Below is a list of the usual cuts of meat that you will receive with your order. We reached out to our friend and respected chef, Gracie Schatz of Heart of Willamette Cooking School, for tips and recipes for your grass-fed beef.

“There are a few basic techniques that, when mastered, can lead to delicious results. You will find general techniques in the tips section and more specific techniques paired with types of cuts. A few recipes are provided for each cut as a guideline. But the real magic happens when you start to adapt these recipes to flavor profiles that you love, as well as those flavors that reflect each season of the year. Some of these recipes are mine and others have been gathered from various chefs and butchers that I have worked with along the way. Have fun, explore and don’t be afraid to try something new!”

Gracie Schatz

General Tips for Cooking Your Beef

  • Pull frozen meat from the freezer 2 days before cooking (3 days for large roasts) and thaw on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator with something under it to catch juices.
  • Salt your meat ahead of time. Salt liberally a few hours or even the night before cooking. This will help remove some of the water from the beef so the meat can be seasoned all the way through.
  • Meat will continue to cook after it has been removed from the heat source. As a rule of thumb, pull steaks and roasts from the heat about 10 degrees short of your internal temperature goal.
  • For a good dark crust, it is important to pat it dry before you begin cooking. Any moisture on the surface of the meat will impede the formation of a nice crust.
  • Rub fat/oil on the meat itself rather than pouring it into a pan. This will reduce smoke in the kitchen and use the oil more efficiently.
  • Resting meat is important. After roasting, grilling or pan frying, it is important to let the meat rest for a minimum of five minutes. Immediately after being removed from the heat, the juices in the meat are moving around at a rapid pace. If the meat is cut open at this juncture, the juices will flow out. Resting the meat allows the juices to be absorbed into the meat.
  • Use a meat thermometer to get to your desired temperature – make sure to place the tip of the thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the meat. Pull your meat off 5-10 degrees before your goal.
  • Read through recipes well ahead of time. Some include days of brining or pre-salting and seasoning.
  • Meat cooking temperature guide (for more information on this topic visit the USDA’s guidelines):
    • Very Rare – 115
    • Rare – 125
    • Medium Rare – 130
    • Medium – 140
    • Medium Well – 150
    • Well Done – 160

Cooking Tips and Recipes for Your Cuts

Steaks

For Rib Eye, T-Bone, Sirloin, see Gracie’s Guide to Cooking Steaks. Flank and Round steaks are delicious when marinated and used in stir fries, kabobs, or fajitas. Here are a few of Gracie’s favorite steak sauce recipes: Compound Butters, Chimichurri, Salsa Verde, Horseradish Creme Fraiche, and one for Steak Salad, Thai Steak Salad!

Roasts

Chuck, Cross Rib, Round Bone and Brisket: Cook in a slow cooker or crock pot using the techniques in Gracie’s Braising Guide. Brisket – try it brined with this Pastrami Recipe but be ready to do some math! Rump Roast: Check out Gracie’s favorite method for leaner cuts here. And here are some recipes to try! Fatted Calf’s Rare Roast Beef, Mama’s Famous Brisket.

Ground Beef

When placing your cutting order, choose your fat content from 10-25%. Great in hamburgers, meatballs, meatloafs, soups, and Shepherd’s pie. When making burgers, cook similarly as steaks and remove from heat about 5 degrees before your target temp. For extra fat in your meatballs, finely chop bacon and mix it in! Here is a recipe from a friend of Gracie’s who immigrated from Tunisia: Market Loubia.

Short Ribs

Decadent and tender when braised or roasted. Use Gracie’s Braising Guide or this recipe: Short Ribs Braised with Maple Syrup, Beer and Soy Sauce

Soup Bones, Stew Meat

The butcher leaves a large amount of meat on our soup bones. These cuts are great for soups and homemade stocks. Check out Gracie’s Method for Stock. Stew meat is delicious braised following Gracie’s Braising Guide.

Liver, Heart, Tongue

Optional with your cutting order. There are numerous health benefits to eating organ meats and the internet abounds with recipes for preparing these cuts of meat. Here are Gracie’s recipes for Liver and Tongue.

Tallow

If you ask, when you place your cutting order, you can get the extra fat from your animal (fat content of animal allowing). Extra fat can be rendered into tallow for cooking and frying.

