Free-range Rump pot roast

I had never heard the term "Free Range Beef" before. It appears
that it just means that it was raised outdoors (and even that
isn't a strict requirement). So that accounts for 99% of the
beef carcasses in the U.S.

So it's just a marketing term used and doesn't mean anything.

There is, however, an official USDA-recognized category for
"grass fed" beef.

-sw

(Steve Pope) said:

I followed basically Marcella Hazan's recipe for Beef Barolo,
with a 3.5 lb grass-fed rump roast. Her instructions were
that the braising liquid come up 2/3 the way the sides of the
roast, and I chose a 300 degree oven for 4 hours. (Her
recipe said 350 for 3 hours, so I figure that's about the same).
At the 3-hour point it was starting to look a little done so I
reduced heat slightly.

The result was good, fork-tender, but (to me) too dry. (Some
of the diners declared it perfect.) In my esitmate, the free-range
meat cooked a little faster than typical, and so while it got
tender and everything, most of the gelatin had leached out of
the meat into the surrounding liquid and was lost so there was
no squishy tenderness, just flaked meat.

Or perhaps this grass-fed free-range rump was low on connective
tissue to begin with?

In any case it was not a disaster, but I'd like to perfect the
technique for next time. I'm thinking less total cooking time,
and a smaller dutch oven (Le Cruset) so that more of the
liquid is confined into the roast.

Steve

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

Oh pshaw, on Sat 03 Nov 2007 09:23:39a, Steve Pope meant to say...

Quoted message said:

I followed basically Marcella Hazan's recipe for Beef Barolo,
with a 3.5 lb grass-fed rump roast. Her instructions were

Not to make light of the recipe or your efforts, Steve, but your title
brought to mind visions of a rump roast meandering along the plains.
Pretty funny in my mind's eye. Sorry. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright

(to e-mail me direct, replace cox dot net with gmail dot com)
______________________________________________________________

It's lonely at the top, but you eat better.

"Steve Pope" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I followed basically Marcella Hazan's recipe for Beef Barolo,
with a 3.5 lb grass-fed rump roast. Her instructions were
that the braising liquid come up 2/3 the way the sides of the
roast, and I chose a 300 degree oven for 4 hours. (Her
recipe said 350 for 3 hours, so I figure that's about the same).
At the 3-hour point it was starting to look a little done so I
reduced heat slightly.

The result was good, fork-tender, but (to me) too dry. (Some
of the diners declared it perfect.) In my esitmate, the free-range
meat cooked a little faster than typical, and so while it got
tender and everything, most of the gelatin had leached out of
the meat into the surrounding liquid and was lost so there was
no squishy tenderness, just flaked meat.

Or perhaps this grass-fed free-range rump was low on connective
tissue to begin with?

In any case it was not a disaster, but I'd like to perfect the
technique for next time. I'm thinking less total cooking time,
and a smaller dutch oven (Le Cruset) so that more of the
liquid is confined into the roast.

Steve

Marcella Hazan's recipe calls for chuck roast, which doesn't require
larding, and doesn't call for it. If you braise a bottom round roast you
should lard it, or it will be dry. Lard the meat with strips of pork back
fat seasoned with parsley, garlic, thyme, or whatever your recipe calls for.
I can't find a recipe anywhere on the internet that clearly illustrates
this. It's in Raymond Oliver's "La Cuisine", and in the Larousse
Gastronomique. Marcel Proust wrote longingly about larded bottom round, or
"boeuf en daube". I doubt that "grass fed" had anything to do with this; I
think any bottom round turns out this way if if's not larded.
We make boeuf Bourguignon and Carbonnade of Boeuf frequently. Just make
sure you brown 2.5" piecess to seal in the juices before you start your
braise.
Hope this helps,

Kent

P.S. You can buy a larding needle at any restaurant supply house for a few
bucks, or probably for more bucks at Williams Sonoma. You need this to
proceed.

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Steve Pope) said:

I followed basically Marcella Hazan's recipe for Beef Barolo,
with a 3.5 lb grass-fed rump roast. Her instructions were
that the braising liquid come up 2/3 the way the sides of the
roast, and I chose a 300 degree oven for 4 hours. (Her
recipe said 350 for 3 hours, so I figure that's about the same).
At the 3-hour point it was starting to look a little done so I
reduced heat slightly.

