​Thin slices of beef are stir-fried with green onions and coleslaw mix then tossed with chewy rice noodles and an irresistible Mongolian sauce; balanced between salty and sweet.

​Servings: 4

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This is an authentic dish. Warning: this recipe is not for the food queasy. If that's you, you might want to just skip this one, or instead check out some of The North Coast Ranch grass-fed ground beef recipes. 

What? You're still here? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you.  

Here's the deal with tongue. Yup, I said it.  BEEF TONGUE!

Prepared correctly, it is melt-in-your-mouth tender (from slow braising) and flavorful (because it's a muscle that got a lot of exercise). 

If you chop it up enough the texture isn't an issue. Its home of homes is truly in a taco. 

The way you know you are at an authentic taqueria is that there are "tacos de lengua" (tongue tacos) on the menu.  

​Serves 18-24

"Wow. a burger with bacon. Big deal."

BY GOLLY! THIS HAS CANDIED BACON!! A real game changer!

Rather than just throwing on some overly crispy or under cooked and chewy bacon on top of a burger for the sake of having it there.

Candying your bacon...on the grill...gives the bacon a smoky and sweet taste that is truly unbelievable.

As far as the burger goes, it is a little more labor-intensive. But the extra effort has a huge payoff! All the components can be made simultaneously, so while it might be a busy 20 to 25 minutes, it’s definitely doable. 

​Serves: 2

Hobo Dinner – Hamburger Foil Packets

These easy Hobo Dinners are a foil-packet meal you can make on the grill, in the oven or on the campfire!




This dinner is easy to prep and even easier to clean up. Just in case your campfire skills betray you, an oven and a grill come in handy.
 
Your family will love that everyone can customize dinner to their own tastes. Kids will love helping prep their own packets and adults can choose their favorite vegetables and seasonings to include. 

​Serves: 4

​Perfectly seasoned grilled steak, homemade blue cheese dressing AND croutons, plus red onion, avocado, and tomatoes take this black n’ blue grilled steak salad to a whole new level of deliciousness. Servings: 4

Homemade Philly cheesesteaks are easy, delicious and versatile. You can cook them up for an after-school snack, for a game day party or for a quick weeknight meal. This one kicks it up a level though with higher end ribeye steak...soooo, maybe it's not for after school but more for a great meal after a round of golf or a busy morning with the kids, no?

Servings: 2

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It's the unofficial start to summer....at least in the Northern climates of the U.S. How about a two-fer?  Two recipes in one blog post.

#1 - Coffee-Rubbed Hanger Steak with Smokey Vanilla Tomato Relish. The showstopper.

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#2 - ​Steak Skewers with Chimichurri

A perfect recipe for summer cookouts. Easy, fresh and full of flavor. Yumm!

 
These fall off the bone Caramelized Root Beer Short Ribs are cooked in delicious root beer glaze that caramelizes the meat. 

Sounds like a super Sunday meal.  ​Serves: 4

This recipe is part of a series on how to cook grass-fed beef recipes from our recipe book:
Cooking Your Way Thru a 1/2 Beef  
52 Recipes That Use Every Cut of Beef

• 3 pounds boneless short ribs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• TBSP bacon fat (you can use oil)
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• large carrot, chopped
• ribs of celery, chopped
• garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 ½ cups root beer, divided
• 1 cup beef broth
• Salt and pepper

​

1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
2. Dry the short ribs with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Coat in flour, shaking off excess. 
4. Heat bacon fat in a large Dutch oven over high heat.
5. Brown the short ribs on all sides. Remove short ribs to a plate.
6. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the bacon fat, you might need to add a little more and reduce heat to medium-high.
7. Sautee for about 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent.
8. Add wine and deglaze the pot.
9. Then add 1 ½ cups root beer and the beef broth. Bring to a boil.
10. Add short ribs and add the cover to the pot.
11. Place the pot to the preheated oven and cook short ribs for 3 ½-4 hours, or until meat is very tender. Substitute slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low.
12. Remove pot from the oven.
13. Remove one cup of the cooking liquid, skimming the fat off the top and place in a small saucepan. Add the remaining ½ cup of root beer.
14. Boil the root beer mixture on high to reduce by one half.
15. Serve on top of mashed potatoes and pour a little sauce over both the meat and the potatoes.

