Grass fed beef is very lean and would benefit from some extra  seasonings added to the meat before shaping them into burgers.

1 pound of ground beef
4-6 patties depending on the size
Recipe

• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 T. canola mayonnaise or 1T. Worcestershire sauce or steak sauce
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound 93% lean grass-fed ground sirloin
  

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Add onion and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until onions are soft and caramelized, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.
2. Add the onions and garlic to the mayonnaise or Worcestershire sauce. Add the pepper and mix into the meat with your hands.
3. Form into patties, 4-6 depending on the size you want. I like to place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes until firm. They are easier to grill without falling apart.
4. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over high. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 3 minutes. Turn patties. Top each with 1 cheese slice; cook 2 minutes or to desired degree of doneness.
   

On The Grill
Prepare the grill. Cook the organic grass fed burgers over hot coals about 3-4 minutes for medium-rare, or more to desired doneness.

There are two dough options here, one requires you make the dough the day before then shape and finish the calzones. The other dough is a direct dough you make it and bake it the same day. 

Here are some recipes that use the crock pot and make great meat fillings. You don't have to use the whole roast but save 3 cups of meat for these meat pies.

Sesame Pork Roast
Savory Beef Sandwiches
Onion Pot Roast
Herb Faux-tisserie Chicken

Yields: 12 Calzones - 95g ea.
Bake: 375 degrees 5 minutes
          350 degrees 10 minutes - Total bake time 15-20 minutes

Direct Dough Recipe
642g Hard White (5 1/3 cup)
3/4 tsp. dried malt powder (you can omit if you like)
8g Salt (3/4 tsp.)
10g Yeast (3 1/2 tsp.)

Liquid
45g Cane Syrup (honey) (2 T. +1 tsp.)
408g Water (1 3/4 cup)

20g Butter (1 1/2 T.)
10g Soy Flour (1 1/2 T.)

Directions

• Develop the gluten, (mix 3 minutes) Remove from the mixer and place the dough on the counter and flatten it out.
• Soften the butter and add the soy flour to form a paste. Spread the paste onto the dough and cut the dough into pieces and add back to the mixer bowl.
• Knead until the butter mixture is incorporated into the dough. The dough will now be softer. If should only take about 2 minutes.
• Bulk proof for 30 minutes
• Shape and fill following the directions below "Prepare your Filling"
  

Another Recipe For The Dough (2 days)
This dough is made the day before you bake and placed into the fridge, but will hold for 3 days in the fridge if needed.

Equipment
Scales - When you weigh out your dough each pie will be uniform.
Tortilla Press - Not a necessity but sure makes rolling perfect circles easier.
French Tapered Rolling Pen - Rolls perfect circles.
Silicon Pastry Rolling Mat- Guide to roll perfect circles.
#12 Baking Scoop - This is 1/3 of a cup, used to portion the meat filling.

If you have nice equipment you will be a better cook and it certainly will be
more enjoyable. The holiday season is coming and many of these tools are
not expensive and make great gifts for the cooks in your life.

Dough Recipe - For Calzones or Meat Pies
Yields: 8 Calzones or Meat Pies
Oven: 350 degrees
Bake: 20-30 minutes

3 c. Hard Red or Hard White (bread flour) (340g)
2 tsp. Instant Yeast (5g)
1 1/4 tsp. Salt (9g)
2 T. Olive Oil (28g)
2 T. Honey (40g)
3/4 c. + 2 T. Water (195g)

Directions:

• The day before the bake you will put together the dough and place it     into the fridge. I can stay there for up to 3 days if needed.
• Weigh or measure out the flour, yeast and salt and mix them together.
• Combine all the liquid ingredients, the water, oil and honey in another container.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until combined.
• Place in a container with a lid and put into the fridge overnight.

Prepare Your Filling
Start with 3 cups or so of cooked meat
There are a few rules when making meat pies the first is the filling need to be dry or it will leak out. The second is don't over stuff the pies, use 1/3 cup         filling per pie. Now you can add anything you would like to the 3 cups of meat, like onions, vegetables, dried herbs. The filling needs to be well spiced because when you cover it with the bread it tends to mellow down the flavor.
So I always add more flavor than if I was just eating the meat alone.

For these I added caramelized onions and mushrooms. I also added a good amount of chili peppers. The meat I chose was the Sesame Pork Roast       which has a nice flavor. I cooked everything to make sure the mixture was     fairly dry. I could of also added cheese, when making the pies. If you choose to add grated cheese add only 1T. per pie on top of the meat mixture before you fold it over.

• Make a small hole in the top of each pie for the steam to escape.
  
• Let them raise about 20 minutes while you are pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown
• Cool and freeze for extra meals in the future.

I hope you enjoy these, they are easy to make and handy to have in the         freezer for lunches and dinners.