The result was good, fork-tender, but (to me) too dry. (Some
of the diners declared it perfect.) In my esitmate, the free-range
meat cooked a little faster than typical, and so while it got
tender and everything, most of the gelatin had leached out of
the meat into the surrounding liquid and was lost so there was
no squishy tenderness, just flaked meat.

Or perhaps this grass-fed free-range rump was low on connective
tissue to begin with?

In any case it was not a disaster, but I'd like to perfect the
technique for next time. I'm thinking less total cooking time,
and a smaller dutch oven (Le Cruset) so that more of the
liquid is confined into the roast.

Steve

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

How about eye round? That is generally a good braising meat.
Free-range beef? Somebody got taken if the price was higher.
Free-range veal maybe? That's um, well beef.

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Steve Pope) said:

I followed basically Marcella Hazan's recipe for Beef Barolo,
with a 3.5 lb grass-fed rump roast. Her instructions were
that the braising liquid come up 2/3 the way the sides of the
roast, and I chose a 300 degree oven for 4 hours. (Her
recipe said 350 for 3 hours, so I figure that's about the same).
At the 3-hour point it was starting to look a little done so I
reduced heat slightly.

The result was good, fork-tender, but (to me) too dry. (Some
of the diners declared it perfect.) In my esitmate, the free-range
meat cooked a little faster than typical, and so while it got
tender and everything, most of the gelatin had leached out of
the meat into the surrounding liquid and was lost so there was
no squishy tenderness, just flaked meat.

Or perhaps this grass-fed free-range rump was low on connective
tissue to begin with?

In any case it was not a disaster, but I'd like to perfect the
technique for next time. I'm thinking less total cooking time,
and a smaller dutch oven (Le Cruset) so that more of the
liquid is confined into the roast.

Steve

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

How about eye round? That is generally a good braising meat.
Free-range beef? Somebody got taken if the price was higher.
Free-range veal maybe? That's um, well beef.

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Ms P

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Ms P

"Ms P" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
a cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots
are most definitely not free range.

Please try not to confuse Sheldon with the truth.

"Ms P" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is no such animal/designation as free range beef because all
beef is free range... I've never heard of steers raised in a cage,
maybe Japanese beef. Perhaps you should try a different cut, like
chuck, rump is not the best choice for braising if what you want is
moist meat. Chuck contains more connective tissue but it tends to
break up when slicing... rump is more solid and tends to slice easily,
unless over cooked, then you have sawdust.

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
a cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots
are most definitely not free range.

Please try not to confuse Sheldon with the truth.

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 08:01:25 -0600, "Ms P" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
before slaughter.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 08:01:25 -0600, "Ms P" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
before slaughter.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

"sf" wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 08:01:25 -0600, "Ms P" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
before slaughter.

They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months of
age or less.

Ms P

"sf" wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 08:01:25 -0600, "Ms P" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
before slaughter.

They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months of
age or less.

Ms P

Ms P said:

"sf" wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
before slaughter.

Quoted message said:

They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months of
age or less.

I really should have said "grass-fed" rather than "free-range",
as it is this that leads to shorter cooking times and different
fat chemsitry/quality.

Free range, grain-finished beef is not much different from
feedlot beef.

Steve

Ms P said:

"sf" wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
a
cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
most definitely not free range.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
before slaughter.

Quoted message said:

They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months of
age or less.

I really should have said "grass-fed" rather than "free-range",
as it is this that leads to shorter cooking times and different
fat chemsitry/quality.

Free range, grain-finished beef is not much different from
feedlot beef.

Steve

"Steve Pope" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ms P <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months
of
age or less.

I really should have said "grass-fed" rather than "free-range",
as it is this that leads to shorter cooking times and different
fat chemsitry/quality.

Free range, grain-finished beef is not much different from
feedlot beef.

Steve

That makes a difference. Grass-fed cattle also get more exercise and are
tougher since they're not just standing around getting fat.

Ms P

"Steve Pope" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ms P <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months
of
age or less.

I really should have said "grass-fed" rather than "free-range",
as it is this that leads to shorter cooking times and different
fat chemsitry/quality.

Free range, grain-finished beef is not much different from
feedlot beef.

Steve

That makes a difference. Grass-fed cattle also get more exercise and are
tougher since they're not just standing around getting fat.

Ms P