The premise was to test grass fed, small farm, artisanal beef against the grain finished beef usually found in supermarkets and restaurants. Ryan Hardy, chef at Montagna at the Little Nell in Aspen, helped with the project.
They liked all the steaks, and found they were shipped without problems (one exception). They didn't find a "liver taste" that sometimes shows up in steaks
QUOTE
Alderspring Ranch, a small farm in May, Idaho, is owned and operated by Glenn Elzinga and his wife, Caryl. The strip, more than 1˝ inches thick, cooked up juicy and tender. Alderspring was out of stock on filet mignons, so we got a rib eye. Our tasters liked the flavor of both steaks, noting they tasted "cleaner," or less greasy, than supermarket steaks. Included with our order were several pages of information about grass-fed beef and how to cook it. The steaks are dry aged, a more expensive process than the wet aging used for most supermarket steaks. Chef Hardy prefers dry aging, especially for grass-fed beef, because it enhances flavor.
Baldwin Farms of Yanceyville, N.C., is another small family-run ranch. When you call, chances are owner V. Mac Baldwin, his wife, Peggy, or son, Craig, will answer. All Baldwin steaks are dry aged. Baldwin's 8-ounce filet mignon was superb. One taster noted the "purity" of the flavor, saying that supermarket filet mignons sometimes have a liver-like aftertaste. The strip was also excellent. Baldwin's shipping charges were the highest we paid, but the price is lower if you live east of the Mississippi.
Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, Calif., and Cholame, Calif., traces its origins to George Hearst, father of publishing titan William Randolph Hearst. It is still owned by Hearst Corp. and is one of the largest sellers of grass-fed beef. Because no cooking or thawing directions were included, we followed instructions on Hearst's website and thawed the steaks in the refrigerator. The filet package leaked, leaving our refrigerator a bloody mess. (Tip: When defrosting raw meat, put it on a plate.) A spokesman said leaking packages are "intermittent problems" they are working to fix.
The strip was the thickest of all our wet-aged steaks and looked most like a cut from a high-end butcher shop. Our tasters judged it as very good. The 8-ounce filet was tender and tasty but a bit dry, perhaps because of the refrigerator bloodletting.
La Cense Beef in Dillon, Mont., which wet ages its steaks, had the easiest website to navigate and included recipe and cooking-instruction cards. Its strip was the best in our test. Big and juicy, it was comparable to a strip at an elite steakhouse, all the testers said. The 5-ounce filet (the only size filet sold) was more like a medallion. Our tasters had nothing negative to say about its flavor, but all preferred the flavorful Baldwin filet.
Ridge Run Longhorn Ranch of Wagon Mound, N.M., had the smallest selection of steaks, but its dry-aged beef was lean and tender. The boneless strip was the most tender and juiciest of all the strips. Ridge Run doesn't offer filet mignons, so we ordered a rib eye, which was extremely tender. Our tasters thought both were a bit bland, perhaps because of how lean they were. Family-operated Ridge Run included pages of cooking tips.
When it came to choosing the best steaks, all our tasters voted for Baldwin's filet, La Cense's strip and Alderspring's ribeye, in that order. But our tasters agreed that all the grass-fed beef tasted fresher and less greasy than supermarket beef.
Baldwin Farms of Yanceyville, N.C., is another small family-run ranch. When you call, chances are owner V. Mac Baldwin, his wife, Peggy, or son, Craig, will answer. All Baldwin steaks are dry aged. Baldwin's 8-ounce filet mignon was superb. One taster noted the "purity" of the flavor, saying that supermarket filet mignons sometimes have a liver-like aftertaste. The strip was also excellent. Baldwin's shipping charges were the highest we paid, but the price is lower if you live east of the Mississippi.
Hearst Ranch in San Simeon, Calif., and Cholame, Calif., traces its origins to George Hearst, father of publishing titan William Randolph Hearst. It is still owned by Hearst Corp. and is one of the largest sellers of grass-fed beef. Because no cooking or thawing directions were included, we followed instructions on Hearst's website and thawed the steaks in the refrigerator. The filet package leaked, leaving our refrigerator a bloody mess. (Tip: When defrosting raw meat, put it on a plate.) A spokesman said leaking packages are "intermittent problems" they are working to fix.
The strip was the thickest of all our wet-aged steaks and looked most like a cut from a high-end butcher shop. Our tasters judged it as very good. The 8-ounce filet was tender and tasty but a bit dry, perhaps because of the refrigerator bloodletting.
La Cense Beef in Dillon, Mont., which wet ages its steaks, had the easiest website to navigate and included recipe and cooking-instruction cards. Its strip was the best in our test. Big and juicy, it was comparable to a strip at an elite steakhouse, all the testers said. The 5-ounce filet (the only size filet sold) was more like a medallion. Our tasters had nothing negative to say about its flavor, but all preferred the flavorful Baldwin filet.
Ridge Run Longhorn Ranch of Wagon Mound, N.M., had the smallest selection of steaks, but its dry-aged beef was lean and tender. The boneless strip was the most tender and juiciest of all the strips. Ridge Run doesn't offer filet mignons, so we ordered a rib eye, which was extremely tender. Our tasters thought both were a bit bland, perhaps because of how lean they were. Family-operated Ridge Run included pages of cooking tips.
When it came to choosing the best steaks, all our tasters voted for Baldwin's filet, La Cense's strip and Alderspring's ribeye, in that order. But our tasters agreed that all the grass-fed beef tasted fresher and less greasy than supermarket beef.
Meat
Ridge Run - lean and tender
La Cense
The Hearst Ranch website gave me a quick shock. In addition to grass fed beef, hot dogs, etc they mentioned DOG. It turned out they sell their cattle dog puppies There are cute pictures and videos of pooches
Hearst Ranch
Baldwin Ranch products are halal processed, and may be purchased at the store or shipped (Mondays only).
Baldwin Beef
Alderspring Ranch was featured in a Globe & Mail article. Although it isn't currently shipping to Canada, the owners hope to do so within the next few weeks.
Alderspring
