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BGE & Animal Welfare

Let me start off saying that I love proteins.  Beef, pork, poultry.   It doesn’t matter.

While vegetables are nice on the grill, let’s not kid ourselves:  The Big Green Egg shines when cooking said proteins.

When my wife became pregnant with my son, she started having doubts about meat products from a purely emotionally standpoint.   I thought she was being ridiculous and had no qualms about eating her untouched ribs.

Now I am not a PETA supported at all, but she encouraged me to do a little research about mass-produced animals and was quite shocked to learn the truth of how many of the mass-produced farms operate.  Pigs and chickens seem to have it the worst with deplorable conditions that should shock anyone.  The industry does a good job of hiding this and/or people just don’t seem to care.  The thought of a pig (with the intelligence of a toddler) being locked in a pen for their entire lives only to be slaughtered up for some tasty bacon or ribs disturbed me.

I was never going to give up meat and never will.  So in the last year I’ve made a conscious effort to locally source all of my proteins; albeit from the farmer’s market or a high end butcher shop that has strict quality control from their suppliers.

I am curious if any other eggheads out there feel the same way and how they deal with it, or if I just need to get off my soap box.

 

To keep this post somewhat more relatable to BGE cooking; here is a 5.5 pound prime brisket point from this past weekend.  Seasoned with salt & pepper, cooked at 250 with oak chunks for about 6 hours.


imageimage
BGE in the ATX
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Comments

  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Although I totally agree and would say I would prefer free grazing animals and poultry and humanly processed. I know there are too many to list plants that are everything but humane. I personally don't like it but, I will continue to eat my proteins. Hopefully these practices get better. Nice looking brisky :-bd
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • Wolfpack
    Wolfpack Posts: 3,551
    Consumers drive the market- want cheap prices you get a push for efficiency from the farmers/slaughter houses. I worry more about the chemicals and hormones than the other stuff.
    Greensboro, NC
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,663
    if you really find a need to go this route you need to go to the farm itself, theres alot of propaganda out there that starts from these small farms and works its way up. for instance the small local turkey farm near me raises turkeys that are so big they cant support themselves after a few months, the feed is good but the breeding over the years has produced some huge breasted birds for the table. heres a pick i took a few years ago of some lambs being delivered from a local farm to a halal meat market near boston, does the handling of those lambs bear any likelihood that the lambs were raised and fed properly

    image

    image
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • if you really find a need to go this route you need to go to the farm itself, theres alot of propaganda out there that starts from these small farms and works its way up. for instance the small local turkey farm near me raises turkeys that are so big they cant support themselves after a few months, the feed is good but the breeding over the years has produced some huge breasted birds for the table. heres a pick i took a few years ago of some lambs being delivered from a local farm to a halal meat market near boston, does the handling of those lambs bear any likelihood that the lambs were raised and fed properly
    I haven't gone to the actual farms that my proteins come from; but have read their missions statements and feel confident I am not being misled, but your point is taken; the only real way to know would be to go their and watch the process.  Thankfully being in Austin, there does seem to be more of a trend /demand here for ethically raised proteins
    BGE in the ATX
  • Wolfpack said:
    Consumers drive the market- want cheap prices you get a push for efficiency from the farmers/slaughter houses. I worry more about the chemicals and hormones than the other stuff.
    Chemicals and hormones were also a huge reason I've steered clear of mass-produce proteins
    Scary stuff that the US Ag Department allows such practices to continue without much public debate
    BGE in the ATX
  • if you really find a need to go this route you need to go to the farm itself, theres alot of propaganda out there that starts from these small farms and works its way up. for instance the small local turkey farm near me raises turkeys that are so big they cant support themselves after a few months, the feed is good but the breeding over the years has produced some huge breasted birds for the table. heres a pick i took a few years ago of some lambs being delivered from a local farm to a halal meat market near boston, does the handling of those lambs bear any likelihood that the lambs were raised and fed properly

    image

    image
    I bet that van smells awesome. not sure I see a reefer unit on top of there but I could be wrong. Yuck.


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    I think that was @SGH van pulling into Warren's Corner last weekend
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
  • I have been struggling with this quite a bit lately. Im not PETA either, but I'm with you in that I don't want my food to be treated the way many of the major shops do. It's disgusting to do to any living being and certainly to ones smarter than my two dogs that I love.

