Tasting the La Cense Beef
I'll confess, I'm not much of a meat-eater, in fact, I was vegetarian for years. So when the folks from La Cense Beef offered to have me try out there product I wasn't as overjoyed as some might be. Nevertheless when I do eat meat, I do want it to be worth the experience so I decided to check it out. La Cense went one step further, offering me the help of a cook, the charming Sylvia Reiman of Lets Get Cookin. Sylvia and I took over a friend's kitchen for an afternoon of delicious meat eating.
Sylvia came prepared with a ribeye steak, a filet and four thick burgers. Everything was vaccum-packed and Sylvia reported that it the products had come packed in a heavy cooler with dry ice and were frozen solid when she got them.
Why does grass-fed beef matter? For cows, grass is natural food. Cows that are raised for beef are often fed corn and soy with added hormones to help them grow faster. Grass is low in starch and high in protein whereas corn and soy have high carbohydrates and low fiber. Meat from grass-fed cows has more vitamin A and E making it a better choice for those who want to be healthy but still eat meat because it offers more nutritional benefits.
The La Cense beef comes from cows that are born and raised on the La Cense ranch in Montana, far away for all you locavores out there but depending on where you live it can be hard to get local grass-fed meat. And with all the recent issues over the way that some cows are treated, it's a bit of a comfort to know exactly where your meat has come from.
Does grass-fed make a difference as far as taste? I think so. The meat is denser and more flavorful. The La Cense burgers were very juicy but not excessively fatty and full of a rich flavor. Sylvia prepared them with toasted buns, butter lettuce, tomatoes and sauteed onions. No fancy condiments needed, these were just simply good burgers. Eight six-ounce burgers will cost you $26.97. The good thing about these burgers is that they are very filling. We cooked these indoor but they would be perfect for the grill.
The steaks were also excellent. The ribeye was definitely a cut above average with deep marbling and a rich beef taste. A 9.5 ounce steak costs $18.88. Although I don't eat a lot of meat, when I do I like it fairly rare which can be a test for some meat. This meat was tasty and not too touch.
The filet was even more of a treat. It was a small and thick round of beef with extraordinary flavor. It was ridiculously easy to cut and had a wonderful velvety texture. At $21.88 for a five ounce steak it's not exactly inexpensive but it is worth it.
Also sometimes, because I don't eat that much meat, I can find it hard to digest. I found no such problems with the La Cense beef.
How delicious were the burgers? Here's a video of me enjoying the La Cense Beef:
Grass Fed Beef burger from Alexia Prichard on Vimeo.
Does grass-fed make a difference as far as taste? I think so. The meat is denser and more flavorful. The La Cense burgers were very juicy but not excessively fatty and full of a rich flavor. Sylvia prepared them with toasted buns, butter lettuce, tomatoes and sauteed onions. No fancy condiments needed, these were just simply good burgers. Eight six-ounce burgers will cost you $26.97. The good thing about these burgers is that they are very filling. We cooked these indoor but they would be perfect for the grill.
The steaks were also excellent. The ribeye was definitely a cut above average with deep marbling and a rich beef taste. A 9.5 ounce steak costs $18.88. Although I don't eat a lot of meat, when I do I like it fairly rare which can be a test for some meat. This meat was tasty and not too touch.
The filet was even more of a treat. It was a small and thick round of beef with extraordinary flavor. It was ridiculously easy to cut and had a wonderful velvety texture. At $21.88 for a five ounce steak it's not exactly inexpensive but it is worth it.
Also sometimes, because I don't eat that much meat, I can find it hard to digest. I found no such problems with the La Cense beef.
How delicious were the burgers? Here's a video of me enjoying the La Cense Beef:
Grass Fed Beef burger from Alexia Prichard on Vimeo.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Fran Sikorski Apr 28th 2008 12:19PM
I was also a vegetarian for six years, and am just coming back to meat, and the La Cense rib eye steak and hamburgers are part of my re-entry. Accoldates go to a grand beef experience. That's some helty hamburger, and I enjoyed it all. Loved the video!