Dog Bones

Treats for Pooches. Arrangements for dog bones are made with the butcher.


Gracie’s Guide to Cooking Steaks

It is important to know how you like your steak cooked so that you can achieve the desired level of doneness. These steaks are quick cooking cuts that are delicious when prepared rare or medium rare. Cuts can be cooked on the stovetop or the grill. For especially thick steaks, it is helpful to sear them on the stovetop and finish them in the oven. When cooking these cuts you have a few choices to make:

To marinate or not to marinate?

As a rule of thumb, if the meat is of high quality (as WGB is), I tend to skip the marinade and opt for a flavorful sauce to serve on the side. With high quality meat, it is nice to give it space to speak for itself and season it simply with salt and pepper, maybe a little bit of grated garlic. If you are making a stir fry, I do think a teriyaki marinade can be wonderful but that might be one of the only times I choose to marinate my beef.

In the pan or on the grill?

Grilling is almost always the best option (unless it is pouring rain outside or you just don’t have the energy to fire it up). When grilling, it is important to cook over hot coals, not active flame; flame will burn the meat, coals will cook it. When using a charcoal grill, it is good to have a hot section and a cooler section. You can sear the meat on the hottest section of the grill and then transfer it to a cooler section to finish cooking all of the way through. If you are using a pan, get the pan as hot as possible and make sure it is a heavy bottomed pan, cast iron works best. Place the oiled meat on the pan (turn your hood fan on) and sear it for a couple of minutes on each side. If the steak is one inch thick or less, this should be sufficient for cooking. If it is thicker than one inch, transfer the pan to a 350 degrees oven and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until it reaches your desired internal temperature.

What kind of sauce?

My favorite sauces to serve with steaks are chimichurri, salsa verdé, horseradish crème fraîche or some sort of compound butter. A well made, simple sauce is enough to make any steak into an epic meal.

How well done do you like your meat?

Use the temperature index in the Tips section to achieve your ideal level of doneness.

Did you read the general tips?

Remember, if a dark crust is desired on the outside of a steak, it is important to pat it dry before you begin cooking. Any moisture on the surface of the meat will impede the formation of a nice crust.


Gracie’s Braising Guide for Chuck Roast, Short Ribs, Brisket, and Stew

These are the most flavorful cuts in the animal and often the most nutritious, especially when the cuts are bone-in. The technique for cooking these cuts is quite simple, and the key ingredient is time. 

  • Bring the meat to room temperature, season it and rub it with a little oil. I like to use a dry rub of some kind. 
  • Sear it – In a large Dutch oven or cast iron pan over high heat (turn that hood fan on!), sear the meat on all sides until it develops a dark caramelized color. 
  • Deglaze – Use water, broth, beer or wine. Pour a little bit of liquid into the pan that you seared the meat in and use a spatula to scrape any meaty crispy bits off of the bottom of the pan. Use this juicy goodness in your braise. 
  • Add in aromatic herbs and vegetables. Depending on what flavor profile you are going for, you can use bay leaves, garlic, leeks, onions, carrots, celery, fennel, citrus, and any whole spices. 
  • Submerge in liquid. Cover the meat in liquid. This can, once again, be broth, water, beer, wine or a mixture of any of these things depending on what flavor profile you are working with. 
  • Wait. Cook the meat low and slow in a 300 degrees oven for 4-6 hours depending on the size of the cut. You will know the meat is done cooking when it pulls apart easily with a fork. 
  • Enjoy! If you want to get fancy, you can strain the remaining braising liquid and reduce it into a sauce.

Gracie’s Guide to Sliced Roast Beef

Leaner cuts like the eye of round, rump or sirloin will be delicious when cooked using these tips:

  • Season the meat ahead of time. For beef that is this delicious, you can keep your seasoning simple. Salt, pepper, coriander, garlic, and rosemary are some of my favorites.
  • You may choose to sear and then roast low and slow or roast quick and hot for a nice rare roast beef.
  • Let it rest! For a large roast beef, you want to allow a resting time of 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
  • Slice it thinly against the grain.
  • These roasts are wonderful served in a variety of ways: Cold or room temperature in a sandwich, alongside other sliced deli meats, or warm with a pan sauce or gravy.