Grass-Fed Beef-Share, anyone?

Don´t get too excited ...this is vapor-ware for the time being.  However, things keep changing both here and at the ranch and we´ve had a surprising number of inquiries recently about a beef share.

Jeff L., a recent arrival from San Francisco, CA wrote this week to say that he had better luck finding grass-fed beef in the Bay Area than in today´s Buenos Aires.  I never thought I´d see the day in which urban US citizens would have better access to what used to be the pride and joy and national patrimony of every Argentine!  Bueno, las cosas cambian, eh?

Another thing that has changed is that our little town, 25km from our ranch, is putting the finishing touches on a municipal slaughterhouse.  That will enable us supervise the slaughter process and keep from stressing our cattle with transporting them enormous distances.  Thanks to my missus, our cattle live their whole lives with near-zero stress.  That makes for good beef on your plate.

(I just now received another email ...this time from another recent arrival interested in opening an artisanal butchery!  The iron is hot, folks.)

Now, back to the beef share!  For those unfamiliar with the term, a beef share involves non-ranchers owning a share in a particular steer.  At time of slaughter and butchering, the cuts of the animal are divided equally between the owners with everyone receiving an equal share of both the prime cuts and the others.

As you would imagine, some shareholders will have different preferences ...so they will often barter away steaks for brisket, ribs for achuras, etc., among their fellow owners.  Some shareholders may even have a preference for the cowhide over their alloted cuts of meat.

All of them share another thing in common:  knowing where their beef comes from and under what conditions the animal was raised and cared for ...no hormones, no anti-biotics, no confinement, no grain, all grass.

It´s tremendously economical ...but does require each shareholder to accept delivery of about 50lbs of beef.  A good portion of that, however, will probably disappear with Sunday's asado!  The rest can fit in a normal refrigerator/freezer with a little strategic stacking.

Another benefit, though, is learning and practicing cooking techniques for cuts that are much more flavorful than steaks.  For example, osso bucco from a fine grass-fed animal is a real treat.  No worries about mad-cow ...and, as Anthony Bourdain has termed "the food of the gods" and his "death-row meal",  roasted bone marrow, spread on crunchy bread with nothing more than a simple salad and a glass of malbec is truly a lunch devoutly to be wished.

Anyhoo!  I may as well try to guage some interest before we wade too far into this first step of sharing our fine beef with the world.

Please leave a comment or send an email to letters@yanquimike.com.ar  if you have any interest or questions.