Fran Sikorski
frananjoes@aol.com
JXG Apr 28th 2008 2:16PM
So these are the perks of your website--foodstuffs with a chef! Excellent.
I'm devoted to Lobels on Madison Avenue, NYC, they really are the top of the top. And when your beef costs $100.00 a pound, you really expect the best. It's good stuff. If it's good enough for Michael Bloomberg, then, well, it's good enough....
Daniel R. Strack Apr 29th 2008 11:49AM
JXG - Out of curiosity is Lobel's Grass-Fed Beef?
JXG Apr 29th 2008 11:55AM
Lobels in not grass fed, it is corn fed. "Of all the beef produced in the U.S., only 2% is certified prime grade by the USDA. From that small amount, the Lobels choose only the top 2% of high prime—you just can't get any better than that.
Our USDA prime beef comes from the very finest corn-fed cattle the Midwest has to offer."
JXG Apr 28th 2008 2:17PM
Sorry, one more comment--next time you need a food stylist, maybe I can make it over to you. Just give a call.
CBM Apr 28th 2008 2:40PM
Two thumbs up for the vid clips, keep those coming. I second Lobels, some of the best beef I've had in a while. I will check for La Cense Beef as well.
Mary Apr 28th 2008 5:57PM
Best Beef I ever had!!! I am not a red meat person but I tried there beef and was blown away at all the flavor I got in one bite. Back Forty in NYC uses La Cense beef in their burgers, it's worth the trip for the taste!
Christina Apr 29th 2008 8:25AM
I'm an exercise enthusiast, so I watch what I eat. But I'm a carnivor and I love meat. I found La Cense to be the answer for me. It's lower in fat and higher in nutrients than grain-fed beef, and the flavor is amazing. LOVE the video! Thanks!
Janis Apr 29th 2008 9:26AM
Picky eater I am. On the boarder of being a vegetarian, I rarely "indulge" in a red meat feast. But when I heard about La Cense All Grass Fed Beef, lower in calories and higher in nutrients than grain fed, I decided to try it. Well worth the try! This beef is juicy, tender and extremely tasty. Its amazing that something with such gastronomic excellence could be naturally good for you as well!
Daniel R. Strack Apr 29th 2008 11:41AM
LaCense definitely rocks! Huge fan here. It's the only meat we have in the house anymore. In today's age of hormone filled cows it's nice that passionate folks are making high quality product for all the right reasons.
Daniel R. Strack Apr 30th 2008 10:46AM
LaCense is running a pretty cool promotion now... www.winagrassfedcow.com
Gordon Geko May 3rd 2008 9:51AM
JXG - do you work for Lobels...? I find it funny that something goes up about grass-fed beef and bang - there some cat posting about grain-fed, USDA Prime, blah blah blah...
There is no doubt Lobels is the spot in NYC for great corn-fed USDA Prime Beef... Translation - Loaded w/ unhealthy fat or as the USDA calls it "marbling"...
What's been talked about here is Grass-fed / Grass-finished Beef... There is a big difference between the 2 - as I'm sure you know... Or at least I hope you do...
WAKE UP PEOPLE -
The Grass-fed Revolution has begun... Go try and find good grass-fed beef in your local "WholePaycheck" Food Store... It's hard to find... It's not that there's none-to-be-found - it's that so many people are getting hip to why it's GOOD for them and thats a GOOD THING... As some have articulated above...
Just my 2 cents - so I say Viva La Grass Fed and Viva La Cense Beef... Cause we need as many GOOD producers of grass-fed as possible right now...
So let the Grass-Fed Revolution Grow and hats off to Luxist and La Cense Beef for bringing GOOD HEALTHY BEEF to the web...
D Strack - thanks for the link to winagrassfedcow.com - pretty cool promotion for sure...
The Grass Fed Beef Revolution has begun... Tres Bien La Cense Beef ( :