    I've transitioned in to the locally sources (expensive) meats and try to only eat them or the free range label stuff. Hopefully it's healthier because it's certainly not cheap.

    I love the taste of pig too much to give it up now, but I'm only 32. I imagine one of these days the doc is going to give me a reason to cut back on cholesterol. My solution might just be to cut out pork since half of me already wants to...perhaps go vegetarian and stay away from all of it.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,663
    edited September 2014
    Thievery said:
    if you really find a need to go this route you need to go to the farm itself, theres alot of propaganda out there that starts from these small farms and works its way up. for instance the small local turkey farm near me raises turkeys that are so big they cant support themselves after a few months, the feed is good but the breeding over the years has produced some huge breasted birds for the table. heres a pick i took a few years ago of some lambs being delivered from a local farm to a halal meat market near boston, does the handling of those lambs bear any likelihood that the lambs were raised and fed properly
    I haven't gone to the actual farms that my proteins come from; but have read their missions statements and feel confident I am not being misled, but your point is taken; the only real way to know would be to go their and watch the process.  Thankfully being in Austin, there does seem to be more of a trend /demand here for ethically raised proteins
    but everything is misleading when you start reading the definitions of the labels. cage free can mean 10000 chickens locked in a barn with their beaks cut of, free range is the same setup but with access to the outside...doesnt mean they go outside on the open range. the whole industry seems to promote misleading info for their customers to suck . if a chicken cant walk but has access to the outside, free range bird
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564

    I do have some concerns.

    But I must say, I have yet to meet a pig or cow that I did not like with a little salt and pepper.

    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,482
    Do you also get your milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruit from places that don't use any hormones or chemicals? Organic is nice except for the cost and I don't always believe it. How do you know they haven't used any. Being 50 years old I have now problem buying regular meats, vegetables or fruits from a grocery store, because by now I have built up a tolerance to them. As a teenager I did grow up on 4H beef, but everything else came from the grocery store. I have helped care for cattle, and helped slaughter chickens for dinner as a kid. Its kind a to each the own for me. If you can afford organic go for, but I have no problem with the regular meat that is out there. There are a lot of things we eat that if you knew where it came from and how it was prepared you wouldn't eat it. The only beef I will not eat is GRASS FEED BEEF. It taste nasty to me. If i want to taste a salad, I will eat a salad.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980

    I am a full blown member of PETA.

     

    People

    Eating

    Tasty

    Animals

  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    hondabbq said:

    I am a full blown member of PETA.

     

    People

    Eating

    Tasty

    Animals

    Now that's funny!!
    =))
    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • Do you also get your milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruit from places that don't use any hormones or chemicals? Organic is nice except for the cost and I don't always believe it. How do you know they haven't used any. Being 50 years old I have now problem buying regular meats, vegetables or fruits from a grocery store, because by now I have built up a tolerance to them. As a teenager I did grow up on 4H beef, but everything else came from the grocery store. I have helped care for cattle, and helped slaughter chickens for dinner as a kid. Its kind a to each the own for me. If you can afford organic go for, but I have no problem with the regular meat that is out there. There are a lot of things we eat that if you knew where it came from and how it was prepared you wouldn't eat it. The only beef I will not eat is GRASS FEED BEEF. It taste nasty to me. If i want to taste a salad, I will eat a salad.
    I've been participating in a farm co-op for the last 2 years and get a big box of produce delivered once a week that is from a local organic farm.  Milk and eggs have been coming from the farmer's market as much as possible.  Do I know if it is actually hormone-pesticide free as they claim?  No, but I feel more confident in a local farm than some giant corporation.

    And it is shocking to find out what is in a lot of the stuff we put in our bodies unknowingly.  Since my son was born I have tried to change all that and am very aware of what goes in my body and my family's.  But misinformation or lack of information regarding food is crazy.  You never know where it comes from or the 38 different chemicals they used in making that chicken nugget.
    BGE in the ATX
  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,482
    @Thievery, Now I agree with you on the chicken nugget. I am sorry we ever let or son have them, because now he wants it all the time. hopefully he will out grow them and we limit how many he can have. I wish i could get farm fresh eggs, because they do taste better and I try to buy farm fresh meat when I can, but it's not always easy.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
  • Don't complain about farmers with your mouth full. Some day there may not be anything on the grocery store shelves when we are over regulated to the point of not being able to produce anything.
    Large BGE, Holland Gas Grill, Masterbuilt electric smoker, Oklahoma Joe, Flame Boss
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,427
    "Stangers"?   ;))
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure



  • Don't complain about farmers with your mouth full. Some day there may not be anything on the grocery store shelves when we are over regulated to the point of not being able to produce anything.
    My initial point was about mass produced farming.

