A meat-and-potatoes American in the 1960s had a straightforward question when standing in front of an enticing case full of T-bones or inch-thick pork chops: Can I afford it?
As the drawbacks of a meat-centered diet became apparent, the question changed: Can I afford the fat and cholesterol?
Those questions haven’t gone away. But today’s conscientious consumers have an even greater responsibility thrust onto their shopping lists. They are expected to know how the food for their families was raised. The question has become even heavier: Can the world afford it?
This eco-consciousness has created opportunity for pork and beef producers. By raising animals differently and charging more for the meat, they are creating specialty or “niche” markets via mail order, restaurant recognition and non-traditional outlets such as farmers markets and the World Wide Web.
And though some lean more heavily on the green reasoning than others, all make the same promise: This meat just tastes better. (See results of our taste test on the centerspread.)
Meat as a luxury item is not new. Royalty of earlier eras had their hunting preserves, and tonight the big black BMWs and Lincolns of Chicago merchant princes will be idling outside the city’s steak palaces.
The beef on the plates inside will be graded USDA Prime for its even distribution of fat, and it will have undergone weeks of dry aging to concentrate its flavor. It will be thickly cut and perfectly cooked in an 800-degree broiler and it will taste really good. This is dining at the top of the food chain, where waistlines and waste are worries for another time.
Decrying meat as extravagant and cruel isn’t new either. In her 1971 book “Diet for a Small Planet,” Frances Moore Lappe condemned the fattening of cattle on grain that could have fed the world’s poor. These days, the Humane Society of the United States wants to “Halt Hog Factories” that raise the bulk of American pork.
Many of these modern specialty meats offer to reconcile those extreme positions: Niman Ranch, for instance, will FedEx to you a fresh, 11/2-inch-thick pork chop. Part of its price tag ($8 a chop, plus shipping) goes to the farmer who agreed to raise the pig on straw or cornstalk bedding with room to root. The latest hot item is seasonal beef fed entirely on sustainably managed grasslands instead of grain, which eliminates the need for feedlots and can improve the animals’ fat profile.
Others capitalize on health concerns. Heartland Meats in Mendota, Ill., advertises the reduced fat in its steaks and roasts cut from Piedmontese-cross cattle, and it and others, such as Prairie Grove pork, assure customers that they never resort to antibiotics to speed growth.
Some operations couple marketing savvy with the efficiencies learned while satisfying a mass market. The Pipestone System, a.k.a. Pipestone Family Farms, tightly controls the breeding stock, feed, and living and slaughter conditions of thousands of pigs in Minnesota. Its marketing, which emphasizes the survival of family farmers more than the living conditions of the animals, has targeted high-end restaurants, though retailers like Fox & Obel carry it.
Regardless of how well a food animal has lived, it meets its end in much the same way as a less-pampered creature, in a state- or federally inspected slaughterhouse.
Keeping it ‘natural’
“It’s all about branding, it really is,” said Larry Cizek, director of culinary and niche-market development with the National Pork Board in Des Moines. “It’s finding what the customers want,” he said, “and trying to work it back to the farm, and then give the customers what they want, real or perceived.
“Perception becomes reality.”
Cizek mentions the word “natural,” the definition of which by the U.S. Department of Agriculture “is so broad as to be useless to consumers.”
The USDA says that all fresh meat qualifies as “natural,” but that doesn’t keep such a great-sounding term off packaging.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is still “trying to get a handle” on specialty markets, says Carl Blackwell, executive director of new products at the trade group’s Chicago office. “It is an emerging trend, that is for sure.”
Though niche operations are growing, primarily in restaurant settings, Cizek doesn’t see them taking over from conventional pork. “There is a need for the usual product,” he said.
Leaving `Hogolia’
Kelly Biensen, whose Eden Farms in State Center, Iowa, sells restaurants pork from Berkshire pigs raised by local farmers, sees it differently.
“In the future, one of two things is going to happen,” he said. “Either we’re going to continue to raise pigs the way we do now, and we’re going to designate certain counties or certain areas `Hogolia,’ where you can have these intensive operations and you’ll never go there because of the smell.
“Or we’re going to go back to the way they were raised, when every half mile down the road there was a little hog farm.”
He’s betting that the lessons he has learned, about bedding hogs on bales of cornstalks or soybean vines and composting the result, about returning to hardy breeds, have value for the industry at large.
The standard supermarket pig–what Biensen calls a “bulk commodity hog”–is bred for lean weight gain in large climate-controlled buildings, but they don’t fare well outdoors and are susceptible to disease.
Berkshires are prized by Japanese diners, partly because of their black hides, and most American Berkshire pork was exported until the Japanese economy imploded in 1997.
“It took us most of 1998 to figure out what we were going to do,” Biensen said. Though consistency and flavor was what ended up generating repeat orders, Biensen said he couldn’t get in the restaurant door until he discovered three magic words.
“When I went to chefs I said, `I’ve got the best pork, scientifically proven, taste tested.’ They said `So what? Everybody says that.’ I said `small family farms,’ and they said, `We’ll try it.’ “
Though that phrase has a homey, nostalgic (and marketing-friendly) ring to it, Biensen’s vision for the future is anything but rustic.
“These systems won’t be raising the pigs the way grandma and grandpa did,” he said. “It will be a sophisticated technology that raises hogs on bedding,” instead of on grates over manure-collection pools.
“We will become the model for the United States.”
Saving family farms
Making more meat more cheaply, the grail of agriculture universities, government policy and trade groups, puts a lot of pressure on the farmer and the land, not to mention the animals.
“To stay in the commodity chain, you need high volume at low costs,” said David Stender, an Iowa State University swine field specialist in Cherokee, Iowa. Once a farmer has gone big, taking out the loans to build a confinement operation, he’s unlikely to be tempted by the premiums paid by contracts with specialty operations like Niman Ranch.
“The technology that they are going to give up costs them $5 to $10 per pig,” Stender said, in higher labor costs, disease risk and more space per pig.
“If they like growing hogs that way, it comes out OK. But you’re trading dollars a little bit.”
But while explaining the math of hog farming, Stender gradually concluded that a move away from current mass meatmaking was possible, if unlikely.
“Because farmers, for $15 a head, will do a lot of stuff” to raise animals under different conditions. “If somehow you could get $20 back to the farmer, it would change the industry. Forty dollars would revolutionize it.”
The trick is, consumers would have to be willing to pay 25 cents extra per pound to have their pork raised this way.
Stender mentioned another advantage of smaller operations, one echoed by others: The concentration of the food supply in the hands of a few companies carries its own risks.
“It’s not like the auto industry,” Stender said, “where you can just buy it from Europe” if the Big Three go belly up.
The Sondgeroth family near Mendota, Ill. is making good its escape from the gravitational pull of commodity beef by switching to American beef breeds crossed with the Italian Piedmontese breed. The selling point of their direct-market Heartland Meats is tender beef that is lower in fat. They do not use antibiotics to stimulate weight gain, but the cattle do spend their last few weeks in a 2-acre feedlot gaining weight on corn and soy protein, much as their supermarket brethren do. Calves do receive a three-day course of antibiotics upon arrival at the Heartland feedlot. (This paragraph as published has been corrected in this text.)
The 1,400-acre farm, which next year will have been in John Sondgeroth’s family for a century, raises 300 to 400 head each year and grows corn and soybeans. Their principal outlet is Chicago-area farmers markets, where Pat Sondgeroth sells frozen steaks from a cheery red-and-white booth.
“We do some mail-order, but that is more just for convenience for our customers,” she said.
Even though the meat is neither dry-aged nor graded USDA Prime or Choice, it fared well in our taste test.
“The USDA grading scale is based on the assumption that (fat) marbling is correlated to tenderness,” Sondgeroth said. “In truth, there is less than 10 percent correlation.”
Cooking is key: Such beef cooks about 30 percent faster, Sondgeroth said, but it will stay tender even beyond medium-rare, a difficulty with some low-fat meats.
“My husband likes his well-done; he won’t eat if it’s pink,” she said. “I take it off when there’s just a hint of pink remaining and let it rest a few minutes.”
Think globally, eat locally
The Sondgeroths are taking a chance by taking on the additional burden of marketing the animals they raise. But some beef producers take on even more risk by insisting that animals spend their entire lives in the pasture, with no grain finishing in feedlots.
Though the concept is not new–after all, cattle, with their efficient four-chambered stomachs, are designed to eat grass–it has become fashionable only recently. Taste leaders such as Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., are treating such “grass-finished” beef as a seasonal special rather than a year-round staple.
