American Grass Fed Beef Newsletter

Welcome to the latest issue of the American Grass Fed Beef Newsletter. In this issue, you will find the following:

* We Join the World of Bloggers
* Christmas Gift Idea
* Secrets of 5 Star Restaurant Meat Tenderization
* Special Offer on Jaccard Meat Tenderizer
* Super Easy Crock Pot - Grass Fed Beef Roast
* Are We Providing True Grass Fed Beef During the Winter?


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WE JOIN THE WORLD OF BLOGGERS
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Don't know if many of you have heard of weblogs.  Weblogs are journals used for many purposes . . . . bloggers can be website owners giving insights behind the scenes, businesses to provide product announcements, blogging families for quick family news, blogging individuals providing their thoughts on life and teams for group communications.  

We read some interesting blogs and decided it was a great idea to give our visitors a look into running our grass fed beef operation.  So far we don't have much posted with the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush . . . we are swamped right now just packing Christmas orders.  Our New Year's resolution is to blog more.

You can see our first postings at:

http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grassfedbeeflog/grassfedbeeflog.asp

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CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA
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If you have never had summer sausage it has a mild natural, hickory smoked taste and is ready to serve with crackers for holiday appetizer trays.  

Our summer sausage was made by a German sausage expert who has won numerous awards for his recipes.  

We had a customer who brought our summer sausage to a large party and numerous guests tracked him down to find the source.  They were shocked to learn it was a healthy appetizer.

What is unique about our summer sausage is that it has no harmful nitrates and chemicals . . . so your guests will get just a true smoked gourmet beef taste.   About 95% of the summer sausage sold in the United States contains some harmful ingredient so this is a great treat which very few summer sausage lovers ever get to experience.

http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-beef-sausage.asp

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SECRETS OF 5 STAR RESTAURANT
MEAT TENDERIZATION
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In our search for natural meat tenderization methods, Mark and I met with a German butcher who shared his #1 secret for tenderization . . . a commercial Jaccard meat tenderizer. 

This butcher took us to the back of his facility and proudly revealed his Jaccard. This commercial machine had 624 thin steel surgical blades which pierced the beef before the butcher prepared the individual cuts. 

Truthfully, we weren’t overly impressed. How could this Jaccard make a huge difference in the tenderness of our beef? Our butcher explained that the patented Jaccard cuts the connective tissue which in turn tenderizes the steak. 

Our German butcher sells to 5 star restaurants and charges 25 cents a pound extra for jaccarded meat. In their marketing, these restaurants will mention their prime cuts, the feeding of their cattle and the aging method but they never reveal their secret weapon . . . jaccarded beef. 

Mark and I were still skeptical, but we decided to give his Jaccard the ultimate test. We didn’t want to waste one of our premium grass fed cows offered on our AmericanGrassFedBeef.com website so we sent this butcher an older grass fed cow we would only use for our family’s meals. 

In the meat industry everyone knows that older cattle are used for hamburger but NOT for prime steak because the beef is extremely tough. The tenderloins are usually the only prime cuts you can save from older cattle.

We asked the butcher to dry age this older cow just like we would for our customer’s beef and provide us with jaccarded steaks. We had very low expectations but we were willing to experiment with any natural solutions for tenderization.

Needless to say we were shocked when we prepared our first jaccarded steak on the grill. Our rib eye from our older grass fed cow was as tender and delicious as a rib eye from our young, prime grass fed cattle offered on our AmericanGrassFedBeef.com website. 

In fact, this jaccarded steak was probably slightly better and required zero marination for an excellent meal. Our family taste testers gave these steaks a huge thumbs up.

We immediately purchased a hand Jaccard to try on super lean cuts like grass fed NY Strip and sirloin steak. The results were amazing. We only marinate now when we want to add a special flavor to the steaks. 

Preparation time has been reduced to a few seconds with the Jaccard. Our family has used the Jaccard every day since we got it. 

We wanted to learn more about the Jaccard so we called Jaccard Corporation. Andre Jaccard, the inventor, is now 81 years old. He achieved master butcher status in Switzerland and was fascinated with perfecting a machine for meat tenderization. 

He developed his patented design 40 years ago when beef was mostly grass fed and naturally lean. His first Jaccards were sold to commercial meat processing facilities but restaurants and home chefs demanded a smaller meat tenderizer. In 1976, he began producing his popular handheld Jaccard and this unique product has won the prestigious Chefs in America award 2 times.

Jaccard told us that Good Housekeeping did a taste test of regularly prepared steaks vs. jaccarded steaks . . . jaccarded steaks were the unanimous favorite.  The Jaccard meat tenderizer has appeared on many tv shows including Emeril.  It is a favorite with many hunters on the Outdoor Channel.   Magazines such as Southern Living describe the wonders of the Jaccard.

Jaccard named several internationally known 5 star restaurants plus a few major steak chains that use either his handheld Jaccard or their commercial machines. However, we were requested to keep these names to ourselves since the restaurants would not appreciate revealing their trade secrets.

