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elbanditoroso's avatar

Does beef jerky made from pasture-raised cattle taste better than jerky made from feed-raised cattle?

Asked by elbanditoroso (33552points) August 27th, 2018

Since the meat itself is dried and spiced, is there likely to be a noticeable taste difference between pasture-raised cattle jerky and jerky from cows that have been given feed and grass but not allowed to forage?

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7 Answers

LadyMarissa's avatar

I’m not a fan of beef jerky; so in my opinion,none of it taste good!!!

ragingloli's avatar

Since it is all processed to the 7th circle of Hell and back, I doubt it makes a difference, just like mcdonalds or burger king burgers.

zenvelo's avatar

Jerky makers that use pasture reaised beef tend to be more focused on creating a better, tastier product, so it is hard to say. Jerky from pasture raised beef will come in resealable pouched, while the feedlot jerky can be pulled out of the jar next to the 7–11 cashier.

kritiper's avatar

I would say yes.
My grandfather once commented that I didn’t know how good beef could taste because all I ever ate was that feed lot raised, chemical fed crap they sell in the store.

rojo's avatar

I think it has more to do with the seasonings and process than the source of beef.

kritiper's avatar

Try this:
Make a pot of beef stew from the good jerky and a pot of beef stew from the maybe-not-so-good jerky. The taste might answer your question.
It doesn’t have to be eaten dry. And people of old didn’t always eat it dry. Give it a shot…

seawulf575's avatar

There is a certain difference in flavor of free-range meats. I think the biggest difference is that the muscles of the animal are used more and are, therefore, generally leaner. Another difference is that I believe the meat takes on a bit of flavor from what the animal eats while alive. If it is fed the same food over and over, it gets one flavor and if it is free-ranging, it eats a variety of things. However, that difference in flavor would probably be overwhelmed by the processing into beef jerky. My typical process is to marinate the meat for 12 hours or so and then dehydrate it. The marinating process will add way more flavor to the meat than the difference you might taste due to the diet while the animal was alive. I have also used dry rubs, but the end result is the same…the seasoning adds more flavor than just the beef. I guess if you wanted to see strictly if the diet made a difference, you could take some meat from each type of animal (free-range and grain fed) and just dry some of the meat without any seasoning. See for yourself if there is a difference.

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