Saturday, October 9, 2010

Utah Natural Meat, Buying a cow & Hearty Beef Chili

I've wanted to find a local farmer to buy meat from for a long time. Then a few weeks ago, through a friend's Facebook post (I love Facebook), I found Utah Natural Meat, a local, family-owned ranch that raises grass fed beef and free-range chickens. I was so excited! The first thing I did was buy 4 chickens, then several dozen eggs (over a few weeks), and then we took the plunge and ordered a cow. Well, 1/4 of a cow, so I guess it was a mini plunge. Since it wasn't the whole cow I wasn't sure what cuts of meat we would get--it was a little exciting.

I picked up our beef this morning and this is what we got:

2 round steaks, 2 round cubed steaks, 2 top sirloin steaks, 2 sirloin tip steaks, 3 rib steaks, 1 tenderloin (it's mine), 7 T-bone steaks, 1 rump roast, 2 shoulder roasts, 1 pot roast, and 32 1-lb packages of ground beef. All for a total of 113.5 lbs of good, fresh, tasty beef that was raised on grass and fresh air.

I was thrilled to get so many pounds of ground beef (I make a lot of meatballs, meatloaf, etc). There are also several cuts that I've never used before, like the cubed steaks and rib steaks, so I'm excited to try some new things.

After getting the meat all tucked away in our garage freezer it was time to think about dinner. I grabbed one of the 1 lb packages of ground beef, but what to make? I decided a pot of thick, hearty chili would be perfect for the cool fall day we were having.

The meat cooked up nicely, and crumbled better and more evenly than the ground beef I used to buy at the store. And it didn't have the weird, sour smell that was sometimes present when I cooked store-bought ground beef. The meat was also incredibly lean (by virtue of the breed of cows they raise, and that they aren't fed corn), and I didn't have to drain a drop of fat. I did forget to taste it when it was done browning--darnit!--so I can't say what it tasted like straight, but it was wonderful and tender in the chili.

Thanks Utah Natural Meat, I'm so happy I found you!

Hearty Beef Chili
printable recipe

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large green or red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
2 cups chicken broth or water
grated cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onion, and sour cream for serving

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook and crumble until no longer pink. Remove meat to a bowl and keep warm. Reduce the heat to medium.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and garlic powder and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney and black beans, and broth. Bring it all to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

4. Serve with grated cheese, green onion, and sour cream if desired.

Makes 2 quarts chili; 4-6 servings.

5 comments:

  1. Tiffiny you are so smart. This is how everyone should purchase meat! So much better for everyone including the animals. It's a win win.

    Laura

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  2. What a great selection of meats! La Cense Beef is another great place to order your grassfed beef. I work with La Cense, and the ranch located in Montana where the cattle are cared for without drugs or hormones. You can order your meat online and we will deliver directly to you.

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  3. yummy! i can't wait to try this recipe and read more on your website i just found through utah natural meat!
    i love utah natural meat :)

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  4. @Laura, I totally agree :)
    @Kara, I'm so happy more and more people are raising their beef in a natural way.
    @Haylie, Yay for Utah Natural Meat! And thanks for stopping by :) Come back often!

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  5. What a nice freezer full of beef! I should look around here for some of the same. We did eat at a place up the coast that uses Hearst Ranch beef which is "grass fed" and "certified humane raised and handled." :) Knowing that made me feel better eating it, and it was tasty too!

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