Comments on: Meat: Is Dead Just Dead?

By: Kristin

Kristin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:29:56 +0000

Very nice article. I know the owner of both WWF and RRF. They are all wonderful people. Ralph and Kimberly (WWF) pay dearly for their organic certification. It is a great deal of time and cost and is reflected in their price. Their products are all wonderful. WWF has been in business longer than most of these farms and has really focused on providing a wide range of products to their customers.

Dave and Verlinda (RRF) use various butchers. If you notice they have “weird” steaks, (1) tell them. The would appreciate the feedback. and (2) it is really hard to find good butchers who really know how to cut meat the way the old NYC butchers do. Also, the breed of beef animal can make a difference in appearance and taste. WWF raises Scottish Highland. RRF raises Tarentais. The quality of the pastures between the farms varies also and this can make a difference.

As with WWF, RRF is also concerned about the comfort and state of mind of the animals they butcher. If there were a way for any of these farms to butcher their animals and sell directly to you, they would. The federal and state governments but many restrictions on them in this regard. What would Thomas Jefferson or John Adams think?

The Grassfed Gourmet is THE BEST MEAT COOKBOOK EVER. Can you tell I love it? I have yet to find a recipe I don’t like. Try the Slow Roasted Beef and Chili Brew Beef Stew recipe! Ah, they are to die for! If you have yet to buy this book, you’re missing out. Don’t even get me going on the pork, chicken, and lamb recipes!

Also, look for Holy Cows & Hog Heaven and Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal by Joel Salatin. Excellent books you will very likely enjoy.

Finally, do visit the farms if at all possible. You really get an understanding of the cost issues when you can see the work involved in raising these animals and the research the farmers put into their farming techniques, nutrition, grazing management, etc. It is well worth your money to spend it on good quality food for your family. It will have a marked effect on the health and longevity of your children.

Blessings!

By: Carla

Carla — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:18:27 +0000

I’ve had experience w/ WW in another area, namely their raw milk. Kim (the wife) is generally brusque about everything. Not saying she’s mean or anything, just to-the-point and no-nonsense. Their milk prices are pretty high, but it is a very high-quality product, and I’m not surprised to hear their meat is the same.

Looking at those spreadsheets for full/half a beef, is that per pound on the hoof, hanging weight, packaged weight, or what? Makes a big difference in your comparison. We buy half a beef at a time for $2.50/lb hanging weight. In terms of the final product, it ends up being probably $3.50/lb. Not a super price for ground beef compared to the grocery store (though you can’t even compare them quality-wise), but when you take into account we are getting roasts, steaks (including filet!), and stew meat, it’s a great deal. I also get the bones for making fantastic broth, and you can get the liver, heart, tongue, etc. if that’s your thing.

I think the organic standard that WW adheres to is great, but I’m not willing to pay that much more for it. Although we currently get our meat from Polyface up in Virginia (the farm that Pollan talks about in Omni Dilemma), we’re having to factor in the cost of gas now. Though I still think it’s cheaper to go up there. Joel Salatin (the Polyface guy) really believes in what he does and it shows in his product. We love visiting the farm and talking w/ him and his family and seeing all the yummy animals. Like he says, it’s really “food with a face”.

Oh, and did you taste the chicken? The difference between free-range and factory-farmed chicken is even more mind-boggling than the beef. Buy it whole or else you’ll go broke.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:20:37 +0000

I appreciate the spreadsheet. One observation: I pay like $3.89 for 7% Kroger brand ground beef. Sometimes less. You’re getting ripped off if you’re paying $5 or $6 a pound!

Also, I’m bothered by your use of the word ‘literally’ in the 8th paragraph. Are you just trying to make me mad?

By: mattbucher

mattbucher — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:20:09 +0000

Fascinating post, Daryl. I can honestly say I’ve read very few books that I consider “life-changing” but Omnivore’s Dilemma is one of them. It will likely reinforce your ideas about eating only grass-fed beef. I have been buying grass-fed lamb from a farmer at the local farmer’s market and it’s about as far away from “traditional” lamb meat you can get. Also, I don’t know if you’ve read Michael Ruhlman before but he cowrote the French Laundry cookbook (which has an anecdote about Keller having to slaughter several baby lambs by hand) and he has a book about meat called simply “Charcuterie”. You should check it out.