How to Buy Natural Beef

By eHow Food & Drink Editor

Rate: (3 Ratings)

The hottest trend among the carnivore cognoscenti is organic and grass-fed beef. Certified organic cows eat pesticide- and herbicide-free feed. Grass-fed cows (as opposed to industry-standard corn-fed) are free of hormones and chemicals, but not always organic. The beef is leaner and filled with heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1
Inquire with your local butcher, or ask your favorite steak house if it uses natural beef. If it does, ask for the farm's information.
Step2
Call cattle farms. Grass-fed beef is usually sold directly through small ranchers. A quarter includes steaks, short ribs, pot roast, ground beef and stew meat for $200 to $350.
Step3
Shop for beef online. Prather Ranch (pratherranch.com) is a great source for all-natural organic beef, or try grass-fed beef from Chileno Ranch (chilenobeef.com).
Step4
Look for grass-fed beef seasonally, in late spring and early summer.
Step5
Buy meat that's grown on a lot inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and dry-aged, vacuum-packed, frozen and shipped in insulated boxes with adequate refrigeration.

What to Look For:

  • Hormone- and antibiotic-free or grass-fed beef
  • Butchers and steak houses
  • Cattle farms
  • Seasonal availability
  • USDA-inspected

Tips & Warnings

  • Line up a friend who's willing to share. When you order from a farm, you'll need to buy between a quarter and a whole side of beef.
  • Make sure shipments will arrive frozen to ensure they're safe to consume.

Comments

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on 10/15/2007 2 separate issues - Halal ONLY refers to the method of killing the animal. The way the animal was raised, what it was fed, what kind of conditions it was kept in while alive, and if it was given any antibiotics or not have NOTHING to do with halal. Halal means the animal was killed with a sharp knife through the throat while saying, "this animal is killed in the name of God". The death must be quick as part of the qualifications of halal butchering.

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on 4/8/2007 The Halal method of killing an animal, when done properly and following the strict conditions set down is a very natural and probably the most humane way to kill the animal for food. There are a number of issues - irrespective of how you may feel from a religious perspective about it. Firstly the animal to be slaughtered is taken away from the sight of animals so that they should not witness the fate which is about to befall them. Secondly, for a small animal it is recommended to try and calm the animal, for a large animal this is difficult and potentially dangerous and so it may require tethering. The animal is killed swiftly with a VERY SHARP knife by cutting the 2 major blood vessels in the neck as well as the wind pipe. When the vessels are severed the animal will immediately lose conciousness. The blood is drained from the animal and this is healthier for our own consumption rather than to leave stale, clotted blood in the meat. People often remark that this improves the flavour of the meat itself. When you compare this to the usual way of electrocuting the animal to stun them before cutting of the head or slitting the throat anyway, or firing a bolt through the head then you must realise that electrocution is a painful experience, the animal is in ridgid spasm and not relaxed or pain free in any way at the point of its death and it is by no way a natural way to die. Unfortunately most people do not look very objectively at these facts - their opinion seems to be tainted by a hatred of Islam because of their own religious intolerance or a warped perception fed by a distorted and bias media coverage of these issues.

hanna786 said

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on 1/26/2007 The halal way is the right way, the animal is not suffering and we ask permission from God before eating it and it's been blessed. They are slaughtered with a very sharp knife and very quickly, and there's not better way to do it than in God's almighty name. So if anyone ever says that it's cruel and halal means to make the animal suffer, that's the wrong information and don't believe it.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 Halal is not organic. Do a quick search, Muslims are trying hard to find organic, halal meat. It stands to reason that if all halal meat was organic then Muslims wouldn't have to search for it specifically.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 6/30/2006 One of the basic principles behind Halal meat is to have the animal suffer as little as possible. The animal should be raised in humane conditions, being fed only plants and grains. When it is slaughtered, there is one quick sharp slit to the throat, so that the animal dies within seconds (to limit suffering) and all the blood is drained from it. In fact, many animal activist have turned to eating Halal meat for this reason. Although Halal is not the same as organic, it is certainly not intended to be cruel or inhumane.

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eHow Article:  How to Buy Natural Beef

eHow Food & Drink Editor

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