Such trends bolster the position of Barry Barber, who feeds “a buffet of prairie grass,” including big bluestem, to about 40 Angus cattle on his Turkey Foot Ranch northeast of Winfield, Kan. His customers, who can find him at the local farmers market, are “health conscious, and conscious about environment around them.” His grazing practices are designed to protect stream banks and the health of the often overgrazed, though scenic, Flint Hills of east-central Kansas.
At River Run Farm in Clatskanie, Ore., Jim and Ellen Giert put their organic Angus on tall fescue (a grass), orchard grass, clover and big trefoil, a high-protein legume like alfalfa.
Barber and the Gierts have considered mail-order, but a combination of state regulations and high local demand keep them otherwise occupied.
Just outside Penfield, Ill., much the same situation applies to Sonrise Farms, where Diane Hesterberg will send only 10 animals to slaughter this November; all are spoken for. (People interested in a quarter or half of beef for next year can write to 1384 E. 3000N Rd., Penfield, IL 61862.)
“When we started this, nobody knew what grass-finished beef was,” Hesterberg said. “Demand has increased tremendously in the last year. We are trying to expand, but you have to be careful. We don’t have any plans for doing anything big or grandiose.” The family’s main income still comes from husband Dan’s grain farming.
Sonrise raises Murray Grey, a breed from Australia, where grass-finished beef is common. The farm also sells “pastured poultry” and pork. Though they don’t use antibiotics, they can’t make the “antibiotic-free” claim without tissue-testing.
“People have a choice of whether to believe me,” Hesterberg said. “We really invite people to come out and see the operation for themselves.”
Several of her customers drive down from Chicago suburbs to visit, as well as to pick up their beef from the local meat locker that does Hesterberg’s slaughtering and cutting.
When the farm once again becomes a place Americans want to visit, rather than someplace they’d rather forget, maybe the meat raised there will taste even better.
The proof in the pan
A wide range of styles and prices confronts Chicago-area shoppers, from dry-aged prime beef to plain old pork chops. We gathered several from stores and via mail, confining ourselves to ribeye steaks and loin pork chops. We also purchased supermarket cuts from Dominick’s. We cooked them up, seasoning them with only salt and pepper.
Our beef and pork tasting, though of only two quick-cooking cuts, proved at least two things: Your taste buds don’t have to suffer when you choose beef lower in fat, and frozen product isn’t necessarily inferior to fresh. Heartland Meats’ half-Piedmontese ribeye, which boasts about 12 grams of fat per 3.5 ounces and is sold frozen, finished a nose behind a cut of dry-aged USDA Prime meat with about 33 grams total fat per 3.5 ounces.
As to philosophy: Environmentally conscious, “cruelty-free” animal husbandry doesn’t guarantee superior flavor, though it can cost more. But this sector of the meat market is growing, proving that some consumers like the taste it leaves in their mouths.
In any event, results, and opinions, are bound to vary. One taster’s favorite steak scored last on another staffer’s worksheet.
The meats were tasted by seven staff members and rated on a 1-to-9 scale, with 9 being highest.
As to cooking procedure: Meat was allowed to come to cool room temperature first. Beef was cooked to 135 degrees; pork, to 150 degrees; all cuts were allowed to rest a few minutes before being sliced and sampled.
— Andy Badeker
Farmers market onion-ginger chutney
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
The sweet and acidic flavors of this mixture make it a good match for pork. Use cipollini and tropea onions from the farmers market; sweet or Spanish onions also would work just fine. Developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
1/2 pound each: cipollini onions, tropea onions or 2 large quartered onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 piece (2 inches long) ginger root, peeled, chopped
1/2 apple, chopped, optional
1 tablespoon whole coriander, crushed, or 1 teaspoon ground
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 sprig fresh thyme
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place onions in baking dish; toss with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; bake until softened, stirring once, about 45 minutes. Let cool; slice.
2. Place onions and remaining ingredients in medium saucepan. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve hot, chilled or at room temperature. Remove thyme sprig before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
70 calories, 58% calories from fat, 4.7 g fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 0.5 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 0.6 g fiber
Flavored butters
If you choose to grill steaks and chops, flavored butters can take the place of a sauce. Mix them up in advance and chill or freeze them, then simply cut off a slice and drop it onto the chop or steak at serving time. A food processor or blender can speed the chopping. We’ve provided a recipe, but the formula is easily varied. Try tarragon or thyme in place of rosemary, for example.
