all natural meat - question

alfredo · September 2012

eggheads,

does anyone have any experience in cooking/smoking with all natural beef/pork (ribs)? i have been told they cook faster and you do not need as much spice or rub on this meat. just wondering if anyone out there uses all natural(GMO,STEROID-FREE) meat on their egg.

what could i expect smoking a rack of all natural ribs? will they be ready in 1 or 2 hours less time?

any experience with this type of meat verses conventional commodity meat?

Hillbilly-Hightech · September 2012

I've done an all-natural chicken before. First off, it was a lot smaller than the "Franken-chickens" we're used to buying.

As far as the cook - didn't notice much difference, but the meat seemed juicier from the franken-chicken. Unfortunately, I think we've been conditioned as a society to *like* the "moisture-added" unnaturally-large breasted chickens...

Let us know how your results turn out - be interested to hear.

travisstrick · September 2012

Your biggest difference will be less fat.

gdenby · September 2012

I have been using certified organic beef, pig, lamb and chicken, and "natural" bison for several years.

Over all, the flavor of the meat is more complex. Doesn't hurt to rub them, but it is surprising how flavorful the meat is w. just S&P.

Can't say that anything has cooked faster. Usually the organic meat has less fat, and one must be careful to not over cook the meat.

I can't be specific about the time it takes to do a rack of pork spares, because the producer I buy from always has them cut into 4 or 5 rib sections. They do cook faster, but appear to be because they are somewhat lighter weight than the commodity ribs. I have bought whole racks of spares from an Amish producer, (which may or may not be "all natural) and those are about 1 pound lighter than what is usually at the market. They finish about 1 hour earlier.

If my wallet could handle it, I'd buy almost all meat organic or all natural. I would consider grain fattened beef sometimes, because it can be more tender than animals that spent their lives wandering around munching pasture.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2012

I think you might be getting grass fed and all natural kind of mixed up. Grass fed meats are leaner and cook faster. They are also better when cooked a little more on the rare side. They get tough very quickly when over cooked. All natural is a bit of a misnomer but even if it weren't, it all depends on their diet. As an example, you can have 2 cows on the same feed lot loaded with steroids and antibiotics. Take one of those cows off steroids and antibiotics for 90 days before slaughter and there is your "all natural" beef. This is very common but of course there are smaller producers that do it right. If you bought this in a grocery store, most likely it's the former.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2012

gdenby said:
I have been using certified organic beef, pig, lamb and chicken, and "natural" bison for several years.

Over all, the flavor of the meat is more complex. Doesn't hurt to rub them, but it is surprising how flavorful the meat is w. just S&P.

Can't say that anything has cooked faster. Usually the organic meat has less fat, and one must be careful to not over cook the meat.

I can't be specific about the time it takes to do a rack of pork spares, because the producer I buy from always has them cut into 4 or 5 rib sections. They do cook faster, but appear to be because they are somewhat lighter weight than the commodity ribs. I have bought whole racks of spares from an Amish producer, (which may or may not be "all natural) and those are about 1 pound lighter than what is usually at the market. They finish about 1 hour earlier.

If my wallet could handle it, I'd buy almost all meat organic or all natural. I would consider grain fattened beef sometimes, because it can be more tender than animals that spent their lives wandering around munching pasture.

Well said. Agree 100%

cep55 · September 2012

Good information, Cen-Tex.

If it sheds any light as far as the OP's question, my experience - mainly beef - with all-natural *grass-fed* (two separate things, as Cen-Tex points out) is that the grass-fed can be sort of an acquired taste for those of us who grew up on corn-fed feedlot beef. I love the idea, as obviously cows are ruminants and their systems do not process corn well, and their health is compromised by a corn-fed diet, often necessitating antibiotics. However, grass-fed is definitely much leaner/less tender (also lower in cholesterol and higher in Omega-3s!), and definitely is at its best when cooked quicker, at higher temps and on the much rarer side or it can be dry and tough. I still prefer corn-fed, but try to balance with grass-fed to keep things a little healthier. (One area where grass-fed is easily subbed in without noticeable differences is ground beef).

all natural meat - question

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