All You Can Eat: Grain-fed vs. Grass-fed Meat

Meaty Roles

We've herd a lot of mooing about the difference in taste between grain-fed and grass-fed steaks. Urban Farmer executive chef Trent Love sets us straight.

Grain-fed

The more affordable option of steak, grain-fed cuts typically have more marbling and higher fat content since most breeds are on a diet of grains and supplements for rapid weight gain. "You're getting a bigger cow [at a] heavier weight," Love says. "With corn- and grain-fed, you have the option of getting a lot more physical-cut steaks out of the cow." Grain-fed beef also tends to be more tender than grass-fed.

Grass-fed

Grass-fed cattle are typically pasture-raised, so they're eating naturally grown grass. The taste of the beef will vary depending on where the cattle grazed and what it was feeding on. "[The beef] gets texturally and totally different taste-wise," Love says. Since grass-fed cattle are more expensive to raise, you'll see a bump in price on menus. It's also better to avoid butcher cuts such as flanks, hangers and skirts since the meat will be a little bit tougher.