need a marinade for grassfed beef

[drako]

We purchased grassfed beef from a local farmer. I need some marinade suggestions since it has a very gamey taste. I've marinaded steaks with a store bought marinade and it toned the taste down and they were very good on the grill. I would like a homemade version and also I need one for a roast. I made one of the roasts in a crock pot and it had a very strong gamey taste. This beef has a lot stronger taste than the grassfed beef that I buy at my local Wegmans. So is the Wegmans 100% grassfed???

[brittone2]

It is normal for it to vary in taste. Some grassfed beef we've eaten has a much gamier taste, and some does not. I think there are many factors-breed of cattle, etc. that play into it. If you ever purchase in significant bulk quantities, it might be worthwhile to try lesser amounts first. It doesn't sound like you are dealing with a huge amount of beef for now though.

I don't really marinate our grassfed beef (happy with the flavor as-is) on a regular basis so I can't help much there.

[drako]

I thought the breed of steer had something to do with it. I also bet the quality and type of grass and hay of something to do with the flavor. It's not that we don't like it, we were just surprised it had such a stronger flavor than the wegman's organic grassfed beef that I normally buy. We like to support our local farmers so we will buy again. I am sure we will get used to it. The steaks are great marinaded. I just need something to tone down the roast. I will have to google it.

[daisymommy]

Fwiw...You may have heard of Joel Salatin, "king" of the grass-fed farming movement, featured in many, many books and movies, and you know he's doing things right...we bought a side of beef from his farm, and it was the most gamey tasting meat I've ever had. I've heard that when meat is grass-finished, meaning not fattened up on grain for the last month, or 100% grass fed, never any grain, it tastes more gamey. But also it does depend up on the type of grass they were eating, and the breed of cow.

I like to look up recipes on AllRecipes.com
And I have this book on my wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/Tender-Grassfed-Meat-Traditional-Healthy/dp/098234290X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325612911&sr=8-2
You really have to cook on lower heat, usually for less time, or you'll ruin the meat since it's so lean. I learned this the hard way!

[Pepper]

We've benn getting our meat from a CSA for the last 3 years. To be honest, I haven't noticed a gamey taste, just a more beefy one. The cattle are pasture-raised for their whole lives (just grain suppllemented in the winter if there's not enough to forage) so maybe it's a regional or breed difference, as other poster's have noted.

Anyway I do basically the same marinade for all of the steaks we get. It's pretty much a classic bulgogi marinade: per steak I use 3 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced and chopped with about a half teaspoon of salt; 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce; 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil; a teaspoon of sugar; and 1-2 scallions cut into 1/2" pieces. Seal in a ziploc bag (with the steak) and marinade, preferably overnight or even for a couple of days, flipping the bag over and rubbing the marinade around once or twice a day.

For a more Western-style marinade, follow the same rule but sub olive oil for the sesame oil and skip the scallions (or sub in chopped fresh rosemary, parsely, or any herb you like). Do use the soy sauce and sugar because they add depth of flavor and help with browning.

To cook, I preheat the oven to 350 and get a cast-iron (or other ovenproof) skillet screaming hot. Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe down with paper towel. Put the steak in the skillet and sear for a couple of minutes. Then flip it, sear the other side for a couple more minutes, and transfer to a baking sheet with a rim. Put the steak in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes dependingon thickness (our CSA steaks tend to be thick - more than an inch). Check for doneness using a meat thermometer or the "springiness' test where you poke the neat with a fingertip). Then remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 10 min before you slice and serve it.