Lamb: A Dining Delicacy

Lamb: A Dining Delicacy

Lamb is and always has been a dining delicacy for many cultures and has recently been making its way into mainstream American restaurants with great flare! We are now seeing lamb burgers, rack of lamb appetizers, pickled lamb tongues, lamb sausage and more! Not to mention, the rising awareness of the importance and health benefits of grass-fed meat.

Why? What's all the hype?

Food has become a hobby. The most unique, authentic, and well displayed foods tend to give "foodies" and those who love to navigate the cuisine of the area great conversation and something to brag about! Grass-fed lamb is becoming quite popular, and not only for dining out.

Thanks to the internet, Pinterest, and food bloggers everywhere, we have access to some of the most imaginative recipes from kitchens in homes all over the world. With a small search, anyone can find a new and exciting lamb recipe to experiment with.

I recently spoke with one of our most valued customers about her family's upbringing regarding lamb and she emphasized how valued and special it was when they were able to consume lamb at the dinner table. While others gathered around the typical turkey or ham, her family brought in lamb. "It was a delicacy! We were privileged to be able to have it."

Can you imagine that possibility for your family? What about hosting dinner parties or even barbecues? Is it time to do something different? Offering the highest quality grass-fed lamb is something we are very proud of here at BF Farms and we love that we can help bring it to your dinner table!

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.

Grass-Fed Lamb Chops

Grass-Fed Lamb Chops with Beer Gravy

This recipe for grass-fed lamb chops with beer gravy comes from one of our very dear lamb customers, Keyton Williams. Thank you, Keyton, for passing on this mouth watering recipe! We love to hear how our grass-fed customers are cooking their meat and what their favorite recipes are. If you have a recipe to share, please let us know!

Ingredients:

• 2 Grass-Fed Lamb Chops
• Soy Sauce
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Sage
• 1 TBS Butter
• 1 Cup Dark Beer
• 1/4 Cup Beef Broth
• 1/2 TS Flour

Preparation:

Take two lamb chops and sprinkle with a very light amount of soy sauce to enhances meat flavor. Add pepper and braise them in a pan for the juices - About 5 minutes each side on medium heat.

Put the chops in the oven and let them bake for 20 minutes on 350 degrees. "I also love to put the chops in a pressure cooker and cook them that way, the meat LITERALLY falls off the bone and is SO tender delicious."

While the chops are in the oven, put 1 TBSP of butter in a small sauce pan and let it slightly brown for flavor. Add 1 cup of your favorite dark beer. "Any dark beer works, I personally love a good dark that has coffee notes in it, it really brings out the lamb flavor." Place it in the small sauce pan along with the drippings and 1/4 cup of beef broth to cut the beer and add flavor. Warm to medium heat.

Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of flour to thicken.

Add a pinch of sage, salt, and pepper to taste. Let it simmer until the chops are done, out of the oven, and plated. 

Pour the gravy over the chops and BAM, Lamb Chops doused in delicious Beer Gravy!

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.

Winter on the Farm

A Grass-Fed Winter on BF Farms

We have received many questions lately about how we keep the animals fed and cared for during the winter on the farm. These are great questions. With all of the ice and sleet everywhere how do the animals get the "green" they need to maintain their "grass-fed" status?

In order to answer those questions we followed Kamie, our Ranch Manager, during one of her morning rounds. She told us that they plant rye and barley with turnips and radishes which are green in the winter and the sheep and cattle eat right through the ice to get to the nutrition they need. The ice doesn't phase them a bit. In fact, it provides some extra hydration while they eat. They also receive salt and mineral, along with water that has to be broken up every now and then from icing over.

Our cattle handle the cold very well. Nature has a way of protecting animals from cold. Cattle will naturally grow thicker and longer hair for winter. In fact, cattle are a good indicator when a cold winter is coming as their hair will become even heavier. Then in spring they shed that winter coat of hair. Our sheep on the other hand have access to shelter under one of our large barns. Sheep have the tendency to suffocate if covered in ice, and therefore need the option of covered shelter during these cold months.

Have no fear! At BF Farms we plan ahead so our animals get exactly what they need when they need it. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to care for the animals properly and to maintain our "grass-fed" status, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.

Customer Hall of Fame

Customer Hall of Fame: Diana Webber

We would like to introduce Diana Webber to our "Customer Hall of Fame"! We have been so blessed by the overwhelming feedback from our customers on the taste of our grass-fed meat and how much the history of our farm means to them. We value every amount of feedback given. The thing is, we don't want to keep these wonderful comments to ourselves. We want to share them along with the faces they came from with everyone and thus, created the "Customer Hall of Fame".

Each month, we would like to feature one of our customers on the blog, on Facebook, or through our newsletter sharing about their BF Farms experience! This month, we have chosen Diana Webber. Here is what she has to say:

Why have you decided to choose Grass-Fed meat for you and your family?

Diana: I have always had a desire to know where my food comes from. "Grass-fed" is the beginning, but purely grass-fed, as BF Farms provides, is icing on the cake. I prefer my food not to be mass produce, and BF Farms promises to never mass produce their meat.
 

What is your favorite meal to make with BF Farms' Grass-Fed meat?

Diana: I have two favorites, it would be hard to pick one over the other. The Rib-eyes I get are phenomenal. It's like eating butter!! But the BF Farms ground beef and lamb make the best chili EVER!
 

What is your favorite thing about BF Farms?

Diana: BF Farms has a dedication to providing the best meat to their clients. Their commitment to quality and care is above and beyond. The Family also makes this generational farm what it is. Everyone I have met is full of caring, curiosity and a commitment to health and happiness. These things make every dime and every bite worth it.

Thank you, Diana! Your words are much appreciated!

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.

Is All Grass-Fed Created Equal?

Is All Grass-Fed Created Equal?

Did you know that not all grass-fed meat is created equal? Marketing companies and the food industry have realized the trend to eating grass-fed beef. People want to eat healthier. People want ethically raised food. The problem is that in order to capitalize on these trends, they have mislead us with popular labels. If we don't ask the right questions, we may be deceived.

We are one of the only farms in our area that produce 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef and lamb. When I share what we do with friends and strangers around town, I often hear things like, "Oh, I've seen grass-fed meet sold at the grocery store or at the health food store!" to which I respond, "Is it also finished on grass?"

The loophole in the food industry right now is that as long as an animal has eaten grass at all in it's lifetime, it can be considered "grass-fed". It's marketing at its finest.

You see, all cattle begin by eating grass and nursing from mama until about 6-12 months. After that period of time, many farmers choose to fatten the animal on grain until it goes into processing. These animals are not 100% grass-fed. If they are sent to a feedlot, it also becomes a sanitary issue as mentioned in our previous blog, "Safe Beef".

At BF Farms we allow the animals to continue eating grass their entire life. The main difference is in the nutrition you are receiving. You eat what "Norma Jean" eats. Here are the health benefits to 100% grass-fed beef and lamb vs an animal finished on grain:

• Higher levels of Omega 3s - an essential fatty acid that reduces inflammation and lowers cholesterol
• Higher levels of CLA - a fatty acid that improves brain function and reduces the risk of cancer
• Higher levels of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A and E
• Lower levels of Omega 6s - a fatty acid that causes inflammation and raises cholesterol
• Lower levels of cholesterol elevating saturated fatty acids
• Lower levels of overall fat content

There is a difference and we want you to benefit from a 100% grass-fed animal and all of the nutrition it brings! We work hard so that our animals receive a grass-fed diet year round. We work hard so that we can be proud of that "grass-fed" label. So next time you're at the grocery store, health food market, or farmer's market, ask the important question: "Is it also grass finished?"

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.