Did you give this recipe a try?  How did it go? Any changes or adaptations?

Cheers!
​Jim

Today, we begin with a series of how to cook grass-fed beef recipes from our recipe book, Cooking Your Way Thru a 1/2 Beef. 52 Recipes That Use Every Cut of Beef. 

A substantial part of a side of beef will be turned into ground beef. Ground beef is a great affordable choice for families, and luckily there are many ways to use it!  Included will be familiar favorites like meatloaf and burgers and more unusual recipes like Hobo Dinners and Taco Cones.

Loaded with veggies and covered in melted cheese, this Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet is a hearty one pan meal the whole family will love!  Your favorite meals for this time of year can be simple and fuss free, but hearty enough to satisfy on cooler nights. While summertime is for burgers, cooking beef much more in the fall and winter is common. 

Servings: 6
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​​This awesome dish takes a total of 3 and 1/2 hours to cook. Wait… Don’t leave just yet!

Good news. The only real labor involved is slicing the onions and potatoes. Anyone can do that, right?


​After that small task is done, the oven does the rest of the work.

Feel free to kick your feet up, do the laundry or pop open another Guinness for your enjoyment.

A good change for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

Serves: 4 

The best way to cook filet mignon is a combination of pan searing first in a cast iron pan, then transferring to the oven to finish — and it’s much easier than you’d think. Cooked correctly, beef filet mignon tastes like the most tender steak you’ve ever had. It has a mild flavor, minimal marbling, and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Servings: 4
​

• 4 8-oz Filet mignon steaks (at room temperature)
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter (softened, divided)
• 1/2 tbsp Fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tbsp Fresh thyme
• 1 clove Garlic (minced)
• 2 tsp Sea salt
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper

​

1. Remove your filet mignon from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. (This will ensure even cooking.)
2. Mash together half of the butter (1 tablespoon, 14 g), rosemary, thyme, and garlic. (Sprinkle in a little sea salt if using unsalted butter.) Form into a log and refrigerate until the last step.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
4. Trim any connective tissue around the edges of the steaks. Pat dry with paper towels.
5. Season filet mignon liberally with sea salt and black pepper on all sides.
6. Heat the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, until the skillet is very hot. Melt the remaining butter (1 tablespoon, 14 g) in the skillet.
7. Add the steaks. Sear for 2 minutes on each side, without moving them around.
8. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Cook filet mignon in the oven to desired level of doneness. (I recommend medium rare.)

For a 2-inch (5 cm) thick filet, that is 5 minutes for rare, 6 minutes for medium rare, 7 minutes for medium, or 8 minutes for medium well. Use a meat thermometer to check for the right temperature – 120 degrees F (52 degrees C) for rare, 130 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium rare, 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for medium, and 155 degrees F (68 degrees C) for medium well. The temperature will rise by another 5 degrees F while resting (see next step).

9. Remove the steaks from the oven and transfer to a plate. Top each with 1/2 tablespoon (7 g) of herb butter (slice the log of herb butter into four parts and put one on each steak). Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving and slicing.

Bon Apetit!

- Jim

​We like to gather all the ingredients together the night before, then, on a Saturday morning before we all head out for the day's activities, we get this going in the slow cooker and when we get back...Boom! A warm, delicious, nutrient-dense, healthy meal for your family. Here's what else you'll love:
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• Hands Off Cooking Method
• Classic Seasonings
• Melt-In-Your-Mouth Tender

While rump roast gets a bad rap sometimes as a tough cut of meat, it can cook up as tender as short ribs. Cooked low and slow -- the right way -- this inexpensive cut of meat can melt into a flavorful, tender roast the whole family will love.

​​Rump roast can easily be cooked unattended in a slow cooker. It’s a good choice when you want to make pot roast and leftovers are perfect for hot sandwiches with gravy or BBQ sauce.

