Why buy the cow?

This year, go whole-hog.

Or whole-cow, or even whole-lamb.

Buying a whole, half or quarter of an animal directly from the ranchers who raise them is catching on for a variety of reasons.

For Gina Biolchini, a Black Forest homemaker and mother of five, it’s about the health benefits. For Debbie Grundy, a Colorado Springs homemaker, it’s about the great flavor. For Rebecca Christensen, owner of a Manitou Springs restaurant, it’s about humane treatment. And for Diane Eagle, an Evergreen housewife, it’s about having plenty of meat for barbecue season.

“I have two deep freezers,” says Eagle, who buys a whole pig and half a cow each year. “The beef takes up one and the pig goes in the other. There’s plenty of room left in the one with the pig for chicken and fish.”

The practice is not for everyone, however. You have to have a lot of freezer space (some families split the bounty). You have to know exactly how you want the meat cut and packaged.

And it can cost a lot upfront: A whole beef from Larga Vista Ranch & Dairy, for example, would cost about $2,000 and a whole hog about $600. Average it out, though, and it’s about $4 to $5.50 per pound, which is comparable to grocery store prices.

“It takes a bit of homework and planning, but the improved flavor and price is well worth the trouble,” says Kimberly Lord Stewart of Longmont, author of “Eating Between the Lines” and an advocate of buying meat directly from the producer.

She and the others say that when you get to know the person who has raised the animal, you can find out what it was fed, how it was treated, and where and how it will be slaughtered and packaged. With recent headlines about mad cow disease, E. coli outbreaks, and the recent pet-food recall, they say it’s comforting to know as much as possible about the origin of their meat.

FEED

Some people like to buy directly from nearby ranchers because they tend to raise their animals on a diet of grass and allow them to roam. Healthwise, they say, it beats the cornfed diets that animals are given in commercial feedlots.

Meat from grass-fed animals is lower in fat and calories, says Jo Robinson, author of “Pasture Perfect — The Far-Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products From Grass-Fed Animals.”

Grass-fed meat is also higher in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, which she calls a good fat.

“These differences alone justify a switch to pasture-raised beef,” she says.

Eagle is sold on the health advantages of grass-fed animals. “I did a lot of research about the health benefits of grass-fed meat, and I learned that the fat of grass-fed pork is better for you. When I buy a whole pig, I ask for the suet and fat that I render into lard to use for cooking.”

Gina Biolchini buys meat from Doug and Kim Wiley at their Larga Vista Ranch & Dairy in Boone largely because of health concerns.

“We purchase meat from people like Doug because it is MUCH healthier,” Biolchini wrote in an e-mail. “We have not bought meat from a grocery store in many years, simply because we do not trust the quality of the meat itself as well as the processing procedures the animals undergo.”

Because some ranchers will supplement a grass diet with grains, ask about the animals’ diet if it’s important to you that it’s 100 percent grass-fed.

FLAVOR

Debbie Grundy and her friend Anne Malone bought and shared a lamb from Jay Frost last year and are still raving about the superior flavor.

(Frost raises only about 12 lambs each year and already has orders for them.)

Taste tests bear out the claims. In 2004, we did a blind taste comparison between grain-fed and grass-fed beef. The grass-finished beef far outshone the grain-finished beef.

Eagle did her own informal taste test of grass- and grainfed beef. “We have gotten so used to the flavor and texture of grass-fed beef that I was curious about how it might differ from grain-fed beef,” she says. “We went to a steakhouse and had a steak from a corn-fed cow. It didn’t have the deep color like our meat at home. It was easy to cut but I had to chew and chew to eat it. The meat didn’t have the greatest texture.”

HUMANE TREATMENT

Rebecca Christensen, who co-owns the Blue Vervain restaurant in Manitou Springs and is one of the chefs, buys Lasater Grasslands Beef because she likes the way the animals are treated.

“They are allowed to roam and eat grass all their lives,” she says. “I like that they are humanely treated and never go to a feedlot. I think the meat tastes better.”

Eagle also praises the Wileys for the way they raise their animals.

“He is very concerned about his animals and the state of his land,” she says. “I feel better about the meat we’re eating because I know they have been well cared for and humanely slaughtered.”

STORING THE MEAT

If you join the ranks of people buying meat directly from ranchers, consider whether you’ll be able to store it.

Biolchini usually buys a whole pig each year and, lately, one-third or two-thirds of a bison. She’s also planning to buy a side of beef from the Wileys.

“We only have one freezer and a side-by-side refrigerator, and that is plenty of storage for our meat,” she said.

For more information about grass-fed animals and buying directly from producers, go to eatwild.com.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0271 or teresa.farney@gazette.com

WHAT IT COSTS

- The cost of buying a whole, half or quarter of an animal varies and is set by hang weight — what the animal weighed just after being slaughtered, including hide, bones and blood. We found hang prices from $4 to $5.50 per pound for beef, pork and lamb.

TECHNIQUES

Grass-fed beef presents some challenges to cooks used to roasting, braising and grilling fatty grain-fed beef, primarily because grass-fed beef is much leaner and has fewer calories. Here’s what you need to know:

- Cook it differently. Instead of fat, grass-fed meat contains moisture, which heats more quickly than fat, so it is easy to overcook. Cook it to a lower internal temperature than grainfed beef; if cooked past medium-rare, it dries out and can become tough — unless, as with a low-temperature braise, it’s cooked long enough to tenderize the meat. Ranchers say their pastured meat doesn’t need to be cooked to well-done, as federal food safety guidelines recommend.

- Steaks: Marinate, then cook over a very hot fire, a few minutes per side. Then set it aside to finish cooking. Never cook past medium-rare.

