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Looking for tips on how to buy great steaks, burgers, chops, and chicken?

Our “cheat sheets” list the questions to ask your farmer, rancher, butcher, waiter, fast food restaurant, or supermarket to determine whether they are carrying artisan quality meat. While few will be able to answer all questions, the more people who ask, the more likely they will have the answer the next time and also improve the quality of their meat program.

So get on out there, let’s make sure people know we want to know what’s on our plates, who raised it and how!

Artisan Beef

How To Find Artisan Beef – Mini Cheat Sheet (pdf)

How To Find Artisan Beef – Detailed (pdf)

Mystery Beef vs. Artisan Beef: What Is The Difference? (pdf)

Tip: A good 1st step is to choose beef that has been raised without the use of growth stimulants including added hormones or preventative antibiotics. Stress can have a negative effect on both flavor & tenderness.

Tip: To avoid ground beef that includes fillers or ammonia-washing beef trimmings (as seen in Food, Inc.) look for Certified Organic, Certified Naturally Raised, or All Natural on the label.

Tip: If you like burgers or ground beef with a lot of flavor, ask if it’s made from dry-aged beef as this can significantly enhance flavor.

Tip: Aging beef also helps tenderize beef, which is particularly important for steaks and roasts. As a general rule, look for beef that’s been dry-aged or wet-aged for at least 10 days.

Artisan Pork, Chicken, & Lamb

Coming soon!