Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Meat Run

The Cen-Tex Smoker
The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,951
edited March 2018 in EggHead Forum
We are weaning our family off commercially produced meats as much as we can. We are very fortunate to live right in the middle of some fantastic farmers markets that include some local all-natural meat producers. All of this meat was raised and processed within 20 miles of my house. Definitely more expensive but we are adding more veggies to our meals and using less meat altogether. You can definitely taste the difference too. I bought all of this from the farmers who raised it today. They were right there answering every question I had. Where do they live? What do they eat? What breed? How old? Etc. pretty cool to know where your food comes from. Avg cost for pork was $9 per lb. Wagyu beef was $15lb, whole chicken was $5lb. Ground beef and bison were $10lb. Veggies are just coming in. Bought some carrots, potatoes, and the best freakin peanuts I’ve ever eaten. Roasted not salted and still killer. Im a salt fiend and these were perfect just roasted. 

Right to left: pasture raised chicken, ground bison, ranger cattle Wagyu tri-tip, sirloin, and ground beef. Terra Purrezza picnic, Pork chops, pork skirt, Richardson farms brats, pork chops, shoulder steaks (country style ribs), Johnson farms organic carrots, and peanuts from a local guy who does pecans and peanuts  
Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
«1345678

Comments

  • Pretty cool,I’m trying to do the same thing.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    Good for you supporting the local producers.  No doubt a different flavor and texture.  Great looking selections and options right there.  
    That said, my over the top protein regimen (for sure no salad in several months and minimal bread and salt (other than meat preps and lightly with rubs)) manages to keep my cholesterol below 200 for the past several years.  I would ascribe it to clean living and sheer desire but that would be a big stretch.  Gotta be rocket fuel for the win  =)
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    I'm lucky to have this privilege too, living in the middle of the largest agricultural(and land-based) county in Maryland. The beef I get is likely not close to what you have, though.
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    That’s incredible. Great groceries brother!!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Good for you & your family. My radius is around 30 miles. The local bison farm failed a couple of years ago after a drought, and they couldn't get enough hay. The lady of the house was breaking into tears about it. The beef producers now in their 2nd generation held on, but have been $ stressed by taking care of Gramma.

    Lots of good veg. I'm glad about that 'cause my old spine doesn't tolerate pulling up carrots anymore. And the woodchucks and racoons have become major problems, this in the middle of a city.


  • dmchicago
    dmchicago Posts: 4,516
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker

    What Farmers Market? Bee Cave Galleria?

    Philly - Kansas City - Houston - Cincinnati - Dallas - Houston - Memphis - Austin - Chicago - Austin

    Large BGE. OONI 16, TOTO Washlet S550e (Now with enhanced Motherly Hugs!)

    "If I wanted my balls washed, I'd go to the golf course!"
    Dennis - Austin,TX
  • dmchicago said:
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker

    What Farmers Market? Bee Cave Galleria?

    Most was Bee Cave but the Terra Purrezza pork was actually the Pedernales market in the parking lot of Soralina Pizza (Apis) out in Spicewood. They are about the only thing holding that one together but it’s new.

    Bee cave has Richardson Farms (Pature raised Pork, chicken and grass fed beef), Ranger Cattle (the 100% wagyu guy that I got those huge briskets from a couple a years ago- the ones I sent to Scottie and Grim). They have come down on thier prices quite a bit and have started to offer more cuts that I like. They send all the glory cuts (ribeyes, strips, and filets) to the Driscoll and other restaurants. They have a bison producer who’s ranch is in Colorado but they live here and Johnson Farms for produce. My favorite beef out here is still Rockin M Ranch grassfed but they don’t sell at markets. They are sold out all the time now. I found them early but they have caught on big time out here. Now i have to order like 1/4’s or big assorted boxes to get any at all. Not a huge fan of that- I like to pick and choose what I get.  
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    So damn awesome. 

    I miss the farmers’ markets when we lived in Iowa. There was one happening every day of the week. Best fruit and veg I’ve ever eaten. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I really should try that out. The CT Dept of Agriculture put this together. The closest place is less than TWO MILES away! Gotta check it out!

    http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3260&q=412836

    Not much for farmer's markets around here as far as I know. Just individual farmers.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,868
    Yep we have a farmer’s market here too.  Always look to buy meat there when I can.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • I really should try that out. The CT Dept of Agriculture put this together. The closest place is less than TWO MILES away! Gotta check it out!

    http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3260&q=412836

    Not much for farmer's markets around here as far as I know. Just individual farmers.
    I prefer going to the farm over going to the market- you get more secret stuff on the farm. The market is nice because you can pick up veggies and other stuff though. I’ve been to the Ranger Cattle farm and drove around looking at cattle with the guy who owns it. fun stuff. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    Nice!

    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Dude, you're approaching the exit ramp to homesteading.

    I dig it. Those pies do look fantastic.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Great post all the way around. I need to hit those farmer’s markets when I’m in town. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,286
    I know a local goat meat producer but I think that is to lean to egg. Maybe in a Dutch oven.
  • R2Egg2Q
    R2Egg2Q Posts: 2,136
    Very cool.  I think I need to give the farmers market a closer look.
    XL, Large, Small, Mini Eggs, Shirley Fabrication 24x36 Patio, Humphrey's Weekender, Karubecue C-60, MAK 1-Star General, Hasty Bake Gourmet, Santa Maria Grill, Webers: 14" WSM, 22.5" OTG, 22.5" Kettle Premium, WGA Charcoal, Summit S-620 NG

    Bay Area, CA
  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    Cool thread.  Nice work! 
    =======================================
    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
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,868
    Great looking pies man!
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    caliking said:
    Dude, you're approaching the exit ramp to homesteading.

