Grass Fed Recipes - moisture-rich cooking for busy people

Here's some recipes I've uncovered in my research. Now you cooks out there, have patience with this old cow-boy. My best meal to date has been Pancakes, followed closely by French Toast.

But the key with Grass Fed Beef is to realize it doesn't have that extra fat in it. So these recipes mostly use a crock pot to keep the moisture in and additionally tenderize the beef.

The other advantage to crock pots is that it can safely cook all day while you are at work, creating a warm and satisfying meal (or several) ready for you when you return that night. So even if you don't enjoy a rural lifestyle like many of us, you can enjoy the beef we grow!

CROCKPOT BEEF AND BEANS

• 1 1/2 lbs of stewing beef
• 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
• 1 tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 can 16 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 med. onion chopped
• 1 can Kidney beans rinsed and drained
• 1 can chili beans

(I also added 1 can of black beans)
-Combine mustard, taco seasonings, salt , pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Add beef and toss to coat!
-Put the beef in your crock pot and add the rest of the ingriedients. Cover and cook for 6 -8 hours on LOW.
-Serve over yummy hot rice!

CROCKPOT BEEF AND GRAVY

• 2-3 pounds roast cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 packet Lipton's Onion soup mix
• 2 cans Cream of mushroom soup

Place pieces of roast in crock pot. Sprinkle packet of onion soup on meat. Cover with cream of mushroom soup. Let cook up to 9 hours. Stir about 1/2 way through cooking (but I'm sure you could just stir at the end). Serve over mashed potatoes or pasta.

CROCKPOT BEEF FAJITAS

• 1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 green sweet pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 can (8oz) chopped tomatoes
• 12 8inch flour tortillas

Toppings: sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheddar cheese and salsa

Cut flank steak into 6 portions. In any size crockpot combine meat, onion, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander and salt. Add tomatoes. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours. Remove meat from crockpot and shred. Return meat to crockpot and stir. To serve, spread meat mixture into flour tortillas and top with toppings. Roll up.

More pointers on cooking grass-fed beef

La Cense - the Montana Grass-Fed Beef experts - have some additional pointers about cooking pasture-finished, natural beef:

Like all grass fed meat, La Cense Beef cooks differently from the grain fed beef found in most supermarkets and butchers. This will help you get the tastiest results - every time!

Keep It Frozen!
Keep your La Cense Beef frozen until you're ready to use it. Then thaw it completely before cooking. To defrost, we recommend placing each individual vacuum-packed cut in the refrigerator overnight. If you're in a rush, you can also defrost in a bowl of cool water. Never use warm water.

Less (Heat) Is More (Flavor)
Because La Cense Beef is lean, lightly marbled and lower in fat than conventional grain-fed beef, its flavor is accentuated by cooking at a slightly lower temperature and for slightly less time. So, unless a recipe specifies grass fed beef, reduce the temperature in the recipe by 50° when cooking with La Cense Beef. Even at the lower temperature, cooking time for grass fed beef will be about 30% to 50% less than for conventional beef.

And as well, here is one of there top recipes from Ulla Kjarval:

Roasted La Cense Boneless Prime Rib Roast

Ingredients

• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 Boneless La Cense Prime Rib Roast- about 3 pounds
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Instructions

Defrost the roast in water the day before keeping it in the plastic in a large bowl of water. This should take about 3 hours. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Two hours before you cook the roast take the roast out letting it reach room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, season the roast and slather it with olive oil, roughly chop rosemary and place on top with garlic, set in a roasting pan. You will be roasting this quickly at about 5 minutes per pound - I had mine in the oven for about 20 minutes. It is important to have a meat thermometer so that you can monitor the doneness, as most ovens vary greatly (mine takes a long time) you will want it roasted to an internal temperature around 130°F to 140°F which is medium rare. Let it rest in a tin foil tent for 10 minutes before you serve! Enjoy!

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While I raise my own grass-fed beef here in Missouri, I suggest you try a vendor such as La Cense Beef if you want to sample some truly wonderful, Montana-raised grass fed beef.