Cooking Grass-Fed Beef and Other Lean Meats

You just bought a beautiful piece of locally raised, grass-fed beef, and I know you don’t want to disappoint both me and the farmer by making a mediocre meal with something so carefully raised and butchered. So here are some tips to make sure you get plenty of OOOH’s and AAAH’s at your next BBQ.

Because this beef is grass-fed, it is leaner than the grain or corn-fed beef you may be used to cooking with. Lean beef cooks much more quickly, and overdone lean beef can get dry and tough. For a nice, juicy steak or burger, its best to aim for cooking it rare to medium-rare.

To properly cook a porterhouse or ribeye (approx 1.25” thick), take the meat out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Once the beef is at room temperature, salt and pepper liberally, toss it into a thick cast iron skillet (or other heavy pan) that has been pre-heated (10 minutes over high heat) with canola oil, or onto your pre-heated grill. Cook over a high heat, 3-4 minutes on each side and remove from the heat. Let it rest (see RESTING) and enjoy!

If you are having trouble keeping your beef rare in the middle or are cooking a thinner cut of meat, you might want to start cooking while it is still a little cool, rather than waiting until it has reached room temperature. This will allow the outside to sear, while the middle cooks a little more slowly. Everyone’s grill/stove/pan setup is a little different, so it might take some practice to get optimal results. Don’t get discouraged – it will be worth it.