    Regulation long ago became a joke in this country when special interests line the right politicians to get away with what they do.  Whether it is safety issues, hiring illegals or introducing feed that should never given to be an animal. The list could go on and on.

    Regulations should be put in place to protect the consumer, not just the producer.


    BGE in the ATX
  • I have some extended family that has been in the hog business for generations and have witnessed the entire operation firsthand and personally don't have a problem with it.  Humans are meat eaters and there is demand, hence the need for mass production.  I'm also a hunter which some find abhorrent, even though we consume what we kill.

    At the same time, I have no problem or care if someone abstains from certain animals/meats or does so altogether, whatever their reasoning may be.  But I have a huge problem if someone tries to push that reasoning on me or others or otherwise restrict our ability to make our own decisions.  To each their own.      

    LBGE

    Cedar table w/granite top

    Ceramic Grillworks two-tier swing rack

    Perpetual cooler of ice-cold beer

  • SWMBO and I watched "Food Inc" not too terribly long ago.  Of course, I watched with a skeptical eye, since these documentaries are about always agenda driven and present one point of view.  Look, I've eaten grocery store food all my life and I have no observed health issues from it.  However, we are saving up for a big chest freezer to store a half beef from a local rancher to avoid buying mass-produced beef.  We're also looking for options for pork and poultry.  Sometimes it's more expensive, sometimes it's not.  Personal preference, but I wouldn't force it upon the masses.  Don't underestimate the unintended consequences.  Over-regulate the food industry and it affects the fast food industry (the real driver behind all these mass-produced meat problems).  Make it harder for the fast food industry, and they hire fewer people, charge more for food which may affect those who rely heavily on fast food, ie poor folks.  I suspect few eggers really eat fast food on a regular basis, but that's purely speculation. 

    I'll pay $5.75 per pound for beef, but I balk at paying $3 a pound for a 'natural' chicken when I can get a store bought for $.99 a pound.  Interesting forum topic, and I enjoy reading all the comments.

  • Once again, even with the weather drawbacks, it is great to be in Iowa.  I can see the cattle and pigs being raised on farms and can purchase accordingly.  We have Amish in the area and their animals are out in the fields to move around. I can also vouch for the meats from the Amana Colonies as all you have to do is drive through the seven villages to see the cows and pigs grazing. I am sure that near the end of their time they are in a feedlot for finishing, but they have not spent their lives in confinement. Good looking animals by the way. There are not near as many small farms around that tend livestock, but they can be found if you ask around. One of my old pals from high school has a very nice business with his son supplying chicken, pork and beef at a local level. It has allowed him to expand their original homestead to quite a good sized operation that supplies folks with healthy outdoor raised meats.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,663
    @ Cen-Tex

    no insulation or refridge unit but there was ice packed in there and the pic looks like a cool fall day
    :D im ok with that and if i needed a whole goat i would go there
    :D the guy was pissed when i snapped the pic, dont know what language he was speaking but definitely understood what he was saying
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • TTC
    TTC Posts: 1,035

    I seek out local meat/cheese/veggies where practical - and especially for special occasion meals.

    But I also firmly believe that without Industrial American Agriculture our country, and frankly the world, would starve to death.  