We had never heard of Jaccard before our initial encounter with the knowledgeable German butcher. However, we have since learned that the term “Jaccard beef” is used in the meat industry to denote extremely tenderized beef to meat retailers and restaurant chefs.

We asked for Andre’s tips for using his Jaccard for our customers:

Andres' Tips for Perfect Meat Tenderization
	Pierce your raw meat gently and then press down . . . the spring like action of the Jaccard will do the work for you and your meat will not lose its shape. You don’t need to pound your meat or use excessive force.
	One pass of the Jaccard will tenderize chicken and 3 passes will tenderize even tough cuts like skirt steak or venison.
	The Jaccard’s patented design allows you to enjoy leaner cuts of meat and not sacrifice flavor, tenderness or the original shape of your meat . . . your family can eat healthier.
	The Jaccard penetrates 2 inches so you only need to Jaccard one side of a typical steak. Thick cuts like roasts will need to be jaccarded on both sides.
	Use a wood or plastic cutting board to protect your blades . . . hard surfaces like Formica and meat bones will damage the blades. Many satisfied chefs have used their Jaccards for 20 years taking proper care of their tenderizer.
	Reducing cooking time helps meat retain its juices . . . the tiny channels the Jaccard opens up in your meat allows you to reduce your cooking time by up to 40% while increasing the juiciness of your meat.
	Surprisingly the Jaccard tenderizes tough seafood like calamari, clams and shark. Other meats that are excellent jaccarded are steaks, pork, veal, venison, lamb, chicken and turkey.
	Chicken cooks more evenly jaccarded . . . reducing your risk from uncooked harmful bacteria while enhancing the flavor.
	The Jaccard is a "must" for venison since it will naturally tenderize this extremely lean meat.
	If you prefer the flavor of a special marinade, your time for marinating will be reduced from 1 day to several hours using the Jaccard.
	Young children often have a difficult time eating steaks since their teeth aren't as developed as adult teeth . . . children enjoy jaccarded steaks because they are easier to chew.
	Wash your Jaccard by hand or in the dishwasher in the top rack for easy care.

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SPECIAL JACCARD MEAT TENDERIZER
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Many of our customers are buying several Jaccards to give as unique Christmas presents for their friends who love to cook. We are getting wonderful feedback about how this product has enhanced the taste of healthy lean meats.

We are offering two ways to save on Jaccards:

1.  Free shipping and a $5 discount when purchasing a Jaccard meat tenderizer with a $50 purchase of our grass fed beef.

2.   As our Christmas special . . . if you purchase one or more generic quarters of beef, the cost of your beef will be less per pound in quantity AND we will include a Jaccard meat tenderizer with your order for FREE. Many of our customers pool their grass fed beef orders with friends  for the savings on quarters. 

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SUPER EASY CROCK POT GRASS FED BEEF ROAST
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3 lb            Frozen Grass fed beef chuck or arm roast
3/4 liter      Burgandy
1               Thinly Sliced Onion
1               Beef or Vegetable Bullion
1 T            Worchester Sauce
1               Bay Leaf
2 C            Water

With the winter months, having supper waiting when you come home is the ultimate treat.  A roast cooking provides a real welcoming homey smell for your family.

If you are organized and pre-plan your meals . . . you could thaw your grass fed beef roast, Jaccard it and sear it on both sides with some butter or olive oil in the pan before throwing it in a crock pot.

However, if your schedule is hectic like ours . . . we just throw all the ingredients including the frozen grass fed beef chuck in a crock pot set on low and cook all day (about 8 hours or more).  Either way . . . you will have beef so tender it will be falling apart.  

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ARE WE PROVIDING TRUE GRASS FED BEEF
DURING WINTER MONTHS?
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QUESTION:  I have heard that grass farms can't provide truly grass fed beef in the winter because cattle are fed hay during this period.  Is the beef I am purchasing truly grass fed?    D.F.

DR. WHISNANT:  Our ranch is located in Southern Missouri and we are generally blessed with mild winters.  The majority of our cattle selected for the beef program have already been processed at this time of the year. 

We have been grass farmers using natural farming methods for many years.  However, marketing our beef direct to our customers is still new to us. My husband, Mark, never seems to do things in a small way, so he negotiated a huge walk in freezer big enough to hold semi-truckloads of grass fed beef.  

He wanted to make sure that we could supply grass fed beef at its peak even in December so we stockpiled for our customers.  All the beef we are currently shipping was brought to its peak finishing weight and sent directly to the processing plant . . . straight off grass. Utilizing flash freezing in vacuum sealed packages and storage at temperatures of -20 degrees assures a fresh product during this interim period. 

In January, we will go back on green with winter wheat and alfalfa which is considered the ultimate natural grass fed super food nutrition for cattle. This new group of grass fed beef cattle will be allowed to reach finishing weight on green forage. They will at that time be ready for processing . . .  right off grass.



Patricia Whisnant, DVM
Grass Farmer and Veterinarian
AmericanGrassFedBeef.com


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