Cooking Tips

1. Cook for less time : Grass-fed meats are significantly lower in fat than the grain-fed meats you're accustomed to finding on grocery store shelves. Since fat works as an insulator, it changes the way your meat cooks. Lean meat will cook faster than meats that are higher in fat.

2. Turn down the heat : If the heat is too high when grass-fed meat is cooked, the moisture and the fat will exit quickly, which will toughen the protein.

3. Ease up on the seasonings and sauces : While meats sold in grocery stores may benefit from heavy seasonings, prime cuts of grass-fed meat have sufficient flavor to stand on their own. Start out with a simple herb rub or just salt and pepper so you can experience the true flavor of the meat. Then move into more elaborate seasonings.

One of the best ways to complement the flavor of grass-fed meats is by applying an herb or spice rub, or paste, before cooking the meat. When roasting, frying, or grilling, this creates a wonderful savory crust on the outside of the meat. The most important ingredient in all of these rubs and pastes is the salt. Salt, when applied to meat before cooking, blends with the melting fats and sugars, contributing to the overall flavor profile of the meat (by contrast, when it is added after cooking, it just makes the meat taste salty).

*Reprinted with permission from The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook: Healthy Cooking and Good Living with Pasture-Raised Foods, by Shannon Hayes (Eating Fresh Publications 2004). For more information, see www.eatingfresh.com or call 609-466-1700.