Can grass-fed steaks really taste great?

I will encourage you to read a book called “Steaks” (Amazon sells it).  It is one man’s journey which covered many years and eight countries on four continents in pursuit of flavorful beef.  He tasted corn-fed and grass-fed beef.  I will spoil the ending by telling you that the best and worse steaks he ever tasted were grass-fed beef from the United States.

Why Our Beef Tastes Great?!

1. We raise an English breed of cattle which are known for their superior grass finishing traits.  We have bred for a medium size cow which has been proven to do better as a year-round, grass-fed animal.  Through proper field management, the cows are rotated daily to fresh grass and water supplies.  Our cows graze for 24 -30 months in order to acquire the fat needed to give the meat an excellent marbling for flavor (like the author of "Steaks" found to be the best tasting).  Unlike many in the industry, we never use growth hormone implants. 
2. Often dairy farmers will sell their unwanted dairy calves for grass-fed beef.   The genetics between beef cattle and dairy cattle are substantial. In addition, the unwanted dairy calves are almost always steers which are more difficult to put marbling and fat on. Better Meats only butchers beef cattle.
   
3. It is common in Missouri for cattle to graze on poor pastures.   It has been documented that poor pastures, particularly pasture with low pH, produce a very poor grass-fed beef. All of the beef that Better Meats sells are finished on good quality, river bottom fields.
4. To properly grass finish calves, they need to be moved to fresh pastures on a daily basis which we do.
5. Too often calves that are not completely full grown when butchered. The calves are butchered as “teens” which is too early for marbling to occur. Better Meats waits till the calves are full grown to ensure the best marbling.