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Remember the days of naturally
great tasting beef? When you knew the steak was
guaranteed to come off the grill fork tender and
bursting with flavor? At Charlton Orchards, we never
forgot the secret to that great taste. My parents, Nate
and Patty, raised Hereford Cattle for over 30 years on
our big farm in Connecticut, as part of the total farm
diversity. My daughters now continue that tradition,
with their Hereford and Simmental Cattle Herd.
Great tasting beef comes from
great cattle. Our Farm Fresh Natural
Beef has none
of the artificial ingredients, tenderizers or added
water you will find on the labels of super-store beef.
Our Cattle are pastured all summer and fed dried hay all
winter. We never us “steroids”, growth hormones, or try
to "enhanced" our beef in any way. Our beef is
healthy, safe, and tastes great because we use sound,
proven practices in raising and caring for our
animals. Our beef is minimally processed and contains no
additives, which means no artificial flavors, colors or
preservatives. There's no beef safer. Our beef is the
beef of great dinners and backyard grilling.
Our Cattle
Here at Charlton
Orchards Farm, we believe in providing safe and
nutritious beef, and believe that buying beef should not
be a scary experience. Because of that, we raise our
cattle with the care and consideration that only a true
farmer embraces. We support the judicious use of
vaccines and antibiotics, only, to maintain good animal
health.
Farm Pasture
Raised Beef Facts
Grass-fed
beef has more beta-carotene, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty
acids than beef produced using conventional
cattle-feeding strategies, according to a research
review conducted by University of California Cooperative
Extension and California State University, Chico. Many
of us think of "corn-fed" beef as nutritionally
superior, but it is not. A corn-fed cow does develop
well-marbled flesh, but this is simply saturated fat
that cannot be trimmed off. Grass-fed meat, on the other
hand, is lower both in overall fat and in
artery-clogging saturated fat. A sirloin steak from a
grain-fed feedlot steer has more than double the total
fat of a similar cut from a grass-fed steer.
Cattle's
diet also significantly alters the fatty acid
composition of their meat. Cattle fed primarily grass
have 60 percent more omega-3 fatty acids and a more
favorable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Omega-3 fatty acids
reduce inflammation and help prevent heart disease and
arthritis. Omega-6 promotes inflammation, blood clotting
and tumor growth. Because the two substances work
together to promote good health, it is important to
maintain a proper balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty
acids. The essential fatty acids are also highly
concentrated in the brain and appear to be particularly
important for cognitive and behavioral function.
Why
buy our beef?
It
is the commercial meat industry's practice of keeping
cattle in feedlots and feeding them extensive grain,
high in animal protein, which is responsible for the
heightened prevalence of dangerous E. coli. When cattle
are extensively grain fed, their intestinal tracts
become far more acidic, which favors the growth of
pathogenic E. coli bacteria, which in turn can cause
illness in people who eat undercooked hamburger. Our
beef cattle are only fed small amount of pasture grain,
free from any animal proteins and only to insure they
receive all of their required vitamins and minerals, for
full nutrition.
Local beef
also has many environmental
advantages. In addition to consuming less energy, local
grass-fed beef has another environmental advantage - it
is far less polluting. The cattle's waste drops onto
the land, becoming nutrients for the next cycle of
pasture grass. In feedlots and other forms of factory
farming, the animals' waste builds up in
enormous quantities, and if not handled properly, it can
become a source of water and air pollution.
From a humanitarian perspective, there is yet another
advantage to pastured cattle. Our cattle are not forced
to live in confinement. The cruelties of modern factory
farming can be so severe that you do not have to be a
vegetarian or an animal rights activist to find the
conditions to be intolerable, and a violation of the
human-animal bond. Pastured livestock are not forced to
endure the miseries of factory farming. They are not
cooped up in areas barely larger than their own bodies,
or packed together like sardines for months on end,
standing knee deep in their own manure.
