Happy Grilling!

      Meat, what can I say about Meat? Before I owned this natural food market I was a meat cutter for 30 years. I know hard to believe since I'm only 39. With the amount of knowledge I have about meat I could go on forever but I need to blog about other things also.
     Meat comes in several categories and sub-categories. The main ones are poultry, fish and red meats (beef and pork). There are many other red meats also such as venison, buffalo, yak, etc. To sub-categorize you can break them down into species for instance poultry could be anything from chicken, turkey or even rabbit. I won't even get started with fish because of the numerous species but I will tell you there is fish good for grilling and there is fish good for nothing
     Now days you can get meat that is raised naturally and also organically. These are the two ways that one should look for when purchasing any kind of meats. These meats will not have toxins such as antibiotics or hormones in then. They are usually raised in a more humane way also.
     Lets talk about red meats today and worry about the others another day. Most or at least some of you have looked at a steak and looked for two things. One, is it fresh? and two, is it marbled nicely. Marbling for those of you who don;t know is the amount or the flecks of fat that you can see throughout the meat. It is what gives it its flavor and also helps its tenderness. To get meat to marble nicely the grower has to at the right moment feed the cattle grain. Most of the grain has those toxins in it and are derived mostly from corn. Now on the other hand naturally raised cattle are not fed grain and are raised mostly on grass. Without being fed grain however you won't get that marbling that makes that steak so much more tender and flavorful. Don't get me wrong grass fed beef still has a great taste but it might not be what your used to if you have had grain fed beef. I  suggest you try grass fed beef for yourself since it is more healthy for you and your family. Here at Melvin's Market we sell grass fed beef right out of the freezer. No you can't look to see if it is marbled nicely because it is wrapped in white butcher paper but remember it is grass fed so it isn't marbled. The plus side of buying your beef from the freezer is that it is as fresh as you will ever get it. Think about it, it is butchered and put right in the freezer. The stuff you buy out of a fresh counter could have been there for days. Happy grilling!   

Melvin's Natural Organic Deli, Wine Bar and Market, 160 S. Fir Street, Sisters, Oregon 541-549-0711