    XL BGE, Blackstone, Roccbox, Weber Gasser, Brown Water, Cigars --  Gallatin, TN

    2001 Mastercraft Maristar 230 VRS

    Ikon pass 

    Colorado in the winter and the Lake in the Summer
  • @fishlessman was he saying something similar to that town you are in?
    :))
    LBGE 2013, SBGE 2014, Mini 2015
    Columbus IN
  • ksmyrl
    ksmyrl Posts: 1,050
    I was typing a response when @seahawksegghead post showed up so I started over. But he is right. The over-dramatic documentaries are showing the worst of the worst and are most certainly agenda driven. And that agenda is not about food or the people who eat it. It's almost always politically driven, which means money. I think (If I may venture a guess) what @Thievery is getting at is we should all be educated consumers, no matter what we are consuming...meat and poultry, veggies, gasoline, hell even lump charcoal. We do our own research the best we can and we make decisions, based on those findings, that we can individually live with. There is no single right answer. Personally I try to buy local as much as I can from smaller stores, farms, gardens, and farmers' markets. I buy lump from my locally owned hardware store instead of a big box store etc. But I never judge someone else's decision to do it differently than I do. The fact that this conversation is happening is progress. Great topic, thanks to everyone for their input.
    Fish, Hunt, Cook....anything else?

    1LBGE, 1MMBGE, somewhere near Athens GA
  • Great topic - think it was Food Inc that had a segment on a local organic chicken farmer, who exceeded all guidelines regarding raising, killing, cleaning and selling his chickens - but he was closed down/restricted from selling due to the conflicting interest of a big well known poultry corp. Even when you try to make the right choice, someone might just tell you otherwise. Food is big business.

    Although we all **** about it, food is really pretty cheap. Overconsumption and waste is just part of our first world culture, I'm glad my family is part of it, 'cause the alternative is not very nice. 

    @KennyLee - Nothing wrong with hunting - if more folks had to kill their protein, there would be a lot more bean eaters. Dad always taught me, you kill it you eat it. I once shot a woodcock, thinking it was a partridge. He made me field dress it an Mom started to cook it - it was about the size of a budgie - From then on I was 100% sure before squeezing the trigger. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,427
    Overconsumption and waste is just part of our first world culture, I'm glad my family is part of it, 'cause the alternative is not very nice. 
     
     I once shot a woodcock, thinking it was a partridge. He made me field dress it an Mom started to cook it - it was about the size of a budgie - From then on I was 100% sure before squeezing the trigger. 
     
    Just saw on the news that Seattle just implemented a law, they now need to throw compostible waste (food scraps) in a separate trash bin, mild fines but it gets people thinking about it, I guess.
     
    The woodcock story is great!  
    :D
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • Thievery
    Thievery Posts: 37
    edited September 2014
    ksmyrl said:
    I was typing a response when @seahawksegghead post showed up so I started over. But he is right. The over-dramatic documentaries are showing the worst of the worst and are most certainly agenda driven. And that agenda is not about food or the people who eat it. It's almost always politically driven, which means money. I think (If I may venture a guess) what @Thievery is getting at is we should all be educated consumers, no matter what we are consuming...meat and poultry, veggies, gasoline, hell even lump charcoal. We do our own research the best we can and we make decisions, based on those findings, that we can individually live with. There is no single right answer. Personally I try to buy local as much as I can from smaller stores, farms, gardens, and farmers' markets. I buy lump from my locally owned hardware store instead of a big box store etc. But I never judge someone else's decision to do it differently than I do. The fact that this conversation is happening is progress. Great topic, thanks to everyone for their input.
    well said.  

    I appreciate everyone's responses.  Having an open conversation is always a good thing and I enjoy getting insight from other people's perspectives.

    I would never judge anyone based on their personal choices.  

    BGE in the ATX
  • I appreciate the topic and the discussion. That's what makes this country great. (If only our politicians could learn to discuss topics and come to common ground for the good of the population not their re-election accounts but I digress.)

    I'm the second generation off the farm on my side of the family and my wife is as well. I sent summers on vacation harvesting crops in the south. I've sent time with my wife's family big farming operations in the north. I can still hear smell that, it's the smell of money from the pig farmer. I've also sent time with the members that work in meat processing plants (chickens and cows).

    It's already been pointed out there are good operations and bad operations. The process starts from the animal being raised and feed through the processing. The only way to solve your concern is farm to table approach. In some of the larger cities, butchers are starting to embrace this approach. That means they buy whole animals. This means that us consumers need to eat more than pork butts, ribs, briskets, etc..

    BGE is a wonderful tool for exploring some of these cuts. I've got a long way to go and would like to see other folks recipes and off normal cuts they are using. (I tried beef tongue recently) So you hunters that do whole animals probably have a running start on this so please share.

    Sorry for the wordiness of this comment but it's a big topic with a lot of options.