Page 84 - Summer2008

7 -8 ounces each) is to pound 6-7 cloves of garlic It will help to become accustomed to using
in a mortar with fresh thyme, marjoram, pepper lower oven and stovetop temperatures. A matter
corns, a dab of coarse prepared mustard, and a of a few degrees and a minute or two can mean
couple of tablespoons of raw olive oil to achieve the difference between perfectly juicy, tender
a paste the consistency of thick mayonnaise. I meat and a dried out, cardboard-like failure for
coat the steaks with this herb paste, cover loosely dry heat methods. Very low temperatures used
and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours. Not only the in moist-heat methods give you more leeway, but
refrigerator, but your whole kitchen will smell careful monitoring is still the watchword.
of this wonderful concoction, which is part of Learn where cuts come from on the animal.

the pleasure. I let the steaks nish marinating at Useful charts can be found in numerous cook-
room temperature for about eight hours before books to help you understand what sort of muscle
cooking them over a wood re. Many home meat you have and which method (dry or moist

experiments have proved that the herb paste ap- heat) will produce the most satisfactory results.
plication produces more tender steaks than meat If you can imagine a steer grazing on pasture in
merely thawed in the refrigerator overnight and your mind’s eye, you will see that the parts of the
promptly cooked the next day. body doing the most work are the neck, shoulders
and legs. Chuck, shoulder and blade cuts come
KEYS TO PREPARING GRASSFED BEEF from the shoulder portion and are tough as they
There are a few basic principles to keep in contain quite a bit of connective tissue that must
mind when preparing grassfed beef, and these be cooked long enough to dissolve into gelatin.
are primarily dependent upon how long or how This is also true for the arm, shank and brisket
well the meat has been aged, the fat content of cuts. All of these cuts will bene t from moist-
the meat, and the type of muscle you will be heat cooking methods, such as gentle stewing,
cooking. The cook can decide whether to age braising and pot roasting.
the meat further in the kitchen, or to employ a The parts that “ride” the steer and do the
mechanical means to tenderize the meat (more least amount of work are the ribs along the back
about this later on). Since fat is an insulator and and the loin area, and represent a limited amount
Many home most grassfed beef is fairly lean, the meat will of such tender meat on each animal. Prime rib
cook more quickly than “conventional” beef al-
or rib steaks are cut from this portion, with loin,
experiments most regardless of the cut, and one must always tenderloin and T-bone cuts following along the
have proved be aware of this limiting factor. Also, depending back. Dry-heat methods such as frying, broiling

that the herb on the animal and the age when it was nished, or grilling can be used with these cuts, again,
cuts from different animals can vary quite a bit always with an eye for the light touch. Sirloin
paste in size, which will of course change their cooking cuts come from the edge of the loin cuts just
application requirements. This means it is less important for before the rump, where round, leg and rump
produces you to try to time your recipes than to carefully cuts are found. These cuts will require careful
check on the meat’s progress by monitoring its preparation because even though they contain
more tender internal temperature and know when to halt the less connective tissue than the beef shoulder,
steaks than cooking process. Purchasing a good quality meat they also contain less intramuscular fat, and so

meat merely thermometer is an excellent way to improve your will be less succulent than properly prepared
outcome as you learn just how quickly meats can shoulder cuts.
thawed reach doneness. This recipe for Super-Slow-Roasted Beef
in the An internal temperature of 120° is rare; from Shannon Hayes’s Grassfed Gourmet is

refrigerator 125°-130°F medium rare—and most grassfed an excellent example of careful use of heat to
beef will taste best and be at its juiciest and most produce a succulent result. Note that the long
overnight tender when cooked to no more than rare or me- time spent at very low temperatures means that
and promptly dium rare. Be aware, too, that meat continues to the aging enzymes in the meat will be working
cooked the cook even when removed from the heat source. their magic in tenderizing the meat for several
It is wise to stop the cooking just short (10° or hours. I include her useful prefatory comments:
next day. so) of your desired temperature. “Nothing beats super-slow roasting for turning
82 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2008