Learn to prepare grass-finished beef

Any lifestyle change involves a transition period with the potential for set-backs, frustration and wondering if its all worth it. Changing food habits is no different. Whether it's a CSA box full of early season kale or a freezer packed with hundreds of pounds of beef, figuring out how to prepare all that farm-fresh food can be daunting.

Your corespondent must admit to never cracking the kale code, but years of raising, preparing and eating grass-finished beef has yielded a few fail-safe techniques.

The first secret to presenting an edible portion of grass-finished beef starts well before the animal is slaughtered. Find out if the supplier uses low-stress handling techniques by checking out the website or asking directly. Stress is the first strike against tenderness, and studies show a direct correlation between tenderness and low pH levels in the meat. Undue stress at time of slaughter elevates pH, so if the steers are hurried into a trailer and transported roughly, they're going to be tough eating. If the animals are consistently handled quietly, both in the field and in the working pens, there's an increased likelihood of a relaxed animal on the day its slaughtered.

One thing you'll notice about grass-finished meat is that it contains less marbling than its grain-fed counterpart. Marbling is the industry word for the striations of fat you see throughout the meat that contribute to taste and juiciness. Less marbling doesn't necessarily mean less taste, it just means using some different techniques in the cooking process to ensure a satisfying result.

Low and slow are the key words to successful cooking of grass-finished cuts of meat. A reliable meat thermometer is handy too. Cooking all the cuts at lower temperatures and for anything from a bit to a lot longer requires some finesse, which is where the meat thermometer comes in handy. Grass-finished beef really is best at rare (120 degrees F) to medium-rare (125-130 degrees F), and it continues to cook after being removed from heat, which you should do when the thermometer registers 10 degrees less than your desired temperature.

If purchasing in bulk, you'll notice a large amount of stewing, braising or pot-roasting cuts and a lot of hamburger. These form the backbone of most family meals anyway, and lend themselves to long cooking times, making them the convenience foods of those who choose to eat clean. A few minutes in the morning with a crockpot or long cooking in the oven pays off at night when a family can sit down to a dinner made from scratch.

There are many resources available to learn about the meat you choose to eat. Some are associated with producers, some with proponents of clean eating. Your supplier is a good first place to start. If they won't answer your questions, buy elsewhere. For further information, check out the McNeil Ranch in Colorado at http://www.grassfedandhealthy.com or the Westin A. Price Foundation at www.westinaprice.org.