When to Choose Grass-Fed or Grain-Fed Beef

Let’s start with the basics .. What do “Grain-Fed” and “Grass-Fed” mean?

“Grain-Fed” cattle are placed in feedlots for the last 3 to 6 months before slaughter and fattened on a diet of grains (usually soy and corn based). They may also be called "grain-finished," since prior to being sent to feedlots, the cows existed on a grass or pasture diet. Since the 1950's, the vast majority of cattle raised for beef in the United States have been fattened this way. Grains are higher in protein and starch, which not only helps the cow fatten faster, but makes the beef richer and fattier.

"Grass-fed" or "100 percent grass-fed" comes from cows that have eaten a grass or pasture diet for their entire lives. In order to use the label, producers must provide documentation to the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), detailing the accuracy of their claims. (Note: The label "grass fed" does not necessarily mean the animals foraged outdoors for most of their lives; grazed on organic grass; or that antibiotics or hormones were omitted from the feed.)

When considering the choice between grass-fed and grain-fed beef, the majority of home cooks know the basic differences: Grass-fed beef is generally more environmentally sustainable and a little leaner, while grain-fed beef’s higher fat content is often said to enrich its flavor.

With pros and cons to each, it’s time to ask a few questions:

Which is the healthiest beef? There are lots of ways to define “healthy,” but grass-fed beef is leaner than grain-fed, and it’s also higher in certain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. Grass-fed beef also contains twice the amount of conjugated linoleic acid isomers, a small family of fatty acids that purportedly fight cancer and lower the risk of diabetes. So there’s a clear winner in this category.

Which is the easiest beef to cook? Grass-fed beef cooks faster than grain-fed beef, thanks to its leaner constitution—though the differences in cooking times, when compared by ATK’s test cooks, were never more than 4 minutes. It’s safe to say that in this category, it’s a tie.

Which is the best-tasting beef? It may seem obvious that grain-fed beef would be the winner in this category, earning a reputation for richness because of its higher fat content. However, ATK test cooks conducted an experiment in which they compared grass- and grain-fed strip steaks and rib-eye steaks to see if taste testers could tell the difference. “Interestingly, preferences were evenly split as to which option is better,” they concluded.

The Takeaway: it simply comes down to preference: Tasters in the experiment could hardly differentiate between the two cuts of strip steaks, but they did notice differences in the rib eyes, noting that the grain-fed beef had a “mild” flavor, while the grass-fed steaks had more complex, “nutty” undertones. When it came to texture, the grain-fed was generally considered juicier and the grass-fed somewhat chewier.