An Author with an Agenda
As I said Shannon Hayes owns and operates a ranch (listed in this book as a farm) that produces all natural, grassfed beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. Consider this the old fashioned way of raising animals as opposed to our modern agribuisness. Drawing upon her years of experience and education, Shannon produces for us a cookbook that helps interested parties grill and smoke these special meats.Long ago cattle, sheep and pigs were left to wander grass filled fields to feed and grow. As the demand for meats increased with the worlds population industrialized farming was developed. Animals were loaded into warehouses to live out there lives in inactivity and feed grains, antibiotics, growth hormones and other unnatural things. Meat because a factory product valued not for its quality but more for its uniformity. Time and again science has told us that naturally raised, free range, grassfed animals produce healthier meats that have a uniquely "real" flavor. Of course these meats tend to be harder to find and typically much more expensive.
Shannon Hayes, in this book, goes to great lengths to drive these (and other) points across. Repeatedly through the book, both in the introductory chapter and then in tips and articles throughout the book, Shannon Hayes painstakingly points out that grassfed meat is a universal medicine while industrial meat is the root of all evil. This sounds like an exaggeration, but it really isn't. I wouldn't want to offend anyone, but Shannon's bread and butter is dependent on people believing these facts. It comes off as a self serving message.
The Basics of Grassfed Grilling or Grilling Green Down on the Ranch
The basic premise of this book is that grassfed meat needs to be grilled (or smoked) differently from your regular, mass market meats. This hinges on three ideas. One is that grassfed meat is cleaner and doesn't need to be cook to as high a temperature as the bacteria ladened meats from the factories. Secondly, grassfed meat tends to be leaner and can dry out so it shouldn't be cooked as long as "regular" meat. And thirdly, grassfed meat varies from producer to producer, season to season and field to field. This meas that it needs to be watched closer.The recipes in this book are supposed to take these factors into account. We are told that every recipe has been tested on grassfed meats and modified accordingly. The problem is that few of these recipes actually deviate from "normal" recipes. Most take the American Cancer Societies recommendations of limiting direct cooking times and keeping temperatures relatively low. The truth is that I find most all of these recipe pretty typical. After all, the basic advice here is watch what you are grilling, don't cook it too hot or for too long. Sound advice regardless of what you are cooking. The truth is there is more variability in grills that there is in the source of the meat you cook on it.
What you do get here is a great deal of practical information on grilling "Green". If you are interested in reducing the pollution you produce from your grill (gas or charcoal) there is some good information here, though little of it is new or unique.
The Bright Lights of Argentina
From the standpoint of the recipes and the cooking information, the sections pertaining to Argentinian cooking are very good. Shannon Hayes spent a good deal of time traveling to research this book. Three months in France and some time in Argentina helped her form many of the recipes and cooking techniques used in this book (or were good excuses for a few months vacation).In recounting the methods of Argentinian cooks, Shannon gives some real value to this book. This wonderful cooking tradition is given enough space and recipes to introduce the reader to some really great food, regardless of whether you buy grassfed meats or not.
Is it Worth the Trip to the Farmer's Market
You can not deny that Shannon Hayes knows what she is talking about. Two PhD's and a life time on the farm have given her a great deal of insight and knowledge. It is the basic information on meats that this book really shines through. Not to say that this book is a definitive source of information but the information that is presented is valuable and put forth in a easily digestible form.If you are of a mind to take up outdoor cooking with grassfed meat and are conscious of your environmental impact then this is a book you might want to pick up. If you are looking for a great grilling cookbook you might want to look somewhere else.
