Exploring the World of Craft Meat
The grocery store can’t even tell you what *country* their beef & pork is from
March 8th, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,776 times • 1 min read
In 2016, industrial beef companies — who control over 80% of the beef market in the United States — successfully lobbied to remove the Country of Origin Labeling requirements from packaging. In plain English, this means that beef and pork sellers in the United States aren’t even required to tell you what country the beef and pork you buy came from. Here's the problem. Everyone selling meat uses stock art photos of small farms and says things...
Q & A with Pete Taylor, Founder and Owner of Spiceology
February 27th, 2019 by Shelby Mang • Read 2,203 times • 2 min read
We take our craft meat, and whatever goes on it, very seriously. Spiceology is changing the spice game with their innovative, freshly-ground spices — and we’re thrilled to partner with them and offer three of their most popular blends in our new bundles. Get to know Pete Taylor, chef owner and founder of Spiceology. Why did you start Spiceology? I grew up in Boston, where I went to culinary school and became a chef. Over the years I watched...
Why is it important to know where your food comes from?
February 21st, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,623 times • 1 min read
Ask anyone “if” it’s important to know where the food you eat comes from, and nearly everyone will say yes. Ask them “why, exactly?” and even the most discerning eaters will struggle to give precise answers. I think it’s important to start a dialogue about this topic, so it’s a question I’ll be asking everyone we interview on our forthcoming podcast, “Let's Meat Up.” As the Co-founder and CEO of Crowd Cow, I’m uncovering answers to the...
Recent beef recalls reinforce the importance of food transparency & traceability
February 19th, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 1,157 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, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 7,766 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, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,531 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, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,530 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, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 3,698 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, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 2,623 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, 2019 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 21,191 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...
