Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat [Hardcover]

Deborah Krasner (Author), Marcus Nilsson (Photographer), Senator Bernie Sanders (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010

Good Meat is a comprehensive guide to sourcing and enjoying sustainable meat. With the rising popularity of the locavore and organic food movements—and the terms “grass fed” and “free range” commonly seen on menus and in grocery stores—people across the country are turning their attention to where their meat comes from. Whether for environmental reasons, health benefits, or the astounding difference in taste, consumers want to know that their meat was raised well.

 

With more than 200 recipes for pork, beef, lamb, poultry, and game, stunning photos of delicious dishes, and tips on raising sustainable meat and buying from local farmers, Good Meat is sure to become the classic cooking resource of the sustainable meat movement. 

Praise for Good Meat:

"Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat belongs on the shelf of every carnivore out there. If you eat meat and if you raise animals for meat or if you have ever considered eating meat or eggs, you need a copy of Deborah Krasner's work of art. The thoughtful essays, equipment and seasonings chapters alone are worth the price of admission, but the anatomy lessons, cutting instructions and more than 200 recipes make the book a rare bargain indeed."
 -Grit.com

“Deborah Krasner is part of a revolution in food, in agriculture, in nutrition, that is taking place in our nation. Her book is a fine contribution to that revolution, teaching us how to eat more healthfully, how to buy from local farmers, how to cook what they raise.” —Senator Bernie Sanders, from the foreword

“The healing local food movement's success hinges on artisanal farming and domestic culinary arts. Good Meat takes the mystery out of both in a masterful way, bringing all of us another giant step closer to healing the planet one bite at a time. Beautiful pictures and delightful explanations . . . Everyone interested in local, earth-friendly food will love this book." —Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm

"Good Meat is a template for all future cookbooks: one that educates on the culinary differences between factory-farmed meats and animals raised on family farms, and the utilization of the entire animal in a sustainable manner." —Patrick Martins, founder of Slow Food USA, Heritage Foods USA 

"Good Meat is the cookbook for all who have made the choice to eschew factory-farmed meat for grass-fed and pasture-raised meat. This book provides the knowledge to make sustainably raised meat a reality at your table." —Bruce Aidells, author of The Complete Meat Cookbook 

"If you want to cook delicious meals from humanely raised meat, Good Meat is for you. It offers superb recipes designed for grass-fed meat, and provides cooks with the first useful guide to ordering direct from the farm. This book makes you feel good about the meat you eat." —Paula Wolfert, author of Clay Pot Cooking

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deborah Krasner is a writer and food professional living in Vermont. She hosts culinary vacations in Italy and Vermont, which have been featured in GQ, Bon Appétit, and the Boston Globe. Krasner won a James Beard Award in 2003 for her cookbook The Flavors of Olive Oil. She appears regularly on NPR’s The Splendid Table and contributes to Bon Appétit and Real Simple, among other publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584798637
• ISBN-13: 978-1584798637
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 1.5 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Meat, Poultry & Seafood > Meats

More About the Author

My newest book GOOD MEAT comes directly out of the life I lead in rural Vermont. I live in a converted barn on a dirt road with my husband, two cats and a dog. Until very recently we also cared for a dozen laying hens, a couple of Icelandic sheep, and a mixed flock of meat birds including ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl and chickens. All of them are pictured in the book, which was photographed in and around my home.

GOOD MEAT is about finding and cooking grass-fed and pastured meat. Such meat is the opposite of industrial meat -- it is sustainable because it nourishes the earth, is in balance with the land's ability to absorb nutrients and support grazing animals, and supports diverse ecosystems. Grass-fed and pastured meat is increasingly shown to be better for human health, both in terms of nutrients and in terms of fat content. While it's lower in fat than industrial meat, what fat there is turns out to be "good" fat. However, leaner meat can be tricky to cook well, so GOOD MEAT is devoted to showing cooks how to cook it to advantage, using every part of the animal from nose to tail.

In addition, GOOD MEAT is designed to support those who may want to buy their meat directly from farmers in whole, half or quarter animal quantities. Such frozen meat is substantially less expensive than buying grass-fed and pastured meat by the piece fresh at retail, but requires that a consumer fill out a cut sheet detailing how they want their meat cut and packaged. With the help of butcher Adam Tiberio, GOOD MEAT offers a "decision tree" for each animal, showing how to choose the best cuts for you and your cooking style. The book is organized by animal, by primal and sub-primal, and by retail cuts, so that anyone can find a recipe for any part, including offal, fat and odd bits.

