Exploring the World of Craft Meat
Recent beef recalls reinforce the importance of food transparency & traceability
February 19th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 1,053 times • 1 min read
Imagine that last summer, one of the popular soft drink makers encountered a production issue that caused people all over the country who consumed their products to become sick. You wouldn't expect Consumer Reports to say something like, 'based on our investigation, we recommend that you throw away any soft drinks of any brand that you may have purchased last summer.' But that's almost exactly what happened last December, when Consumer Reports...
How to make A5 Wagyu Tallow and unlock hero chef status
February 12th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 6,084 times • 2 min read
A5 Wagyu beef fat, when melted, is a clear oil, packed with heart-healthy oleic acid. By making this A5 Wagyu tallow at home and sharing it with your friends and family, your ordinary home cook status will instantly sky rocket to magical wizard hero chef status. Add a little to a pan, scramble in a couple of eggs with a pinch of salt and you're likely to blow people's minds. It's that good. By carefully cutting the exterior fat off of your A5...
Why I no longer pay attention to labels like “organic”
February 5th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,238 times • 3 min read
It may shock some people, but I no longer pay attention to labels on meat products. For years, I’ve traveled the country meeting with chefs and farmers in search of the world’s best craft meat, and over and over I hear that labels and certifications aren't meaningful or helpful, and can be abused to misrepresent the truth. The “organic” label is a good example. Thanks to the rising popularity of “grass-fed, grass-finished” and “organic” beef,...
What's written on the Olive Wagyu seal?
January 31st by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,146 times • 1 min read
Olive-fed Wagyu from Kagawa Prefecture is the world's rarest and most exquisite beef. Only 2200 cattle of the kuroge washyu breed are raised in Kagawa using the unique olive-based feed, and only a small fraction achieve the ratings necessary to officially qualify them as Olive Wagyu. It's certainly true that Kobe Beef is far more famous, but it's also true that it is far from "rare". Kobe Beef is backed by a quite mature industry association...
How to make Shabu Shabu everyone will love
January 27th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,431 times • 2 min read
Shabu Shabu is an easy, inexpensive and nutritious Japanese dish where beef is the star of the show. Long ago, as a homestay student living on a farm in Japan, my host parents used to take me to Shabu Shabu restaurants a lot. I loved the taste, but also how it brought everyone together around the table to cook. It's east to make Shabu Shabu at home (and everyone will love it), you just have to have the right ingredients and the right...
Why all meat delivery services aren’t created equal — here’s how we do it
January 20th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,302 times • 3 min read
These days, you’ll find a few choices of online meat sellers, but only one that provides quality, variety and 100% direct access to the individual farms that raised the meat. Crowd Cow is a true, scaled alternative to the commodity meat regime that supplies everyone else ― and we do things better. Here’s how: The Highest Quality & Greatest Selection We've scoured the country for years, selecting only the very best independent and...
How to Sous Vide A5 Wagyu (& Is That Even a Good Idea?)
January 15th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 16,077 times • less than one min read
Wait... you can sous vide A5 Wagyu?! Yes, you can absolutely sous vide A5 Wagyu. Think sous vide will make the fat melt away... nope. It won’t. Is it a good idea? Well, when I traveled to Japan and ate my body weight in A5 Wagyu with former Alinea Executive Chef Mike Bagale, I asked him about it and he said that yes, he always sous vides A5 Wagyu. Here’s the procedure that he recommends: Sous vide at 58° Celcius (135° Fahrenheit) for 45-60...
What Is Tajima Wagyu?
January 7th by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 6,339 times • 1 min read
When it comes to Wagyu, there's a lot of confusion and misinformation online. Luckily, through our extensive work directly with producers in Japan, and my background in Japanese language, we've learned a lot and have been able to bring some of the rarest and best Japanese Wagyu to the USA for the first time. Today's post is about a very detailed aspect of Japanese Wagyu, the bloodline known as Tajima (但馬). To explain what Tajima is, it is...
Meet Crowd Cow Ambassador Taylor Crowther
January 1st by Faith Deutschle • Read 334 times • 1 min read
Taylor Crowther is a healthcare provider and fitness junkie. However, his proudest roles are husband and father. He is currently writing a book that debunks the nutrition, exercise and health myths with the use of science and evidence based studies. Why is it important for you to know where your food comes from? You may think you are eating healthy, but what you don't know is where your meat came from, how it was raised, and the drugs it was...
Meet Crowd Cow Ambassador Jay Chang
January 1st by Faith Deutschle • Read 354 times • less than one min read
Jay is a culinary curator and Global story teller dining with top chefs #BehindTheKnife across the world. Why is it important for you to know where your food comes from? A truly "Farm to Table" dining experience rotates with seasons and what is best available from local farms. Ingredients are the building blocks of the meal and the right farm fresh meats and veggies can really make a difference. Who inspires you? I am inspired by chefs and...