THREE EASY STEPS

1. Pat dry and season it all over
2. Sear it in a pot or pan on all sides.
3. Cook it on low and slow until it's falling apart.

Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice for an easy company-worthy dish that comes together in about an hour.

​Beef Stroganoff is a popular Russian dish of small pieces of beef fillet sautéed in sour cream sauce together with onions and mushrooms. The dish was named after Count Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff, who lived in the late 19th century in Odessa. There're two versions of the dish's origin.

Beef Stroganoff is, in essence, the classic French fricassée de boeuf with the addition of equally classic Russian ingredients: onions and sour cream.

-- READ MORE --

​Get ready for a delicious treat with these Slow Cooker Balsamic Short Ribs!

Imagine juicy, fall-apart tender ribs bathing in a tangy-sweet balsamic sauce. This recipe's all about easy prep and big flavors.


Just toss the ribs, balsamic vinegar, herbs and a touch of sweetness into the slow cooker, then let it work its magic while you kick back. The aroma that fills your kitchen will have your mouth watering in no time. Serve these flavorful ribs over mashed potatoes, rice or your favorite veggies for a meal that's both comforting and seriously satisfying. It's a hassle-free way to enjoy gourmet-tasting ribs without breaking a sweat in the kitchen.

​-- READ MORE --
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Your family will love it….did you hear me? Love it!

Explore the fun in crafting a delectable meatloaf directly in your trusty slow cooker. Homemade meatloaf is a timeless comfort food. This slow cooker recipe adds an extra layer of coziness with a fusion of Mexican spices blended in the mix.  Ole’!

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prep, 5 hours in the slow cooker and serves about eight. 


​This would be perfect for a late Saturday morning prep, put in the crock pot and have an early dinner after getting back from trekking the kids all over town to and from games, practice, shopping, while watching the big game...or for any reason!

​-- READ MORE --

Is Oxtail Soup Really Made of Oxtails?
Darn close! ​​First things first, let's clear up the name. Oxtail Soup, once derived from the tail of an ox, now typically hails from our bovine friends. So, it's all about beef these days, and the taste? Well, it's often likened to succulent short ribs. These bony, fatty cuts are tailor-made for a good, slow braise. Because oxtail meat is inherently gelatinous, the broth it yields is nothing short of rich and velvety.

-- READ MORE --
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When that smell's in the air, you can bet it’s even better with a few good friends, a cold beer in the hand (with a few more in the cooler) and some tasty, charred grub on the way. That smell makes most people wish summer could stick around forever.

But alas, when Labor Day rolls around the days start getting shorter, the regular get-togethers ease up and the good times of summer start feeling like they're slipping away…and maybe they are. But don't worry, there's still time for a few more outdoor cookouts with fire, lots of grub and your friends and family.
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For the 2023 “last hurrah” on the grill let’s add a touch of spice to your flat iron steak or top sirloin steaks.  The kicker in this recipe is the chimichurri, which is originally from Argentina and Uruguayan cuisine. Basically, it’s an uncooked sauce used as an ingredient or as a table condiment for any grilled meat (pork, chicken, poultry, fish, beef) and in this case, grass-fed steak. 

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Skewer your beef with colorful veggies, marinate for up to eight hours and then grill it or cook it over a campfire. Either way, you've got yourself a healthy and yummy summer meal. This recipe is another easy weeknight dinner option. Made with lots of colorful, fresh veggies and tender juicy steak, it’s a meal your family will love.

Note: Tri-tip is either sold as a small roast (the entire triangular cut from the tip of the sirloin), or it's sliced into tri-tip steaks. You can also use sirloin. flat iron or strip steak. 

-- READ MORE --

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​Summer is the perfect time for grilling, and there's nothing better than a juicy steak taco on a hot day. This recipe for grass-fed beef sirloin tacos is simple to make and packed with flavor. The steak is marinated in a blend of lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and spices, which gives it a bright and zesty flavor. The tacos are then topped with your favorite toppings, such as guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

​-- READ MORE --