 Beef
Cuts
The summer time grilling
season is the most wonderful time of the year for steak
lovers. Traditional cuts
like
T-bones, Ribeyes, New York Strips, and other
mouthwatering steaks,
are
favorites for good reason: all offer rich beef flavor,
are satisfying bite after
bite and
the aroma of meat on the grill. Beef is also a
nutrient-dense
nutritional powerhouse, packing high
levels of protein, iron, zinc, and
other essentials into every bite.
Beef Basics
Did you know that beef
is divided into sections called primal cuts? From these
large areas, the meat cutter makes smaller portions
suitable for individual or family-sized packaging. Different cuts of beef require unique cooking methods. A
chuck, for example, makes an excellent roast but is not
as pleasing when pan-broiled.
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A Guide To Beef
Cuts with Steak and Roast Names |
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1. Chuck
Meat is muscle, and the chuck happens to be a
heavily exercised area. Luckily, this area contains a
great deal of connective tissue, including collagen.
Collagen melts during cooking, making the meat intensely
flavorful. Cuts from this area benefit from slow, wet
cooking methods like stewing, braising or pot-roasting.
Blade Roast—an inexpensive cut which lies
next to the ribs; more tender than most chuck; makes an
excellent roast. Alternatively, the roast can be cut
into a ribeye steak, with meat above and below the bone
excellent for stir-fry dishes
Chuck Steak—a good choice for kabobs if well
marinated
2.
Rib
Tender and flavorful ribs can be cooked any number of
ways. Most recipes call for ribs to be roasted, sautéed,
pan-fried, broiled, or grilled.
Rib Roast—known as a standing rib roast
(bone left in), or without the bone for convenient
slicing. Excellent when dry roasted. A seven-bone prime
rib roast can be quite a hefty addition to the dinner
table. It is great for a crowd, but for a small family a
bone roast will do. Many butchers will cut a roast to
order for you
Rib Steak—also cut from the rib section,
these tender steaks can be purchased bone-in or as
boneless ribeye
3. Short Loin
This area boasts extremely tender cuts and can be
prepared without the aid of moist heat or long cooking
times. Cuts from the short loin may be sautéed, pan
fried, broiled, pan broiled or grilled.
Porterhouse Steak—a very popular steak cut
from the rear end of the short loin; the name originated
from the days when it was served in public alehouses
that also served a dark beer called porter. The
porterhouse consists of both tenderloin and strip steak.
The tenderloin is often served separately as filet
mignon
T-bone steak—cut from the middle section of
the short loin; similar to the porterhouse steak; has a
smaller piece of the tenderloin; usually grilled or
pan-fried
Tenderloin—often considered the tenderest
cut of beef; responds well to sauces, meaning the meat
does not overpower the flavor of the sauce. It can be
cut as the whole strip, or into individual steaks for
filet mignon
4. Sirloin
"The backbone's connected to the hipbone"—not a song,
but a sirloin. These tender cuts respond well to
sautéing, pan-frying, broiling, pan-broiling or
grilling.
Sirloin Steaks—these steaks are available in
a variety of boneless and bone-in steaks
Sirloin Tip Roast—excellent when dry roasted
or marinated
5. Round
The round consists of lean meat well suited to long,
moist cooking methods.
Top Round—this is the tenderest part of the
round; it can be prepared as pot roast or cut into thick
steaks for braised dishes
Rump Roast—a very popular cut for pot roast,
but can also be roasted at low temperatures
6 &7. Shank/Brisket
Traditionally used for corned beef, brisket is best
prepared with moist heat. Suitable preparation methods
include stewing, braising and pot-roasting.
Foreshank—excellent stew meat
Brisket First Cut—a leaner cut of the
brisket, for those who want the flavor but not the fat
of a brisket pot roast
Brisket Front Cut—fork tender and succulent,
a pot roast made with this cut is truly mouthwatering
8. Plate
This section is best used for stew meat, where its rich,
beefy flavor can be appreciated.
9. Flank
This meat is lean, muscular and very flavorful. Flank is
primarily used for flank steaks and rolled flank steaks.
It can also be used for kabobs.
Flank Steak—this steak has a great flavor,
and should be sliced thin against the grain for maximum
chew ability. Use to make the classic London broil
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