Does grass-fed beef taste and smell different from grain-fed beef?

Let’s make one thing clear: cows are meant to eat grass.

A diet of grass and wild edibles from grazing on biodiverse pastures is the most natural and the most healthy diet for cows. After all, they are ruminants.

However, most cows in the beef industry are fed grain in some amount. This is not only unnatural for the cows, it is also unhealthy for them (but, we’ll have to dive into that giant topic in another newsletter). 

Cows that forage naturally and consume a diet of grass and wild edibles produce beef with full bodied flavor. 

To a grass-fed beef newbie, the taste can be described as slightly gamey with undertones of grass or hay. To an experienced grass-fed beef eater, the taste can be described as delicious.

Grass-fed beef also smells distinctly different from grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef smells and tastes a bit like grass! 

It is truly the case of “you are what you eat!” All those aromas of diverse natural pasture come through in the meat.

Grass-fed beef has less fat compared to grain-fed beef.

Due to diet and lifestyle, grain-fed cattle tend to produce beef that has more marbling. Marbling is streaks of fat “marbled” throughout a piece of beef, and it is generally considered a marker of a good quality steak. The fat in grain-fed beef is more bland, but it also causes the steak to have a more tender texture.

In contrast, beef from grass-fed cows is full flavor, leaner, and has a satisfying chew that many people prefer. This is especially true with pastured cows that live a healthy active lifestyle. 

Grass-fed beef looks different compared to grain-fed beef. It has yellow fat (instead of white) because of a nutrient called beta-carotene. 

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that is found in higher concentrations in grass-fed beef, because it is naturally present in the grass and plants they consume. Beta-carotene naturally changes the color of food to a yellow or orange tone. For example, this antioxidant gives carrots its orange color. 

The more yellow the fat, the healthier and more flavorful the beef!

When making the switch from conventional grain-fed beef to grass-fed beef, a transitional period can be expected. It’s an acquired taste.

Eating grain-fed beef is like drinking boxed wine, while grass-fed beef is like drinking a perfectly balanced nuanced bottle of quality wine. 

The taste, smell, and texture may be a bit different to you at first, and that’s ok! However, I always encourage folks to keep on eating it. It’s just a matter of time before their palate will learn to really enjoy (maybe even crave) the unique and diverse flavors of grass-fed beef. And then, conventional beef may taste bland and flavorless.

If you are new to eating grass-fed beef and you are finding the taste and smell to be a bit different, please keep going!

It’s worth it! Grass-fed beef is better for your health, better for the environment, better for the well being of the cows, and so on and so on. In the end, you may find that, once you go grass-fed, you can’t go back.