There has been a lot of talk lately about Meat on all sides of the spectrum. From the Global Conference on Sustainable Beef to Oprah's 21 day Vegan Challenge, America's interest in meat is probably at an all time high. I had seen on other blogs that people were partaking in Meat Free Weekdays, (be it Monday, Sunday, or any day in between) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is a great idea, which I stand by 100%. If less meat is being demanded, less meat will have to be transported to market and less meat will have to be farmed. You can see where the greenhouse gases slowly start to diminish. So, I made a note in the back of my mind to give it a try, and unfortunately, it didn't go so well.
Last Friday night I tried serving a "Meat Free Dinner" and it was delicious, however, unsuccessful. Lets just say, our vegetable pizza and spinach salad was quickly followed by second dinner: a bacon cheeseburger at our favorite Hyde Park spot. We tried. Sure, some may say we didn't try hard enough (after all it was one meat free dinner and I didn't exactly plan it, but rather forgot to thaw the meat the night before) but we quickly realized that as serious meat eaters, a meat free dinner once a week just isn't a risk we're willing to take. But I'm proud to say, we aren't heartless individuals. Meat free may not be for us, but sourcing high quality, clean, humane and sustainable meat is. Which is why I've added this amazing cookbook to my wish list!
I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to flip through this cookbook numerous times while visiting my neighborhood farmer's market. The farmer who supplies our "totally legal, not under the table" raw milk also happens to sell a variety of organic and free range meats: from little lambs to giant bison. Along with selling you an organic free range T-bone steak, she will also take the time to educate you on the proper way to cook said steak, and she has never steered us wrong... pun intended. A lot of what she knows she has learned by trial and error, and more recently from spending an inappropriate amount of time with Good Meat by Deborah Krasner.
In her 400-page tome, Mrs. Krasner walks readers through the common quandaries of how to find, afford and cook sustainable meat products that often need to be treated differently than industrial meat. Many a farmer has revived traditional breeds and husbandry methods to find that their meats end up with less fat and marbling than their industrial counterparts. The result is a need for their meats to be cooked with a little more thought than just brushing a cut of beef with some oil and tossing it on the grill.
Whether you're buying certified labels organic, grass-fed, Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane and heritage or the less stringent credentials of Amish, natural, hormone-free, local or pastured, you can rest assured that these meats were raised with a little more thought and care than their industrial companions. These meats come from animals who are raised on a diversified farm, on grass primarily and are in balance with the environment so their waste doesn't form toxic waste lakes but deepens the fertility of the soil. This is a definition that I am proud to stand by. No, it's not relinquishing my beloved protein of choice one night a week to make a point to "Big Meat" that their farming practices are inhumane to their animals and toxic to our environment. But it does remove both myself, and my honey, two devoted meat eaters, from their supply chain. Meaning there is now less of a demand, less meat will have to be transported and eventually less will have to be produced. Which in it's own right will help to reduce those pesky greenhouse gases and support the "little guys" in the meat business. Sounds like a win-win to me!
So as I stated, this cookbook is officially on my wish list, so if my secret, new best friend (who sent me a 6.5 qt enamel coated, cast iron Dutch Oven and it's matching counter part, a 3 qt Braiser this week, with no explanation and no clue revealing who sent it!) would like to get me just one more present, I would gladly accept this as a token of your affection, just sayin'.
(Note: Though I may be a pork belly's biggest fan, a devoted maker of Bolognese and ate my weight in lamb, multiple times over, while living in New Zealand, I would like to state that I was once a vegetarian. I went 5 years without meat and I feel I've earned the right now to appreciate a good steak, so please don't criticize me for pushing animal protein.)
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