Grilling Grass-fed Beef, Then, Now, and How

When it comes to grilling techniques, it's hard to beat a small white room, a bright light, and "good cop/bad cop." But it's not always practical. And it doesn't work very well for grass-fed beef.

Cooking grass-fed and free range animals was once the norm, and it's making a huge comeback. In fact, one cold represent humanity's tendency toward using grass-fed and free range meat as an inverse bell curve, beginning some 76,000 years ago, plummeting through the industrial farming craze of the twentieth century, and rising again with the advent of the health and cruelty-free movements of the last few years.

In fact, our "preference" for home-cooked, free range meat may go back much further than the commonly-understood ballpark of 76,000ish years ago. Observations about gut, brain, and face evolution in human ancestors lead Richard Wrangham, a Harvard evolutionary biologist, to assert that "we" may have been cooking as far back as 1.8 million years ago. In his book, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, Wrangham explains how the evolutionary advances evidenced by the period's fossil record imply a leap in the energy we were deriving from our meals. He asserts that this is the kind of leap that only comes with the increased caloric yield that derived from cooking one's food. Cooking food also kills bacteria and neutralizes natural toxins, increasing the survivability of anyone eating it. This, of course, allows one to store meat in one's cave (a bit more) safely for (a bit) longer.

Wrangham has decades of chimpanzee observation under his belt. In that time, he observed that chimps' communal eating habits less resemble a family reunion than a prison cafeteria. For chimps, eating in groups can be a violent, tense affair, sharing little with humanity's tradition of passing cooked meat amongst our companions. While many associate food-sharing with the differentiation of labor that is the backbone of society, Wrangham asserts that it is cooking, specifically, that made it happen.

If you participate in the tradition of Memorial Day grilling this weekend, take a moment to expand your definition of "tradition" by a few hundred thousand years. What better time to honor both our veterans and those anonymous foragers who, according to Wrangham, may have had a hand in forming homo sapiens by having humanity's first BBQ?

If you aim to show solidarity with your prehistoric brothers and sisters by slapping meat over a semi-open flame this weekend, know that grilling "authentic" (grass-fed) meat comes with a few caveats. Here are some grilling tips for grass-fed beef and in general:

Grass-fed beef is made for medium to rare cooking. 
The lower fat content of the good stuff makes it more vulnerable to overcooking. If you're a well-done only beef eater, no problem—cook your beef at a low temperature and include a sauce to keep some necessary moisture in play.

Oil Slick
A coating of truffle oil can ensure your grass-fed beef, which is susceptible to dryness, stays nice and moist. You can use olive or other oils as well, but the truffle oil adds a unique note your guests are sure to appreciate.

Marinate on That
Marinating can make or break your steak. (Iambic pentameter grilling tips is a market I should corner.) An overbearing marinade does no one any favors, though. Grass-fed beef's delicate flavor is best served by a gentle, or subtle marinade. If you like to pour bourbon or beer onto your steak (or just spill some by accident), use less than you would normally. Since grass-fed beef will cook more quickly, you'll have less time to let the booze burn off.

Stove Tip 
I'm not a grill elitist. A stove top is a perfectly respectable way to grill a steak. As you wind down the cook, try adding some butter and garlic to the meat for a classic taste that coexists nicely with the natural flavor of the meat.

(Don't) Fork It Over
Use tongs or telekinesis to flip your beef. Piercing the beef during the cook is a silly risk. Valuable juice loss and depressurization(?) could occur.

Just Chill
Let your steak meditate on what it learned for just shy of ten minutes after you're done grilling. Just leave it alone for a minute, all right?! The juices will redistribute, ensuring more uniform flavor.

Bargain Basement Cooking Times
30% off! (Cooking times.) Grass-fed beef generally requires about 30% less cooking time. It also continues cooking after being removed from the heat source, like any hot meat. 

Settle In-or Don't!
Let your grass-fed beef come to room temperature—or don't! Don't throw it from the refrigerator into the fire—or do! The traditional wisdom on this has come into question recently. A greater scientific understanding of food-borne illness and bacteria reproduction rates (like doubling colony sizes in 20 minutes at room temperature) means that it might be worth skipping the room temperature phase. Still, many chefs simply can't abide it.

Hold the vegetables—then drop them on the meat!
Remember: grass-fed beef's main distinguishing characteristic (from a culinary standpoint) is its leanness. Adding moisture or fat is a necessary step. Caramelized onions, peppers, and olives are the synchronized swimming of grilling—they can add pizazz and moisture all at once.

So, Happy Memorial Day Weekend, and remember—grass-fed beef is lean, there's nothing more "paleo" that grilling, and honoring our brave fallen can extend back thousands of years!