Buying a Grass-Fed Cow
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Unfortunately, I have to start this post with a disclaimer. Colorado, like 12 other states, has pretty strict food disparagement laws that hinder me from saying specific things about my beef preferences. I could honestly serve jail time for disparaging or wounding the reputation of industrialized beef (Don’t believe me? Google COLO. REV. STAT. ANN. [Criminal] Sect. 35-31-101). So, I’m not going there. I guess freedom of speech is o.k. until big corporations lose money.
Anyhoo, enough of the legal stuff, let’s talk about beef. I love beef. No really, L.O.V.E. beef. Carnivore defined right here. I grew up in Idaho and was lucky enough to eat beef right off the pasture from animals that my brothers named “Beefy” and “Steak.” When I joined the military and started living in cities, I wasn’t impressed with the beef selection in the commissary or grocery store. I didn’t have time to research my options while moving every three years, so it wasn’t until I settled in Denver that I discovered amazing beef again.
I recently purchased about a quarter of a cow this fall. Well, really I bought the whole cow and split it with three other families. After considering a few beef providers, I decided with the other families to buy beef from Touchstone Angus Farm. Brad and Cathy James, the owners, raise their antibiotic-free, grass-fed cattle on a ranch near Lusk, Wyoming. Their meat is not certified organic, but this certification wasn’t a big deal to me as I’m finding “organic” doesn’t mean better. After purchasing the cow, it was processed by a small family-owned business in Elizabeth, Colorado. One of our families drove down to pick up the meat in Elizabeth and we separated it right here in my family room.
Where's the Beef? It's the white packaging piled all over.
Each family received a little over 80 pounds of hamburger, roasts, and steak. My share cost $285 or about $3.55 a pound. I compared this price to the grocery store and found that although grocery hamburger was cheaper, I was getting a deal on the roasts and steaks. Of course, the first thing I cooked up was the steak. I used a salt, pepper, onion salt, and fresh garlic rub on two porterhouse cuts and fired up the grill. Umm… gotta pause here. 1. I’m starting to drool and 2. I can still taste that smoky, savory goodness. One bite and I was back home again, sorry to good old Beefy and Steak, but the meat was even better.
There are many reasons besides the untouchable flavor that I chose to buy a grass-fed cow for my family. I think it is a decision you have to research yourself. If you’d like more information about my personal choice, come on over to the house. I’ll grill up some T-bones, mash some taters, and fill you in on my reasoning. Until then, here are some links and resources I used:
Touchstone Angus Beef
Brad and Cathy James
Address: 440 Petz Road / P.O. Box 165, Lusk WY 82225
Phone: (307) 340-1456
E-mail: bjames1957@aol.com
DVD:
Food Inc. (LOVE this movie… watched it four times and it’s still not old)
Websites:
EatWild.com
LocalHarvest.org
Books:
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Oh, there is one negative to buying your own cow. You end up with this stuff in your freezer because no one else will take it home. Mmmmm… liver.
The Leftovers: Oxtail, Liver and Tongue
Themocracy