Each of my books have been an investigation, detailing the process of my own understanding. From a feminist re-vision of kitchen design to olive oil, I love figuring out what about accepted wisdom makes sense, and what can be replaced with a more logical or sensible perspective. While GOOD MEAT is the most personal book I've written, it is also very much in line with my six previous books on design and food. I loved every minute I worked on it!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious Meat! September 29, 2010

By cookbookworm

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When my roommate decided to buy a side of grass-fed beef from a co-worker 10 years ago, she came home with a single sheet of paper in her hand.
"What is it?" I asked, holding the sparsely typed page gingerly, noting where we were to indicate our preference for steaks or roasts or ground beef.
"The farmer says it's a cut sheet." she shrugged, "I guess we fill it out." She pulled down the old Joy of Cooking from above the fridge, saying, "This book has some diagrams in it, maybe it will help."
We struggled with the cut sheet for a few hours before coming to any decisions. We also bought a second-hand freezer as well, because we thought it might be a good idea to have some extra room for all of that beef. It was a very good idea. We didn't know what we were doing, but after tasting the quality of the grass-fed meat, we were hooked.
Ten years of buying sides and shares of beef and lamb, CSA shares of pork and whole chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks have passed since then. I'm married now, with a growing family to feed, a second freezer and yet I still struggle with filling out a cut sheet.
Thrilled I am, indeed, to find Deborah Krasner's recent book, "Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat". In this book, what was perennially intimidating has been laid out for me, in one book, clearly and with lots of diagrams - just the way I like it.
Ms. Krasner has organized her book into sections dealing with each animal, how to source them, what cuts come from which primal, how to ask for what you want, and how to cook the cuts you get to the best advantage. Diagrams, color photos and clear instructions lead each chapter, even before the recipes begin.
The recipes I tried were delicious. My husband said of the Sirloin Steak with Red Wine, "This tastes like something you'd get in a restaurant!" What home cook doesn't secretly want to hear that! For lamb, I loved the Merguez Sausages, saving half the recipe for the freezer to put into a cassoulet later. Black Bean Soup with Smoked Hocks and Sherry introduced me to this wonderful cut. As a result, I'll always have some on hand in my freezer.
From the Poultry section, our favorite has become the Roasted Cardamom, Oregano and Garlic Chicken Thighs. So aromatic, I think there is nothing more lovely than the smell of this chicken floating through the house.
For those who do not eat meat, Ms. Krasner has also included a large section on eggs and other side dishes, among which the Vermont Cheddar Souffle and the Clementine, Fennel and Olive Salad are standouts.
Even beyond the increasingly important issues of grass-fed vs. commercial meat: nutritional, environmental, good animal-husbandry, etc., the book reminds those among us who eat meat to look with honesty and clarity at where our meat comes from. She gives us the tools to access this world without too much stress. I know this for sure, thanks to "Good Meat", I'll never be anxious about filling out a cut sheet again.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 lbs of amazing information March 9, 2011

By Danna Seevers

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Whether you're already consuming sustainable meats like grass-fed beef, or you're heading in that direction, it's important to understand that meat raised on grass cannot always be prepared in the same way as conventional meat. Grass-fed beef is much leaner so there is little to insulate it from the heat source, making it important to cook with lower temperatures. Also because of the lack of insulation, the meat will cook about 30-50% faster! I'm embarrassed to admit how many grass-fed roasts and steaks I've ruined because I didn't know how to properly cook them!

As someone who knew very little about cooking until 10 years ago, I tend to depend a lot on cookbooks (truth be told, I'm a "cookbook junkie") for guidance and instruction. That's why I am so thrilled about a new cookbook designed specifically for sustainably raised meats. This is not just a 400 page cook book with over 200 recipes (weighing in at 5 pounds)! It's a complete educational resource. My favorite part is the section on "Cow Anatomy" where she breaks down where each cut of meat comes from and how to communicate a cutting order to the butcher. When I first started buying meat directly from the farmer, nothing was more intimidating than getting that call to say "Your beef is ready, time to get your cutting order to the butcher!" Yikes! I had no clue what was I doing.

Krasner's cookbook not only does this for beef, but offers the same great information on lamb, pork, rabbit and poultry! If you're like I was and the only thing stopping you from buying a whole side of beef, pork or lamb is not understanding how to find it and order it, this is for you. The book is packed with beautiful full-color photographs, thorough explanations of cooking techniques and, for those of you blessed with a little acreage, she even discusses the economics of raising meat in your own backyard.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Meat for Great Cooking! August 22, 2010

By Deborah A. Vargo

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Full disclosure: I know Deborah from having spent one amazing Autumn week at her cooking school in Vermont. From the terrific food we made then, I knew this book would be amazing. It is. The Salt-Seared Burger with Red Wine Reduction Sauce provides a new way to really amplify burgers. Pig Candy has become a family and friend favorite, creating a smile before even tasting! Deborah's thoughtful writing brings you very close to the animal -- from living being to the meal on your plate. I am delighted to see a huge range of recipes, from beef to lamb, rabbit, pig and poultry. The two that are tempting me next are: Marinated Lamb Shanks with Pomegranate Molasses, Tomatoes and Fresh Mint and Char Siu Bao, tiny pork stuffed buns. That picture alone just make my mouth water! Also included are many recipes for homemade spice blends. We used some of these at the school and we smelled all of them while perusing the spice drawer at Deborah's!