais - Simmental etc have a terrible time finishing on grass. You need the older style - smaller frame type for efficient grass finishing. Even a lot of the Angus or Hereford are so extreme today they can not finish without a feed bucket.

 

[Rustler9]

We just butchered one of our Longhorn steers a few weeks ago. He was grain fed a few months before slaughter. Very good beef, hardly any fat compared to some other breeds. Tender, the best way to cook is medium. Any more than that and it wouldn't be as tender due to the low fat content. I think any animal to be slaughtered should have some grain.

 

[monkeywerkz]

We have always finished ours on grain. Not that we prefer the taste to grass finished beef, we've just always done it that way. I will say that I much prefer our own grown beef to beef purchased at the grocery store. Not sure if that is the grain, or just the knowledge of what went into our own food.

We've got a couple of hereford and a couple of simmental.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Stay with the english for finishing on grass.I prefer the murray grey,good carcass yield and tender!

 

[TERM101]

I feel that a grain fed is a better tasting beef than the grass fed..But, thats just my opinion.

-Thanks
~TERM~

 

[Craig-TX]

IMO marbling has much more to do with taste than whether it was grass or grain finished. IMO aging has much more to do with tenderness than diet.

Craig-TX

 

[la4angus]

I much prefer grain fed to grass fed ,well marbled, bordering on prime quality if not prime, and dry aged for at minimum 21 days. I would eat grass fed beef if that is only beef available.

 

[dcara]

I've asked three different processors the aging question over the past year and a half and they all said pretty much the same thing. Which was that it is the fat that takes the aging by breaking down and penetrating into the meat better giving it a more full bodied and flavorful taste. So how long it does any good to age a given piece of beef depends on the amount of fat. Two of the processors said 10-14 days does it for the choice minus to the choice plus range, up 21 days for prime and 7 or less for select. I was suprised when they seemed to agree that a given side of beef would only age so much, and that aging it beyond that didn't do much good.

Anyone else have any insights on this?

 

[PLR]

Thank you for all your opinions. I raise grass fed beef and have found that longhorn is superior in quality to all other major beef breeds like angus, hereford, cross breds. My meat is always well marbled, and very flavorful. it is only aged for 7-10 days as that is all the longer the butcher wants too keep it.

Thank you again.

Shelby