The best beef ever

I recently found a local rancher that raises free range grass fed cattle (he tells me he feeds them about 1.5lbs of barley he grows himself daily), sheep/lambs and old school pigs. After hearing really good things about his meats I bought a 9lb standing rib roast for Christmas eve dinner. The weather being so nice for late December I decided to cook it on the BBQ using oak wood coals and soaked apple chunks for a bit of smoke.
 
The roast came well trimmed but still with a decent fat cap and a very nice red color to the meat. I seasoned the outside with sea salt, black pepper & granulated garlic.
 
After 4 hours and 20 minutes at about 430* I pulled it 142* and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
 
This is by far the best hunk of beef I can remember. Very tasty, tender and juicy. The whole family really liked it. I'll be buying plenty more roasts and steaks from him, especially come Spring grilling season.

There are ranches in WV?  I thought all the cattle in WV had legs on one side about a foot shorter than the legs on the other side.

In its far East where it borders VA, MD, & PA Wild, Wonderful WV is merely a bit "hilly" and has a lot of prime farmland.

I have a local guy too that I buy from. Best meat ever!

Mike,
I'd love to see some pictures.
Jim

No doubt the beef is great--but if he feeds them barley then its grain fed not grass fed--- but it sounds DELICIOUS!!! I too have a neighbor--like across the road-with a couple 100 head of grass fed Angus! UMMM good!

MikeS., I recently started a thread on local, grass fed beef.  In fact, I am heading out now to pick up some porterhouse steaks.
 
The small amount of grain that is fed to the cattle is mostly to make them do what the farmer wants them to do.  Most farmers throw some grain in the trough in the morning, as a way to take a head count.  As opposed to a feed lot where the cattle gorge themselves.
 
Even prime beef can be raised grass fed.  I am considering buying half a cow, prime, grass fed from another local farmer.  $3.25/pound hot weight.  After butchering the finished product should be about $6.50/pound.  Not bad for prime beef. 

tiki


No doubt the beef is great--but if he feeds them barley then its grain fed not grass fed--- but it sounds DELICIOUS!!! I too have a neighbor--like across the road-with a couple 100 head of grass fed Angus! UMMM good!

I don't think 1.5lbs a day = grain fed. Majority of the feed is grass.

Sorry Jim no pics.

MikeS.


Sorry Jim no pics.

And surely no leftovers if it was as good as you say.

"Grass fed" is why beef from South America - primarily Brasil and Argentina - is so tasty.

Just down the road from me is a "hobby farm" that raises Highland cattle and since it seems like they're always pastured I have to think that grass makes up the majority of their diet.  One of these days I'm going to have to send a friendly letter to inquire about beef but with my luck it'll turn out that they're raised as pets...
 
Brad

Grass fed, local, and no chemicals.....and 5 bucks a pound!
 

 

MikeS.


Sorry Jim no pics.

Mike, if you don't mind, how much a lb.?

joerogo


Grass fed, local, and no chemicals.....and 5 bucks a pound!

Hey Joe! Is this the same place you posted about before? $5.00 a lb., a steal!

chewingthefat

MikeS.


Sorry Jim no pics.

Mike, if you don't mind, how much a lb.?

 
8.49

I went in a half of a steer w/ my brother-in-law once. We got it from the same farmer we got our free range chickens. This guy said no grain was fed to the animal because it would make it fat which was not good for it..I said; 'Mike...killing it is not too good for it either'...I would have preferred some grain feed..The beef was tough, lean and gamey. The burger was the best and we did get an excellent marinated flank steak, otherwise it was pretty hard to eat.

My sister and brother in law raise a steer every year, we get a quarter. Grass fed, water from spring fed streams,  fresh air and mountain sunshine. They taste soo good.
 
Right now we have some in the freezer, along with a venison loin she shot opening day of hunting season.
 
In the fridge are 2 doz eggs from her completely free range hens. The birds eat plenty of bugs, grubs, seeds, along with first quality feed. i have never seen such deep yellow yolks. perfct eggs for poaching because they are FRESH.