This is a great recipe for the crock pot when you are pressed for time during the holidays, and have a lot of mouths to feed. The recipe is from Taste of Home






Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 2 teaspoons salt ( I decreased the salt by half)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 pounds), cut in half
• 8 to 10 sandwich rolls

Directions:

1. Cut the roast in half than rub the seasonings over both pieces. Do not add any liquid to the slow cooker.
2. Combine seasonings; rub over roast. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Shred with a fork. Serve on rolls. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Additional Notes
I have found a 5-6 pound beef chuck roast works well also.

Now brisket may not be a cut of meat that you usually buy, but you can make some pretty outstanding meals with it. I recently got a brisket from Sweetwater Farms, all their beef is grass fed it was lean and wonderful.


I will share a recipe that I have used for many years. I can upon it in Houston Texas where they are known for their fabulous brisket.

Timing:
Day 1 Marinate overnight

Day 2 Bake
Oven: 275 degrees for 5 hours
           275 degrees for 1 hour with barbecue sauce
Total cooking time 6 hours

Ingredients:
6-8 pound brisket
1 large cooking bag
Garlic powder or granulated (Co-Op price)
Onion powder or granulated (Co-Op price)
Salt
Small bottle of liquid smoke (omit if you like)
Worcestershire Sauce
Bottle of favorite barbecue sauce

Directions:

• If you are buying the brisket from the grocery store it will have lots of fat on it. Leave most of the fat on the brisket, you can trim off areas where it's several inches thick. The grass fed brisket was very lean, so I did not have to do anything to it.
• Place the whole brisket into the bag and sprinkle generously with garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Add the bottle of liquid smoke to the bag. (I am sensitive to the liquid smoke so I omit it)
• Seal the bag and place into the refrigerator overnight.
• The next morning remove the marinating brisket from the refrigerator. Open the bag and sprinkle a generous amount of Worcestershire sauce over the brisket.
• Place the bag on a cookie sheet that has a rim around the edge, just in case of spills. While on the cookie sheet take a fork and poke holes in 4 places on the top of the bag to let the steam escape. Cook slowly in the oven for around 5 hours.
  
• After 5 hours open the bag and pour the bottle of barbecue sauce over the brisket and tie the bag up again and place in the oven for an addition hour.
• Let the brisket cool on the cookie sheet for easy clean up. After it's cooled remove the brisket and remove any fat that is still visible. Save the liquid. I put it into a container and refrigerate it, that way I can get all of the fat off it in a few hours or the next day.

Options:

1. I have done this recipe in my crock-pot or roster and it turned out fine. But you may have to add additional water to the pot every now and then as needed.
2. The second option is to prepare this just before you go to bed and have the oven come on in the middle of the night so it's ready for the final step when you first get up. We do this in the summer to keep the kitchen cooler during the day.

I hope you try this recipe, we make a large brisket, cut it up and freeze it. That way you can enjoy brisket sliced or on homemade buns.

This is a recipe from Taste of Home, I have modified it a bit to suit my tastes. The enchilada sauce is very good do not let the long list of ingredients scare you off. The Co-Op offers great prices on spices. This recipe mixes meat and zucchini for the filling of the enchiladas.
12 servings
Oven: 350 degrees
Bake: 30-35 minutes
Pan: 13 x 9 inch pan

Ingredients
Filling for Enchiladas

• 1 T. olive oil

• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound cooked ground beef, (diced cooked pork or chicken is fine)
• 1 medium zucchini (shredded) ...You could use canned beans instead
• 16oz (4 cups) shredded cheddar cheese (use half in filling)

Enchilada Sauce

• 2 cans (15 oz. ea)) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (14-1/2 oz ea.) diced tomatoes, undrained ... (I like the tomatoes with the green chilies in them)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 T. chili powder
• 2 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Directions for Filling

1. In a large saucepan, saute peppers and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove and cool

Directions for Sauce

1. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, chili powder, marjoram, basil, cumin, salt, cayenne and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until slightly thickened. Discard bay leaf. You can do this the day before, and refrigerate.
   

Assemble

• In a frying pan heat the sauce a few minutes until warm.
• Place one of the corn tortilla in the sauce and cover with the sauce on both sides.
• Place into the 9 x13 pan place about a tablespoon of the peppers, and onion on the tortilla. Add the meat and zucchini and cheese. Roll up the tortilla.
• Repeat this procedure until the pan is filled with the enchiladas.
• Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with the other half of the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Toppings

• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro to garnish after baking
• Sour cream, optional

This recipe is good as a side dish but you could add some chicken or beef and make this a main course. Why go out for dinner when you can cook great food at home.

Servings 4 to 6 servings




Ingredients
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T. sesame oil
1/3 c. rice or red wind vinegar
1 T. red chili flakes ( you could use less if you like)
1 T. sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. ground coriander
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. canola oil ( you can use other oils also reduce the oil if you like)
1 pound spaghetti, cooked ( I use 100% whole grain spaghetti)
1 cucumber halved and sliced into 1/8 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 bunch scallions diced
1/2 c. roasted peanuts

Directions:
In a small bowl mix the peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, chile, sugar, Dijon, coriander and soy until smooth. Then whisk in the canola oil taste it to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. In a large bowl, toss the dressing with the pasta, cucumbers, bell pepper and scallions. You could use different vegetables like celery, or carrots if you like.

Garnish with the peanuts on top.

This will keep in the fridge for a long time so you could have it for a lunch with chicken on it later in the week.

This rub works on just about any cut of beef, but is excellent on a steak or filet mignon. Marinades don't leave enough impact. A dry rub packs more flavor and give the steak a great crust when seared.




Great Prices on Herbs &Spices at the Co-Op

Rub:
2 T. ancho chile powder
2 T. finely ground coffee beans
5 tsp. dark brown sugar
1 T. hot smoked Spanish paprika
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
3/4 tsp. finely ground red pepper flakes (chili powder)
1 tsp. ground ginger

1 T. kosher salt (plus more)

2 16-oz boneless New York strip steaks (about 1 inch thick)
2 T. vegetable oil

Directions:

• Mix ancho chile powder, ground coffee, brown sugar, paprika, dried oregano, pepper, coriander, mustard, red pepper flakes, ginger and 1 tablespoon salt in a small bowl.
• Season the steaks with salt, then coat with 5 tsp.spice rub per steak. Save the extra rub mix for another date. Place on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and chill uncovered 3 - 6 hours.
• Let steaks sit 1 hour to come to room temperature, which helps them cook quicker and more evenly.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high . Cook steaks 2 minutes or son on each side to create a nice crust.
• Transfer skillet to oven, cook steaks until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 120 degrees for medium-rare, about 5 minutes. Transfer steaks to a cutting board, and let rest  10 minutes slice 1/2 inch thick slices.

Recipe
Bon Appetite

Partially freeze the flank steak for about half an hour to make it easier to slice thinly. This recipe comes from Bon Appetit magazine dated January 1997.

Servings 6
Ingredients:
16 oz pasta of your choice. Rice noodles are good with this dish.
1 T. vegetable oil
4 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T. minced garlic
1 cup thinly sliced peeled carrots
8 oz. flank stake, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise, then cut again into 1/2 inch strips
1/2 cup + 2 T. low sodium soy sauce
(have used beef stock and soy combination to further the salt reduction)
3/4 tsp. curry powder
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 -1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 c. sliced green onions

Directions:

• Prepare the pasta according to the directions, the pasta depending on the type you use will take the longest. Rice noodles are very quick and can be done at the last minute.
  
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.
• Add the ginger and the garlic, stir about 10 seconds
• Add carrots, stir 1 minute.
• Add steak, toss until it's no longer pink abut 30 seconds.
• Stir in soy ( or broth combination) add curry, cumin and red pepper.
• Add noodles to the skillet and toss until coated with the mixture and is heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle green onions over and serve.

Per serving calories 380 depending on the broth used.

There is nothing like the smell that I grew up with when my Mom made pot roast with the little packet of onion soup mix. The only problem is the amount of salt in the mix and the momosodium glutamate. I could never get the same results with other herbs I have tried.


I came across a recipe from Cooks Illustrated that is perfect  it gives you  tasty thick gravy and you make the mix so you control the salt.

(1)  4lb.. Boneless Chuck Roast...Serves 4 - 6 people
If your roast is tied, untie it and divide the roast into two halves, this will allow you to apply the spice rub not only to the exterior of the roast but to the inside for extra flavor. Then tie it back together after applying the spice rub or make two smaller roasts.

You will need an 18-inch-wide roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil for this recipe. I used a baking bag so clean up was easy.

  Spice Rub Ingredients
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder ( regular instant coffee will work)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Chuck Roast
1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
2 onions, peeled and quartered
6 small  potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
           (red potatoes hold up better when cooking)
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine rub ingredients in small bowl. Double the recipe so you don't have to make it again for the next time you make this recipe....and believe me you will make it again.
  
  
• 2. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Separate roast into 2 pieces along natural seam and trim fat to ¼-inch thickness. Tie kitchen twine around each roast at 1-inch intervals or tie back into one roast.
  
  
•  Place onions, potatoes, carrots, and bay leaves in center of foil and drizzle with soy. Set roasts on top of vegetables. Rub roasts all over with the rub. Fold opposite corners of foil toward each other and crimp edges tightly to seal. Transfer pan to oven and cook until meat is completely tender, about 4½ hours. I used an oven bag and followed the same procedure.
  
  
• 4. Remove roasts from foil pouch and place on carving board. Tent meat with foil and let rest 20 minutes. Discard onions and bay leaves. Using slotted spoon, place carrots and potatoes on serving platter. Strain contents of roasting pan through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator. Let liquid settle, then pour defatted pan juices into serving bowl.
  
  
• 5. Remove kitchen twine from roasts. Slice roasts thinly against grain and transfer to platter with vegetables. Pour ½ cup pan juices over meat. Serve with remaining pan juices.
  
  
• MAKE AHEAD Rub can be made and stored in airtight container at room temperature for 1 month.