Grass fed beef and or bison?

Captainjimpark

hi everyone
time to start eating a little healthier for me,I’m looking for a good online source for bison and grass fed beef, not sure if Costco or sams sell it as I haven’t been to either in some time,
thanks in advance!!

Hans61

find a local farmer, thats your best option usually 

Captainjimpark

Hans61 said:

find a local farmer, thats your best option usually 

I need to be able to buy cut and wrapped
cook mostly for myself so can’t buy in big quantities 

Carolina Q

Not much help here. Never ordered meat online. Aldi sells grass fed ground beef, but that's all I've seen there. Most of the regular grocery stores around here sell ground bison. Dunno why ground only.

DoubleEgger

Check your grocery store if you haven’t already. The ones here carry both 

Hans61

Captainjimpark said:

Hans61 said:

find a local farmer, thats your best option usually 

I need to be able to buy cut and wrapped
cook mostly for myself so can’t buy in big quantities 

I hear you, may be a good reason to add another deep freeze to the garage :-)

GoooDawgs

Costco ground bison is very good - love making burgers with it. 

Mattman3969

I’ve seen grass fed beef and bison in Kroger and Wakmart.  

Legume

Captainjimpark said:

Hans61 said:

find a local farmer, thats your best option usually 

I need to be able to buy cut and wrapped
cook mostly for myself so can’t buy in big quantities 

Check out local farmers markets

nolaegghead

You can always eat leaner cuts, like sirloin.  Take some fish oil capsules with your meal.  If u cant find grassfed, that is.  Same health benefits.

lousubcap

I'm endorsing your health approach and wish you much success.  I don't know the overall health benefits of grass vs grain fed but I do know that you need to be prepared for a true taste and texture palate difference.  One over the other, your call.  
Since I'm here, I would look for other health benefit options before committing to the grass fed option.  (And it's not even Friday...)  FWIW-

BBQBuddy

I have ordered from Northstar Bison with great success.
https://www.northstarbison.com.  
I get the ground bison from Costco.

gdenby

Yes, check any markets, both chains and farmer's. Dedicated butcher shops may also carry local product. Sometimes, different farmers will set up a co-op so no single one bears the whole cost of maintaining inspected freezers.

Shipping costs can be very high, so you may want to look for vendors close enough that and ice-packed parcel can be delivered 3rd day ground.

I haven't ever had poor quality from anything online. There have been differences in toughness between animals that have a wide pasture, as opposed to smaller farms that truck in grass. The wide ranging animals have great flavor, but tend to be about 20% chewier.

Note, the quality of the grass makes a great difference in the final flavor. You might want to check out a book, "Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef" by Mark Schatzker

Not all local farms sell only whole, 1/2 and 1/4 animals. Check around before you order online.

saluki2007

If you are looking to eat healthier, then going away from red meats in general is what you to do.  Not sure there is much health benefits in switching from grain fed to grass fed.  Maybe just cut back on how much red meat you eat in general?

gdenby

saluki2007 said:

If you are looking to eat healthier, then going away from red meats in general is what you to do.  Not sure there is much health benefits in switching from grain fed to grass fed.  Maybe just cut back on how much red meat you eat in general?

The reason to switch to grass fed is that the quality of the fat changes. Grass fed beef isn't comparable to eating salmon, or taking fish oil, but it can be several times better than grain fed. Bison, which cannot eat much grain at all, are even better than grass fed beef, and have 2x the protein. I have some yak on order, and it appears that it contains a fatty acid that reduces LDL.

At one time, the red meat vs. white meat was a reasonable difference, but may no longer be quite as helpful.

fishlessman

naked grass fed burger from aldis is pretty good, i spice them pretty heavey with zatar seasoning when making the patties, then a little rooster sauce in the plate.  every grass fed store bought burger ive found is over ground fine, not sure why that is or the nature of the beef.  not all beef marked grass fed is the same, they cheat and sometimes finish with grain, it needs to clearly state grass finished as well as grass fed, aldis just says grass fed. only way to really know is to source from a farm you trust. grass fed ribeye is great, grass fed short rib is fed raw to the dog

BikerBob

Grass fed may not be what you think. Some grass is treated with pesticides and other chemicals. Community Supported Agriculture is a movement of small farmers whose meat is raised without hormones and fed out with organic, non GMO feed. The meat may also be from a different breed than what the grocery store sells. You can join by paying a fee and get whatever is harvested each week or some go to local farmers markets and sell products there.
I have had grass fed meat by buying from a farmer and then having the steer processed at a slaughter house.
I'm heading to the grocery store today. I am not certain I want the grass fed option as I liked the nice tender beef tenderloin steak I ate last night.

GrillSgt

Not a fan of the texture of most grass fed meats. Pasture raised is where it's at in my opinion. The depth of flavor from the grass and the marbling and texture from the grain finish. If I had to eat grass fed to get my beef I wouldn't eat beef.

Captainjimpark

GrillSgt said:

Not a fan of the texture of most grass fed meats. Pasture raised is where it's at in my opinion. The depth of flavor from the grass and the marbling and texture from the grain finish. If I had to eat grass fed to get my beef I wouldn't eat beef.

I thought grass fed was pasture raised? If there raised in a pasture are they not eating grass?  What am I missing here?

GrillSgt

Grass fed means the cow was only fed grass and hay. Pasture raised means the cow was raised on grass but finished with grain.

jtcBoynton

Captainjimpark said:

hi everyone
time to start eating a little healthier for me,I’m looking for a good online source for bison and grass fed beef, not sure if Costco or sams sell it as I haven’t been to either in some time,
thanks in advance!!

I am curious as to why you are looking for online sources and not interested in buying from your local markets. 

Captainjimpark

GrillSgt said:

Grass fed means the cow was only fed grass and hay. Pasture raised means the cow was raised on grass but finished with grain.

Understood. Thank you

Captainjimpark

jtcBoynton said:

Captainjimpark said:

hi everyone
time to start eating a little healthier for me,I’m looking for a good online source for bison and grass fed beef, not sure if Costco or sams sell it as I haven’t been to either in some time,
thanks in advance!!

I am curious as to why you are looking for online sources and not interested in buying from your local markets. 

Walmart does not carry it in the town I live in,either bison or grass fed beef.just want to try some I guess.i am going to hit up other stores in nearby towns and a farmers market next weekend but would sure like to kind a proven online source ,also the meat markets in this area “near the mx border” are a little sketchy and I don’t go in them anymore.twenty or 30 miles to the north is a different story and I will pop in some of them at some point and look.

GrillSgt

You're welcome, and sketchy is probably an understatement.

CarolinaCrazy

Our Whole Foods has both local grass fed (from Baldwin Farms here in NC) and Bison. 

Woodchunk

https://www.madhunterfarms.com/grass-fed-beef.html

stlcharcoal

Bison for me!  Never been a fan of grass fed.  It's become such a buzz word like organic.

Spaightlabs

i am developing a strain of pasture-raised, grass-fed salmon that I think is gonna be really big with the healthy crowd.

littlerascal56

All our local beef in Central Kansas is both grass and grain fed.  We are spoiled...beef here is cheap if you buy a half from a local farmer!  Myself, I love the flavor of the Angus steaks from the cattle in the SW Kansas feedlots! I eat 28 day aged Angus beef on Saturdays, and chicken and salmon during the week!

saluki2007

Spaightlabs said:

i am developing a strain of pasture-raised, grass-fed salmon that I think is gonna be really big with the healthy crowd.

@Spaightlabs Make sure you only use free range hay to feed them.

scdaf

gdenby said:

. Bison, which cannot eat much grain at all, are even better than grass fed beef, and have 2x the protein. I have some yak on order, and it appears that it contains a fatty acid that reduces LDL.

Bison and beef are VERY comparable in protein/ oz.  In fact, select grade beef is slightly higher in protein/ oz. while choice beef is slightly lower, this info coming from a firm marketing bison meat, confirmed on livingwell.