so you're going to eat red meat...

(source)

I know, red meat consumption has taken a lot of flack recently, what with all of the food documentaries, pop authors putting in their two cents, and the general fatness of our country. If you've read my blog at all, you know that my vote is for eating smaller amounts of the best quality meats you can afford. (Please don't mistake this with the "best cuts" of meat; I recommend a cheaper cut of grass fed beef over a filet from the supermarket any day.) For this purpose, "best quality" refers to organic, grass-fed beef.

Here's a cheat sheet for the benefits of grass-fed.

And here are my shopping picks. Just my opinion, of course.

Best choices:
Farmers' markets. Unless you decide to pick up your life and raise your own herd of cattle, this is the closest you'll get to the source. Small farms sell all sorts of fantastic cuts of local, organic, grass-fed beef and are more than willing to share with you exactly how their animals are raised and what the health benefits of their particular methods are. This option requires planning ahead, as jetting to a market on the way home from work usually isn't realistic. Also, be prepared to pay for what you're getting.
Check out localharvest to find a market in your area. You can search by zip code or product.

Online ordering. So you don't live in an area with excellent farmers' markets? Gosh, move to Los Angeles already! Or explore online ordering options. There are heaps of websites that ship top quality meats-- and we're not just talking beef. Bet you'll never be asked to host Thanksgiving again if you serve kangaroo or rattlesnake. Again, doesn't really work for last minute meal planning, but can save time in the long run.
Eatwild is a good place to start. Farms are listed by state and most give great product and shipping details.

Pretty good options:
Your local butcher. Butchers are just wonderful people. Don't you agree? Those white jackets and sharp knives... don't get me started! Butchers are are ideal because they do their meat processing on-site, greatly reducing contamination risks. But do your homework-- not all butchers sell the best quality meats. If they don't sell grass fed, ask why! They are often willing to go the extra mile to make your meat fantasies come true.
Try searching on forums such as yelp, chowhound, and citysearch for local butchers and reviews.

Whole Foods. Afraid of the whole paycheck stereotype? Although their price tags can be daunting, sales are frequent and make purchases more reasonable. Whole Foods carries a range of meats, from "natural" to organic-local-free-range-grass-fed, so watch your labels. Stock up when your favorites go on sale and fill your freezer! Like stand-alone butchers, they grind their meats on-site, and often make their own sausages and dry age beef in-house, so quality is consistent and dependable.

Okay, but you could try harder:
Trader Joe's. Why isn't this higher on my list, you ask? Well, not just because of that darned ground beef recall last week... Okay, maybe because of that a little bit. Trader Joe's (or any local supermarket, these days) sells a decent range of organic meat and occasionally has grass-fed options, but their meats typically come from central processing facilities that are often to blame for large scale contaminations. Just be wary, and cook ground meat thoroughly. Or, buy cuts of beef and grind it yourself! Invite your friends and have a meat grinding party.

Where do you buy your meats? Any tips?

cashing in on the chaos

Last night, the man and I ventured to the giant Whole Foods in Pasadena (pretty much my favorite store...) to see if pig flu panic had caused pork prices to drop. Unfortunately, no such luck. Either we were a day late, or a week early.
I'll deal with the media hype if it will get me cheap ribs and tenderloin! I know it won't make me sick, so, why not?

recession-proof your meats

a relevent discussion for today may be how to maintain a realistic food budget and still eat good-quality products... here's my eating/cooking/shopping tips of the moment:

eat in! why go out for a steak dinner when you can make a great one at home? even if you buy the best cuts of meat you can find, i guarantee it will be cheaper than paying for a mid-quality restaurant steak. steak cooking is so easy with just a few tools. i usually just marinate it for a few hours in red wine (or 100% cranberry or cherry juice), olive oil, garlic and onions, then sear it in my fabulous cast iron skillet while the oven preheats to 400ish, transfer to a baking dish and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 135 on your trusty meat thermometer for medium rare. while your steak is in the oven, reduce your marinade juices with the meat juices in the skillet for a tasty sauce. don't forget to let your meat rest before slicing! you'll have a perfect steak every time with almost no effort. (and look here! slashfood finally confirms that my dad did teach me the best way to season cast iron.)

stock up on stocks! not the store-bought ones- make your own. much cheaper if you do it frequently, and so much tastier! i buy cheap hunks of meat and boil them to death with onions, garlic, lemon, and whatever fresh herbs i have around. then, i freeze the stock in small containers and use it in soups for weeks-- and you also have lots of low-fat cooked meat to shread on salads or fill sandwiches for days! my favorites are the turkey thighs from whole foods-- huge hunks or organic turkey for less than $3 a pound (or 99-cents a pound if the butcher mischarges you like he did me this week)= yummy food for days. one more plug for whole foods: they also sell additive-free bacon. no nitrates for this lady!

don't disregard "big box" or discount stores completely! costco's meat sells for about a third of the price of grocery store meat- and often is higher in quality. not for the faint of heart- unless you're feeding multitudes of people or shop with meat-loving friends- dividing and freezing that ten-pound pork loin will be necessary. fresh and easy also has decent meats for cheap if you have one in your area-- just make sure to read the labels carefully. their sell-by dates can be tricky, and not all of their meats are happy.

simply eat smaller portions of meat! in meal prep, i try to fill half of our plates with fresh fruits and veggies and cheap, healthy staples like brown rice or sweet potatoes. then, we can be satisfied with little bits of the good stuff without breaking the budget. remember, meat portions need only be about four ounces, or the size of your palm or a deck of cards.

that's all for now! happy (cheap) eating!

what i want to eat on valentine's day

leave it to jamie oliver to make the yummiest lady butcher-friendly dishes!

check out the recipe. and i hear lamb might be on sale at whole foods? and with a $25 purchase, you get a free pound of ground beef? that's what the birdies say...