Tomato and green peppercorn butter
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 tablespoons
Adapted from “Steak Lover’s Cookbook,” by William Rice, who recommends this intense combination for porterhouse steak. It will work for any chop, though. Capers could be substituted for the pickled peppercorns.
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
2 oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons bottled green peppercorns, drained
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1. Combine rosemary, salt and garlic in container of small or large food processor. Pulse to chop. Add tomatoes and peppercorns; pulse to chop. Add butter and lemon juice; pulse to mix.
2. Spoon out onto plastic wrap; roll into a log. Wrap tightly; chill at least 30 minutes or freeze until serving.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
105 calories, 97% calories from fat, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 245 mg sodium, 0.2 g protein, 0.6 g carbohydrate, 0.1 g fiber
Thick chops/steaks in a skillet
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Grilling is a perfect method for all sorts of meats, but when cooking thick chops or steaks indoors, this approach–starting on the stove and finishing in the oven–lets you attain medium-rare doneness without burning the exterior. This method also works in a grill pan.
2 thick-cut chops or small steaks
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, coarsely ground pepper
1. Sprinkle chops or steaks with salt and pepper. Heat large cast-iron skillet over high heat; heat oven to 425 degrees. Place meat in pan; cook over high heat until meat releases easily, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer pan to oven. Roast to desired degree of doneness on instant-read thermometer (135 degrees for medium-rare lamb and beef, 160 degrees for medium pork), about 5-8 minutes. Let rest 3 minutes before serving.
Nutrition information per serving (based on 10-ounce Select-grade ribeye):
340 calories, 53% calories from fat, 20 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 40 g protein, 0.2 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber
Ribeye steaks
Fox & Obel dry-aged Prime, $22/pound, 7 points: “Good charred beef aroma.” “Divine; buttery.” “Savory and beefy; not fatty.”
Heartland Piedmontese cross: $17.60/pound, 6.9 points: “Wetter looking than others.” “Soft but not mushy; seductive.” “Deep and meaty; great flavor.”
Dominick’s Choice Certified Angus, $10/pound, 6.4 points: “Nice balance of chewiness and juiciness.” “Dryer and softer than some.” “Juices add to buttery, gentle meaty flavor.”
Dominick’s Select grade, $8/pound, 6.3 points: “Firm (a positive).” “Very mild but with some beefy aftertaste.”
Montana Range Piedmontese: $17.90/pound plus shipping, 5.9 points: “Tightly grained.” “Firm, nicely chewy.” “Off taste at end.”
Laura’s Lean: $9.29/pound, 5.9 points: “More open, looser texture.” “Juicy, chewy.” “Rich, meaty flavor.”
Whole Foods Choice, $13/pound, 4.9 points: “Nice color.” “Fine-grained but slightly chewy.” “Little beef flavor.”
Niman Ranch, $20/pound plus shipping: 4.6 points: “Pale pink to gray.” “Not tough, but resistant.” “A bit bland.”
Pork chops
Dominick’s boneless loin, America’s Cut, $6.49/pound, 6.2 points: “Pink-gray color.” “Definite porkiness.” “Very moist.”
Niman Ranch bone-in rib, $12.80/pound plus shipping, 6 points: “Great-looking chop.” “Sweet and mildly rich.” “A bit dry.”
Whole Foods boneless loin, America’s Cut, $7/pound, 6 points: “Soft, not mushy.” “More flavor than others.”
Pipestone boneless loin, $7/pound at Fox & Obel, 5.6 points: “Bland white.” “Good pork flavor.” “Slightly chewy.”
Prairie Grove Farms bone-in rib, $7.29/pound at Green City Market, 4.6 points: “Good bite; tender.” “Juicier than texture promised.” “Very mild; could be chicken.”
Sources
Prairie Grove Farms pork is sold at Treasure Island and Hyde Park Co-op as well as at the Wednesday Green City Market in Lincoln Park.
Heartland Meats (www. heartlandmeats.com) is sold online, via phone (877-588-5326) and Peapod (www.peapod.com) and at several farmers markets.
Laura’s is sold at Dominick’s.
Niman Ranch (www.nimanranch.com) and Montana Range (www.montanarange.com) offer mail order via their Web sites.
Pipestone is sold at Fox & Obel.