- Roasts: A crust on the outside helps seal in juices. You can use a simple flour-herb-water paste. Start with a hot (400-degree) oven; reduce to low (about 300) after 10 minutes. Cook only to an internal temperature of 125 degrees, 15 degrees below rare on most meat thermometers; it will continue cooking out of the oven.

- With a braise or stew, start in a hot oven (400 degrees); Reduce heat to low (275-300 degrees) after 10 minutes. The braising liquid should evaporate steadily. Some cooks have found they need to braise grass-fed meats much longer than grain-fed; you may need to experiment.

THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

HOMES WHERE THEY ROAM

Here are some nearby ranches where you can buy whole, half or quarters of animals to stock your freezer.

Beef

Lasater Grasslands Beef LLC, 35437 U.S. 24, Matheson. 1-719-541-2855. e-mail: lasater@rmi.net. Web site: www.lgbeef.com

Pork & beef

Larga Vista Ranch & Dairy, 53505 Olson Road, Boone. 1-719-947-0982. e-mail: boonewiley@aol.com. Web site: www.largavistaranch.com.

Pork

Venetucci Farm, 5210 South U.S. 85, Fountain. 391-8102. e-mail:farmer@ppcs.org. Web site: www.venetuccifarm.org

Bison

Buffalo Groves Inc., 33300 Ridge Road, Kiowa. 1-303-621-1111. e-mail:groves@buffalo groves.com. Web site: www.buffalogroves.com.

ANIMAL INSTINCTS

If you plan to purchase meat directly from a ranch . . .

- Call the farmer or rancher ahead of time — by months, not by days or even weeks — to find out when the animal might be available.

- Ask how the animals are raised. You might assume that animals advertised as being grass-fed have not been given hormones, antibiotics or grains. But there’s no auditing in place, so ask questions, and check with the American Grassfed Association for a list of suppliers who suit your needs (americangrassfed.org)

- Ask the ranchers who they use as their processor and butcher. Generally there is a two-week drying period before the meat can be cut into portions, so don’t expect to pick it up right away.

- Speak with the processor to determine how you want the meat cut: How thick do you want your chops? Do you want any ground meat? Do you want that leg of lamb boned? And be specific about how you want it packaged. The processor will most likely flash freeze the meat before you pick it up, and once that happens you can’t pry the cuts apart.

- Compare prices. All costs are based on hanging weight (how much the animal weighs at time of slaughter), which is different from the actual weight of the meat you take home. You will pay per pound of meat, plus a wrap charge and a processing fee to the butcher ($50 to $75 for wrapping and processing). Make sure that when everything is added up, the price per pound of the meat is less than purchasing it elsewhere.

- Make sure you have enough freezer space or consider sharing the meat with another family. From a 500-pound finished cow, you can expect:

50 pounds ground beef 12 pounds roast (five 2-pound roasts) 18 pounds steak, depending on cut 3-5 pounds miscellaneous cuts Source: Kimberly Lord Stewart

GENESIS FARMING’S PORK BARBECUE

Yield: 20 servings

1/2 cup lard

1 (6-pound) pork shoulder

2 cups cider vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons bottled hot sauce, or to taste

1 cup tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon honey

2 cups water

Hamburger buns or soft sourdough rolls

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt lard in roasting pan and brown roast on all sides over medium-high heat. Cover and bake until tender, 2-4 hours, depending on size. Check every 1/2 hour for tenderness, adding water if liquid gets too low. Remove from oven when meat shreds easily with fork. Leave in pan or place on cutting board to shred.

3. Combine remaining ingredients (except buns). Mix well. Place in large pan or Dutch oven, add shredded meat and simmer, covered, over low heat for several hours.

4. Serve on buns like a sandwich.

Nutrition data per serving, including buns: Calories 561 (57.8 percent from fat); fat 36.1 g (sat 12.9 g, mono 16 g, poly 4.1 g); protein 35.3 g; carbohydrates 23 g; fiber 1.66 g; cholesterol 127.3 mg; sodium 459.4 mg; calcium 84.7 mg. Source: “Pasture Perfect,” by Jo Robinson

BUFFALO GROVES’ TRI TIP ROAST

Yield: 10 servings

1 (3-pound) tri tip buffalo roast

1 small can mandarin oranges, including juices

2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup honey

Procedure:

1. Trim away connective tissue or silver skin from roast. Combine oranges, teriyaki sauce and honey in blender and puree; set aside 1/2 cup for basting. Pour remaining marinade over roast and marinate 1 hour (or more) in refrigerator.

2. Preheat grill to medium. Place roast on top rack of grill. Cook, basting and turning every 10 minutes for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours (average 2 hours), until thermometer inserted into meat reads no more than 140 degrees.

3. Allow to rest, covered loosely with foil, 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition data per serving: Calories 236.1 (12.6 percent from fat); 3.3 g fat (sat 1.2 g, mono 1.3 g, poly 0.3 g); protein 38.9 g; carbohydrates 10.6 g; fiber 0.14 g; cholesterol 111.5 mg; sodium 217.3 mg; calcium 0 mg. Source: “Pasture Perfect,” by Jo Robinson

WINDSWEPT FARM’S LAMBURGERS

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound lean ground lamb

1 teaspoon dry or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves (preferably peppermint)

1/2 teaspoon dry or 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients well and let stand at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.

2. Shape into four patties and grill to desired doneness.

Nutrition data per serving: Calories 321.3 (62.4 percent from fat); 22.3 g fat (sat 9.2 g, mono 9.4 g, poly 1.6 g); protein 28.1 g; carbohydrates 0.1 g; fiber 0.03 g; cholesterol 109.9 mg; sodium 358.2 mg; calcium 28.3 mg. Source: “Pasture Perfect,” by Jo Robinson