Even without a global pandemic limiting the availability of beef, it can be difficult to find grass-fed beef at the neighborhood grocery store. Especially once you start looking beyond the most popular cuts—New York strips, ribeyes, or the occasional roast. Why is it that grass-fed beef is considered a specialty product and not as widely available? To answer that, we have to look at the history of the butcher.
In the days before the supermarket, consumers would instead go to a butcher’s shop to procure their meats. Butchers were once generational careers, fathers teaching their sons the trade and passing along extensive knowledge. Or, if not learning from a family member, prospective butchers would go through rigorous training at specialized butcher schools to gain the expertise they needed. They could recommend specific cuts of meat for dishes, or suggest cooking methods to best prepare the customer’s purchase.
That is not to say that butcher shops no longer exist, just that they are typically found in more affluent areas or larger cities, focusing on specialty clientele. Meanwhile, the meat clerks in most chain grocery stores have a general understanding of their wares, but most of the time they do not have the dedicated knowledge that a career butcher would possess.
So if not the supermarket, what is the best source for consumers to purchase quality beef from a knowledgeable supplier? Dealing directly with a local ranch allows you as the customer to get the best information on your beef straight from the source. The rancher knows the history of the animal, what it was fed, what products it was (or was not) treated with. Many ranchers also particularly enjoy eating beef, and can also make recommendations as to which cuts work best for which applications.
Contact Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch for locally sourced, grass-fed beef from growers who take pride in their work. Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch beef is processed by the know
