Jul 22nd, 2010
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Grass Fed Beef Ribs

These ribs were originally marinated overnight for cooking on my friends barbecue, but by the next morning I was sneezing constantly. We decided it would be best if kept my germs to myself and ended up cooking the ribs at home in the slow cooker. I was worried they might turn out tough and dry, since that’s what happened the last time I cooked a rack of beef ribs in the slow cooker. This time around I cooked them for 2 hours on high and they came out tender and juicy.

Thanks to books like Michael Pollen’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma , movies like Food Inc. and informative blog posts including Lazaro’s recent post on Blog Critics, disgust with the practices of factory farming is spreading. For some, this means choosing to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, for others it means finding more humane sources for their meat. Do you know that grass fed beef is healthier too?

Health Benefits of Grass Fed Beef

The digestive systems of cows have evolved to digest grass, and when they actually eat grass (instead of grains), they are healthier and require less antibiotics, (if any at all). They also yield more nutritious beef that contains more vitamin E and C, omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid — the good fats. The ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids is important for maintaining the health of all the cells in your body and particularly important to the function of the brain. These benefits also apply to other pastured animals including lamb, elk, bison and free range chicken. (Eggs from caged chickens have less omega-3s than those from free range chickens.) Also, many people believe that fish are the best source of omega-3s, but if they’re farmed and fed grains or chickens by-products (instead algae and plankton) how can they possibly be a decent source of omega-3s?

Cost

Meat from pastured animals, and eggs from free range chickens, are usually more expensive if you buy from grocery stores like the Healthy Butcher or Whole Foods. This forced us to be resourceful and find farms that would sell us their products directly, or at a farmer’s market. Eat Wild’s Pastured Products Directory is a good place to search for local beef, chicken, eggs and dairy.

We buy the majority of our beef from Beaverdale Farms, and we buy in bulk, which makes it less expensive than buying beef from the grocery store. We freeze it in a little chest freezer that cost us about $100.

As I’m sure you’ve experienced, meals containing even a little meat are very satisfying. You simply don’t need to eat as much.

What factors do you consider while shopping for your meat and dairy?

If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, what is your main reason for avoiding animal products?

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Slow Cooker Beef Back Ribs

Prep: 10 minutes (plus time for marinating)
Cook: 2 hours, high
Yield: 4-6 servings (prepared in a 6.5 quart slow cooker)

  • 5 lb beef back ribs
  •  3⁄10 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  •  3⁄4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 bunch chopped green onions
  • 1 tbsp honey

Cut the beef back ribs into individual ribs. Place in a casserole dish meat-side down.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and green onions. Pour over the ribs, Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight. Turn at least once while marinating. (I marinated overnight and turned the ribs over in the morning. I let them marinate for another few hours before cooking them.)

Transfer the ribs to your slow cooker insert, making sure to place them meat-side down.

Stir the honey into the marinade and pour over the ribs.

Cook on high for 2 hours.

(Original recipe from Cooks.com)