    I dig it. Those pies do look fantastic.
    Next he is gonna have blog and YouTube channel: "Prepper prepping with CT: I left the reservation and you can too!"
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    I’ll hijack my own thread. ...we have started to grind our own (albeit store-bought at this point) wheat berries and using a sourdough fermentation to bake our own bread. We used that tonight to make pizza dough for the first time and it was freaking awesome. We did chicken out and add a little 00 flour to the beast as it was fermenting.
    Dude, you are killing me.  After watching @20stonespice's success, I am on her "no flour, no sugar" plan, and pizza is the one thing that I crave.  I am still baking bread, and just giving it to @20spawn4, and while I miss it, it's no big deal.

    ....but pizza, sourdough pizza, it has left a hole in my heart.  So thanks a lot for tormenting me.

    PS - Now < 19 stone
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • caliking said:
    Dude, you're approaching the exit ramp to homesteading.

    I dig it. Those pies do look fantastic.
    it's getting close. I lost 5lbs the first week and didn't count a single calorie. Just made what I wanted to eat with local natural ingredients. That's not why I'm doing it but was pretty shocked to see that. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • SciAggie said:
    Great post all the way around. I need to hit those farmer’s markets when I’m in town. 
    I'll show you around.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • caliking said:
    Dude, you're approaching the exit ramp to homesteading.

    I dig it. Those pies do look fantastic.
    Next he is gonna have blog and YouTube channel: "Prepper prepping with CT: I left the reservation and you can too!"
    everyone would be like "why do you have just Tito's in your prepper cellar"? 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • 20stone said:
    I’ll hijack my own thread. ...we have started to grind our own (albeit store-bought at this point) wheat berries and using a sourdough fermentation to bake our own bread. We used that tonight to make pizza dough for the first time and it was freaking awesome. We did chicken out and add a little 00 flour to the beast as it was fermenting.
    Dude, you are killing me.  After watching @20stonespice's success, I am on her "no flour, no sugar" plan, and pizza is the one thing that I crave.  I am still baking bread, and just giving it to @20spawn4, and while I miss it, it's no big deal.

    ....but pizza, sourdough pizza, it has left a hole in my heart.  So thanks a lot for tormenting me.

    PS - Now < 19 stone

    Lot of ways to skin a cat out there. She has done some amazing work. Hard to deny the results!

    I always thought bread was the bad guy and had good results when cutting carbs (bread). I am following Michael Pollan's thought on this. It's not bread that's the bad guy, it's commercial bread. It's "all the other stuff" in there, not the wheat, water, yeast (starter). The fermentation is where it's at. You started me down this path! I didn't do it to lose weight per se but I did want to eat healthier overall. I was going to give this a month, then start dialing in the calories etc if I didn't see any weight loss. 5lbs in week 1 was a very pleasant surprise. especially eating what I ate. I feel incredible too. Joint pain is basically gone, sleeping better, working out more. overall been a very positive first week. We shall see how it continues.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Eating better, losing weight, and feeling better all sounds good, but that's a lot of work.  Do you deliver to San Antonio?

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Foghorn said:
    Eating better, losing weight, and feeling better all sounds good, but that's a lot of work.  Do you deliver to San Antonio?
    It is a ton of work. If I didn't work at home I don't think I could pull it off. Not everyone can just go downstairs and throw a pasture raised chicken salad together or fire up a bge for lunch or have grass fed smash burgers off a blackstone on a whim.

    Plus all the curing, butchery, and bread making etc. I like doing all that stuff and have time but It's not for everyone.  We spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning. 

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • BTW-Austin peeps: I am giving this place a test run but I am excited if they are what they seem. They buy meat from only local farms that raise natural, pasture roaming animals. They are about the same price as the farmer's market guys but they bring it to your door every Sunday. Order by Thursday, delivered on Sunday. Pretty smart idea and the prices are OK for the quality of the meat they are (supposedly) bringing. They actually bring in whole animals and butcher to order on Friday and Saturday, then deliver Sunday. No age on the beef so that will be interesting. I'll just wet age it a few weeks if I like it.

    I'll let you guys know what I think once I try it. 

    https://rosso-flynn.com/

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    It is a ton of work. If I didn't work at home I don't think I could pull it off. Not everyone can just go downstairs and throw a pasture raised chicken salad together or fire up a bge for lunch or have grass fed smash burgers off a blackstone on a whim.

    Plus all the curing, butchery, and bread making etc. I like doing all that stuff and have time but It's not for everyone.  We spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning. 

    @20stonespice has been a champ as we have done our thing, and we also cook up a ton on Sundays getting ahead of the game.  I went to WF yesterday, and came out of the store with 6 bags of produce.  The most processed things I had were cheese and yogurt.  Everything else was one ingredient.
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    I have to admit, a quick glance at the title I thought it was going to be a very different thread
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian