657114 Mon Oct 05 07:35:36 -0700 2009 10 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5079710 I've been doing a lot of steak at home lately and I'm itching to try meats esp from the small, family-owned ranches and butchers that have put their goods up for online ordering. I dug around a bit and found a whole bunch of these places; I'm glad for the variety, but I had trouble finding any opinions on most of em. Anyone have any experiences to share? I'm was looking for dry-aged steak, but would like to hear about anything that was really good. == a few i found: Lobel's (www.lobels.com) is a butcher in NYC that gets rave reviews in general, though their prices are high. Tallgrass (www.tallgrassbeef.com) is a grass-fed beef ranch; their hot dog was tops in some new york magazine poll. Heart Ranch (http://www.hearstranch.com/) has deep pockets and runs an impressive-sounding operation. I hope they're good cause prices are cheap with the discount promos theyve been running (~$50 shipped for 4, 10oz new york strip steaks) Alderspring (http://www.alderspring.com/) is a really small grass-fed operation, some restaurant nearby was using it. Mon Oct 05 07:35:36 -0700 2009 62979 ozmotion 1 5079855 Don't know about your list, but make sure you don't use these guys. http://news.aol.com/article/rotting-bison-meat-in-bridgewater-south/702100 Mon Oct 05 08:35:50 -0700 2009 5079710 243273 pacheeseguy 1 5081102 Niman Ranch (www.nimanranch.com) is another relatively big outfit that's earned some good words around the net. Mon Oct 05 16:35:39 -0700 2009 5079710 62979 ozmotion 2 5141929 An interesting article on Niman Ranch.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/22/MNHM15ME01.DTL Thu Oct 29 20:00:07 -0700 2009 5081102 10737 Bobfrmia 1 5081583 The only one on your list I've ordered from is Lobel's, which does have great meat but is terribly expensive. However, my last order included a few of their minute steaks, which were not too bad price-wise, and made great steak sandwiches with onions and bell peppers! Mon Oct 05 20:13:56 -0700 2009 5079710 86402 brandygirl 1 5084032 I have ordered from the following: LOBEL - for my money has the best prime dry aged beef. It is all expensive. NIMAN RANCH - is second and has high quality and is cheaper ALLEN BROTHERS - is good, but I think most expensive The above all have prime dry aged beef. Some really good 14 oz. prime but not dry aged NY strips are available from Harris Ranch. All of them are good. Enjoy. Tue Oct 06 17:20:48 -0700 2009 5079710 12296 steakman55 1 5138320 Lava Lake Lamb is a wonderful certified organic, 100 percent grass-fed lamb producer out of Hailey Idaho that sells most of its lamb online. www.lavalakelamb.com The ranch is on a landscape-scale conservation project and all profits from sale of the lamb support habitat conservation and restoration. Site has details. Prices are competitive, but not cheap -- as you know, organic is not inexpensive, but it's worth it. The company often offers special packages and sometimes, shipping discounts. Wed Oct 28 14:29:54 -0700 2009 5079710 1119947 foodwrite 1 5138526 Niman ranch has a new website for ordering....www.mysteak.com This will take you to Buckhead Beef, which distributes it for them. Also have veal, lamb, pork, poultry, etc. Wed Oct 28 15:43:50 -0700 2009 5079710 12296 steakman55 2 5138699 I haven't liked any meat or products I've bought from Niman ranch (or Coleman), ever, but it's been a few years since I've had any. Compared to other range fed animal growers, their meat always seems dryer and less flavorful to me, especially as compared to the Oze beef from Australia I can buy locally, or Tall Grass. Can't say why, unless it's breed differences? Wed Oct 28 16:36:21 -0700 2009 5138526 133381 mcf 1 5138833 If you want to find a small family owned place look locally. Here's a link that has a directory by state: http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html I don't like buying frozen, several farms sell meats at some of our local farmers markets but only a few sell fresh, not frozen Lobel's is a butcher, not a ranch. Their natural beef is "vegetarian" fed which could mean anything and usually means corn finished My local supermarket, Fairway, stocks Tallgrass and the ground sirloin, at $4.99 lb, is pretty beefy tasting. Their beef is grass fed and grass finished Niman Ranch is grass fed and corn finished and a big operation. Wed Oct 28 17:23:32 -0700 2009 5079710 28577 Jack_ 2 5139886 Fairway also has the Oze beef I mentioned. Mine doesn't carry much of the Tallgrass meat yet, only hot dogs and ground beef, which I prefer to grind at home. I also try to avoid meat labeled only "natural" or "vegetarian" and not grass fed, since natural organic grains don't make for healthy animals or meat the way range feeding does. Thu Oct 29 07:31:18 -0700 2009 5138833 133381 mcf