Grass Fed - Corn Fed - Preference?

I do like the flavor of grass fed beef. It is different for sure. I am used to the corn fed though, so that is the baseline.

Luckily I am open to all sorts of different flavors and textures, so to me there isn't a preference one over the other. To me it is just different.

I like it all. However I prefer the grass fed beef over corn fed, for pure beefiness

I do enjoy the flavor of grass-fed, but unfortunately, I have gotten too many tough, chewy grass-fed steaks. I concede that I have gotten some excellent grass-fed steaks, but by far the majority should be ground up for hamburger. And before anyone jumps on me, I never get anything less than choice. I think this grass-fed phenomenon is just marketing to get us to be satisfied with more cheaply produced meat. If I were to put on my foil hat, I would say it is a plot designed to convince people that they really don't like red meat (afterall, they tried grass-fed and it sucked), so they will turn into vegan zombies. And another thing, I know it is labeled "choice" but 30 years ago, choice steaks were marbled and were tender. Heck, some of the prime steaks I see now wouldn't have passed for choice back then. We've not only got grade inflation in our schools, but it is right there in our meat departments. And dang it, what's the deal with the hair these young whippersnappers have? In my day, we had proper colors like brown and black and blonde and even a few gingers. Nobody would go around with blue hair unless they had an accident at the hair salon, and then they'd wear a hat for the next two months, so as not to offend anyone else's sensibilities. Now if they have an accident with the peroxide, they just wear it proudly, not caring who they offend. And they have to be driven absolutely everywhere. In my day, if we needed to go somewhere, we just walked. We didn't care if it was 10 miles and 110* outside, we did it. Heck, when I was in first grade, I walked two miles to school by myself. It didn't matter that it was 110* out with three feet of snow, we did it. I didn't have my mommy holding my hand either. She was off to work herself. We didn't have the schoolbus stop at our front door and roll out a red carpet like they do now for precious. I think this grass-fed beef has made these people weak, weak and lazy. :tsk:

I buy a quarter of grass fed beef each year. If you get the right breed of cattle it kicks ass compared to any supermarket bought meat. You can't much beat a burger from the grass fed beef I get... and that's a challenge. The ribeyes are insanely good as well. However for the smoker or when you need extra fat in your cook corn fed is the way to go. Also I get the meat from a small farmer and so there is variation from year to year and cow to cow. Studies show grass fed is significantly healthier for the cow and for you.

Corn finished for me. Do not care for the grass fed I have tried.

I'm going to regret saying this as this place is hard enough to buy from as is but if anyone wants to try truly amazing grass fed beef PM me and I'll send you a link to an online vendor that will wow you.

It tastes like grass to me

Yes, usually the last 3-4 months is corn mixed in their ration but even then a majority of it is roughage and alfalfa. Antibiotics are not used in this either, they are only used on a sick cow and cannot be sent to slaughter until a certain number of days afterwards.

IbrahimSS said:

Studies show grass fed is significantly healthier for the cow and for you.

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TedW said:

Which is why I'd like to like it.

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My wife used to make some great sugar cookies that I really loved. They were the best, but unfortunately, they were not too healthy. She found that she could cut back on the sugar in them. Yeah, they tasted a bit different, but they were still really good. Then she made a substitution of apple sauce for half the butter. Well, they were still pretty good. Then she used half whole-wheat flour, and well they weren't too much different from the last batch. Then instead of the sour cream, she used yoghurt. Well, not as good, but not nearly so bad for you. Next she substituted ground oatmeal for half the remaining white flour. The last time she baked those cookies we ate a few of them and she ended up throwing the rest of them away. A few weeks ago, I asked her why she didn't make those sugar cookies anymore. She told me because when she bakes them now, nobody eats them. I'll just go and put my foil hat on because this grass-fed beef thing is definitely a vegan conspiracy. :tsk:

I typically just buy corn fed because it tastes good and I'm cheap, but if I'm buying grass fed, I will spend the extra $$ for the good stuff, as it really makes a difference.

If anyone is interested, here is a great article about grass vs corn fed beef, and an interesting look at the beef industry in general, more from the production side than the consumer side.

LINK

I would like to like grass fed, on account of health, not because it's lower in fat, but because the composition of the fat is supposed to be healthier.

Grass fed finished with grain is surely the cheapest way, per pound, to produce beef, but everything else our foil hatted friend said I agree with cateGOREically.

Grass fed cattle are generally healthier too. I saw a brief segment on the news a couple weeks back. I forget exactly why/how but it had to do with the chemicals, and handling of the corn itself.

TedW said:

Obviously the grass-fed beef industry is being fueled by consumer demand. But this demand (like many other demands) may be a trend based on consumer intuition, not facts.

I'm no expert, but the real measurable differences in types of fat might be small and their effects even smaller. I'm not thinking we should demonize corn-finished beef.

Bad husbandry practices are a bigger concern IMHO. I think critters raised humanely might taste better.

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I'm pretty sure there a studies and Omega 3s are higher in grass fed beef and Omega 6 (which is not good for you) is high in corn fed by a measurable margin. I'm pretty sure it's the Omega 3s that give it that offensive flavor some people complain about when having grass fed. Combine that with the amount of GMO-corn out there and I'm pretty turned off by making corn fed my everyday meat.

Here's one quote I found:
Depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between 2 and 5 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef, and the average ratio of n-6:n-3 in grass fed beef is 1.53:1. In grain fed beef, this ratio jumps all the way up to 7.65:1.

It should be noted what I found was also that grain fed did NOT have significant more omega 6 just way less omega 3.

Problem with grass fed beef is most "producers" can't get the level of finish and marbling needed for tender, tasty, beef on their pastures.
Like most everything else, it needs to be done right and you absolutely need top notch pasture.

Probably most grass fed should be ground into chopmeat, but producers are swinging for the fences to get the high dollar payout.

It's lot's easier to pour corn into them, and get a decent finish then to get your pastures right. No conspiracy, just the natural growing phase of a "new" paradigm.