GrassFed & Finished Beef Cooking Tips
posted on
November 8, 2026
Grass Fed & Finished Beef Cooking Tips - We sold our first Grass Fed beef in 2010. Alan Nation in one of his books stated when a steer is 1000 pounds it is ready to harvest. There was no consideration or knowledge if the steer was actually "Finished" or what finished meant at that time. So, we loaded up several steers that fit the 1000+ pounds profile and took them to Cascio's Custom Meat Plant that was located just north of Hattiesburg.
Our first customers received a cookbook titled "the Grassfed gourmet cookbook" by Shannon Hayes. Her book is still just as relevant today.
A lot has changed since then - Thankfully! A few years later I attended the GrassFed Exchange Conference in Bismark, ND where we heard from respected leaders in the field of raising GrassFed & Finished beef. Respected farmers shared that "finished" goes way beyond simply 1000+ pounds. To be considered finished the animal should have fat deposits specifically in the brisket area (last area of the animal where fat forms). Once the brisket fills then you can be assured the animal also has fat in key other areas like back fat and marbling.... note that other factors like breed & genetics can affect marblinig so this is not a hard & fast rule.
Other important considerations for a quality product is genetics, forages consumed, and processing. Generally, English breeds and crosses are favored. The more diverse the pasture forage species the better for taste and nutritional value. Lastly is processing - low stress, humane handling, and aging all affect product quality.
I'm going to share several different, but yet similar, practices for cooking GrassFed & Finished Beef.
First, Shannon Hayes in her book offers four Basic Principles for cooking GrassFed Beef:
1) put your timer away, get a good meat thermometer, and be prepared to use it.
2) turn down the heat
3) learn when to use dry-heat cooking methods and when to use moist-heat methods.
4) ease up on the seasonings and sauces.
Most folks are specifically concerned about dry-heat cooking steaks that offer both tender & juicy results. Here is a pretty simple option that Dr. Allen Williams shares with farmers & clients. He recommends to let the steaks warm to room temperature, apply sea salt to both sides and wrap in plastic wrap to let the salt work. He prefers to sear both sides on high heat and remove to lower heat to cook. He only turns once. GrassFed steaks are best enjoyed at medium to medium rare. Pull off when 5-10 degrees below target temperature. Steaks will continue to cook for a few minutes after removal from heat. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving and cutting. This allows juices to redistribute.
MaryJo Perry has mentioned to me several times that her GF steaks always turn out great! So, I asked her for her process and she shared the following. First, the dry brine and bringing the meat to room temperature before cooking are key!
She will dry brine them overnight, bring to room temp then - depending on how red you like them - she recommends putting them in the oven at 220 with a thermometer. When it gets to 120, take them out and rest tented with foil for 10 minutes while getting the skillet blazing hot with a high smoke point oil like avocado - then sear each side for a minute or two. For people who like them pinker, she suggest skipping the oven...just sear. Lastly, she never cuts her ribeyes & strips more than an inch thick as the outside gets overdone before the inside is done.
For roast, occo buco, stew, short ribs, and etc. use moist-heat methods using a dutch oven, slow cooker, etc. with liquid (like broth) on a low temperature until fork-tender.
We certainly hope you have learned principles that help you enjoy your GrassFed & Finished beef from NGF to the fullest. And, thank you for your business.
What is YOUR favorite way to cook our beef?
Picture of the Week -
Here is a short video of us moving our cows. Title is Mob, Mow, Rest, and Repeat! Come along and see how we use the cows to take care of the land while providing them a healthy pasture to graze.
Half-Beef Custom Processed Orders - DECEMBER harvest window is now OPEN until November 23rd, 2026. Harvest date is December 1st with availability about December 21st. Have you considered a half beef or Christmas?
Follow this link to check out our Custom Processing Ordering Tips, to place an order and complete your individualized cut sheet. Please reply to this email with any questions.
And, when you buy a half or whole beef receive a Jaccard Meat Maximizer tenderizer at no extra charge. Jaccard is the choice of professional chefs and cooking enthusiasts for more than 40 years! The Meat Maximizer improves meat tenderness and texture, reduces marinating & cooking time, and is easy to clean and maintain.
Nature's Gourmet Farm product value proposition is to create a community that evolves around one of the most intrinsically important and critical needs of the ages, and that’s the provision of sustenance. That's our passion - to raise healthy animals to provide nutrient dense protein and saturated fat that nourish families and strengthens immune systems.
Our Beef is always grass finished with NO grains. Additionally, our animals are free of mRNA, GMO's (chemicals), Antibiotics, and Hormones. We ethically raise them on diverse forage pastures that regenerates our soils; grows the MOST nutritious beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and eggs; and protects our ecosystem.
Let me encourage you to "Be The Change" our food system needs by "Voting With Your Fork" at every meal.
