Why I choose Grass-finished Beef

The story of my part of 1902 Legacy Meats is maybe not the most expected or direct route. It took me a while to become an avid believer in grass-finished beef! Maybe not the email message you expected today? Let me explain ...

When I was a kid my grandparents provided beef for all their children. That means that we had access to beef anytime we wanted it! Great if you are the parents of 5 children, 4 of which are boys, and need to feed them so they can do all the sports and work on not only our farm but others as well. Have you ever hauled hay? Best workout in the world! I digress...

My parents are amazing and I never remember wanting for things but they did live on a small budget as a teacher and a mail carrier/farmer. So having beef provided made the grocery budget a lot more manageable! As I remember it we ate steak and potatoes four nights a week, then had hamburger steaks a couple of times and filled in with a pot roast on Sundays. It was a LOT of beef so I started not really caring for beef much at all. 

Fast forward to my married life and for the first few years of marriage Hamburger Helper was front and center of my meal planning. Yummy, but highly processed, not that I cared then, ha! I was eating our ranch beef but not a huge fan still.

Then we moved to California because of a job transfer and I had my first experience with grocery store beef. So . . . we started eating a LOT of chicken and fish, with an occasional steak or burger on the grill.

However, during the 8 years we were in California I became accustomed to the flavor and texture of conventional beef (grain-finished). So when we moved back to Texas (yay!) and I started getting beef from the ranch again, it was . . . different. It had a very strong beef flavor. Even the smell, when it was cooked, was very strong.

I talked with Jesse and Michelle about this on occasion and they didn’t really know what I was talking about. I continued to try different recipes and even learned that cooking a grass-finished steak required a different process than grain-finished steaks. (Lower temp, longer time on the grill.)

The biggest ah-ha moment I had was at a steak restaurant. My husband took me out for an anniversary dinner in downtown Dallas and as I was eating my steak I notice that the beef was boring. So dull in flavor compared to the grass-finished beef from the ranch!

Another HUGE benefit I noticed is that after eating our beef is that my stomach did not hurt, but when I would eat a burger or a steak at a restaurant my stomach was almost instantly upset. I was a total convert and now beef is my favorite protein! Well, 1902 beef anyway ;)

If you haven’t had grass-finished beef I encourage you to try it! So good and so good for you! If you have any questions please email me, I'm happy to help you choose the best first order for your family, answer any questions about our ranching practices, or anything other questions you may have.