Our Butcher Shop Our Butcher Shop
Many who come to our site are already familiar with Grass Finished Beef and Lamb, but for those who are not familiar with the health benefits of Belted Galloway beef, a brief explanation is in order. “Grass Finished” means that the cattle or sheep are never fed anything but grass or hay, 100% of the time, nothing more.
To skip the lecture and go directly to our meat order form, click below:
http://www.beltiefarms.com/page1.html
Livestock fulfill critical roles in a diverse, environmentally sound farming system. The sustainable agriculture movement has been very successful in developing economically viable and environmentally sound alternatives to large conventional livestock production. Animals provide manure, a resource for crop production, and a use for forages that help to diversify crop rotations. Animals also stabilize the economy of farms and rural communities by adding value to crops through meat, milk, and egg production.
Intensively managed rotational grazing like that practiced at Malabar farm mimics natural prairie ecosystems, eliminates the risk of water contamination, and reduces the need for feeds from row crops that may contribute to soil erosion and increased use of pesticides, herbicides and petroleum based fertilizers. The natural lean, gourmet Belted Galloway beef produced at owner-operated Malabar Farm is produced from cattle which are raised in ways that may enhance personal health, rural communities, and the natural environment.
The beef is directly marketed to health and fat conscious consumers who are looking for a high quality beef to serve to their families. Our cattle do not receive antibiotics or hormones to stimulate their growth, and because they are finished only on diverse forage, our beef is lean and contains a minimal amount of unsaturated fat.
They are raised in sanitary conditions and because Belties are naturally hardy and disease resistant, minimal medications are required to maintain their health. No artificial ingredients are added to the meat products. They are processed minimally, meeting the USDA definition of “natural” beef. Our cattle and sheep are raised humanely, and they grow slowly on lush, green pastures, rather than standing in several inches of manure as is common in feedlots. This is healthier for the animals, for you and for the environment.
Traditionally meat is graded by the quantity of fat in the meat. It is ironic that the quality which is most averse to customers, is used as a measure of quality: the more fat the higher the “quality.” Grass finished beef with grade at a higher portion of “select” and a lower portion of “choice.”
The animals are processed at local facilities, returning the food dollar to the local, rural economies. The carcasses are smaller as are the individual cuts of meat, creating a more family friendly sized product. Some believe that grass finished beef is not tender. Because we genetically select our breeding stock for tenderness and our meat is aged for 21 days, tenderness is indistinguishable from grain feed beef or lamb.
Flavor of the beef is effected by the available forage, so there will be more variation than in feedlot, hot ration finished cattle, because there diet will be varied as a reflection of the varieties of forage available to them.
Our meat is processed locally in an inspected plant, and is sold in "split quarters," meaning that each quarter contains meat from the front quarter as well as some of the premium cuts from the hind quarter. Price is determined by hanging weight, per pound, cut, wrapped and frozen. Because the meat is trimmed and de-boned prior to wrapping, the take-home weights are approximately 25% less than the hanging weight. Our price for a quarter of beef is about 10% less than supermarket prices.
Cooking
Because there is limited fat in the meat, most cuts should be cooked more slowly and at lower temperatures than conventional beef and lamb cooking. Knowing your cuts of meat will help you to understand how best to cook it. The more a muscle is used, the tougher it is. Grass fed beef and lamb should not be over-cooked or you will be disappointed.
Here is an excellent site which shows what cuts come from what portion of the animal, how to cook grass finished beef and the health benefits of it. The site also includes some very good recipes.
http://www.csuchico.edu/agr/grsfdbef/mission.html
Short loin, loin and ribs – These cuts are generally of a single muscle and thus have smaller amounts of connective tissue, making them extremely tender. In addition the muscle is finer grained, reflecting that these muscles are utilized less. These meats are suitable for quick cooking on the grill, although they should be cooked to a lesser degree of doneness than conventional beef.
Round/Rump – This cuts are of medium tenderness and are suitable for dry heat cooking. Cuts will consist of steaks and roasts.
Chuck – The chuck cuts are chewing, from muscles that are heavily utilized. They will include more connective tissue and will benefit from a wet cooking process which tenderizes the connective tissues. Moist, slow heat cooking is preferred, and this releases the richness of their taste.
Brisket, Flank, and Plate – These are the tougher muscles with the most connective tissue. Much is processed into hamburger and stew meats.
Bones – Bones are not just for you dogs! These with their attached meat and rich marrow have an enormous amount of flavor and can be used in many dishes or to make an easily prepared, wonderfully rich beef stock. See recipes below. (The dogs can still have what’s left.)
Pricing and Processing
Pricing is based upon the hanging weight of the carcass, the price after the hide, head, feet and internal organs are removed.
The carcass is aged for 21 days at 34-36 degrees F. It loses some additional weight during the drying process. Then the meat is cut to your specifications and flash frozen before it is vacuum packed in Cryovac.
It is sold by the whole beef, half side of beef or split quarter. The half side will include every variety of cut. A split quarter will include cuts from the front and the back half of the carcass.
Meat is delivered regularly to the
Lamb
Lamb is usually sold by the whole carcass as pictured below:
Malabar Farm and Blossom Ridge Farm Order Form
http://www.BeltieFarms.com/orderform
Contacting Malabar Farm and Blossom Ridge Farm
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