Where's the beef?

I've been searching high and low this year for a healthy beef resource. Believe it or not, Jon & Kate (of the 'Plus 8' kind) actually inspired me a few years back. One episode of the infamous show featured the couple bringing their eight darling chitlins to an organic beef farm. They had fun that day on the farm but the main objective was to collect their purchase – investment, really – of an entire cow. Freezer beef, as it's called, is butchered, dry aged, then frozen to take home.  I didn't know the details on how, why or when I would be trying it myself, but I knew that it intrigued me.

As I mentioned in the beginning, I have done some research online, visited stores, farmers markets and scoured magazines for resources that would provide an affordable option. As of Friday's market in M'Boro I think I've found a match!

Happy cows (image: Dixon Family farm)

Dixon Family Meats sells a $65 Value Pack that allows the customer to choose from steaks and roasts, to add to a tenderloin, round, hamburger patties, 2 lb. tubes or (2) 1 lb. tubes. A great deal (as far as I've seen at point-of-purchase). They added up the weight of what I chose, multiplied that by $6.50 and I walked away with a full bag of premium dry aged grass-fed beef. Of course you can opt for 1/4, 1/2 or whole freezer beef purchases with farms, but you need to have a really big freezer and a lot of mouths to feed.

We cued the NY strips yesterday for our "Father's Day BBQ Home Church Dinner" and the farm did not disappoint. Our friends brought CSA veggies to throw on the grill and teriyaki chicken skewers. Tonight was hamburger patties on rice (yes, very Filipino of me) with summer market vegetables. I roasted onion & beets, finished off the marinating salad (tomatoes, cucumber, raw corn, lime basil, genovese basil), and topped it off with tiny orange marbles that taste like sweet heavenly tomatoes (from Mike O's garden)!