Dexter Beef - A Grass Fed Delight

Our friend, Elizabeth Bailey, introduced us to Dexter cattle and offered us a chance to purchase and process a cow who just didn't seem to be able to conceive. She was probably at least four, but could have been older. For the last two years, this cow was fed only grass. We worried that the meat might be tough since the cow was older but decided to take a chance.

The meat was aged for 14 days. We picked it up on Saturday morning. Wow. What a gorgeous bunch of meat we got not to mention an entire box of fat for rendering. The rib steaks were perfectly scrumptious.

Dexters, despite being the smallest cattle breed, produce a lot of meat. We brought home...

• 147 lbs of steak, ribs roasts, brisket, soup bones, flank steak,

• 25 lbs of beef cubes,

• 99 lbs of ground beef

• 12 lbs of heart, tongue, liver, and tail,

• Plus a huge box of fat and another two boxes of bones for broth making.

I'm so glad we now have Dexters on the farm. Dublin should calve soon and Raven will be put with a lovely, red Dexter bull this fall. We have much to learn about raising cattle, but we are certainly enjoying the process.