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Cooking Grass-Fed Beef: Top Tips and Tricks

November 28, 2018

You may find when you make the switch to grass-fed beef from grain-fed beef, it cooks differently. This is due to the lower fat content in grass-fed meat. It means that you need to be more attentive when cooking it so that it doesn’t dry out. Even though grass-fed beef is much leaner, it still has more quality fats like essential fatty acids than its grain-fed counterpart.  

Before you cook the grass-fed meat you bought from NIKU Farms, check out these tips to help you cook the most flavourful grass-fed meat.

1. Bring your meat to room temperature before cooking it. This helps all meat cook evenly.
2. For steaks, marinating the meat for 6-8 hours or tenderizing it beforehand will help prevent drying out.
3. Always brown your roasts to lock in any flavour and juices.  Do this at a little lower temperature (medium-high as opposed to high).
4. Don’t maintain the heat as high as you might for grain-fed beef. Lower and slower is typically better for grass-fed meat, whether cooking stovetop, grilling or searing your meat.
5. Cook the meat for a shorter amount of time.  Grass-fed beef needs about 30% less cooking time, so watch your meat carefully. Use a thermometer if cooking steak or roasts and remove it 10 degrees before the desired temperature is reached and let it rest.
6. Stick to medium and medium-rare to avoid tough, dry steaks and roasts and always slice across the grain.
7. Avoid poking the meat as juices will be lost. Use tongs instead of a fork to turn a steak over.
8. Use oil and fat when cooking ground beef. Start with a well-oiled pan and don’t be afraid to add ghee, butter or olive oil as needed, to add flavour and help with the cooking process.
9. When cooking ground beef, add in vegetables and fat to keep it from drying out.  Ingredients like onions, tomatoes, zucchini, and cheese will all help add moisture to burgers, meatloaf, or meatballs.

By following these easy tips, you are setting yourself up for successful cooking.  If you need inspiration or a fool-proof way to cook your NIKU Farms grass-fed meat, check out our Classic Stuffed Peppers recipe. If you need to stock up on some more grass-fed beef or pasture raised meats, check out the new packages available here. Now get cooking!