Cook Up Your Favorite Meat!
Published: Friday, January 25, 2019
Interesting how there is a day or week to celebrate just about anything. National Meat Week is Jan. 20-27 and even though we are at the end of this little-known event, meat most certainly deserves a salute. Perhaps a big slab of your favorite meat, cooked to perfection, is in order for the weekend! Use your grill, oven, or favorite restaurant and enjoy the flavor you have been craving!
Meat is the centerpiece of the meal for many Americans. Who doesn't enjoy a good cut of any meat around which a meal is built? Steaks, chops or chicken---there are so many possibilities. Barbecue is gaining a lot of traction in the Midwest, creeping its way from the south and southwest and adding some new variety to Midwestern traditions. I like a good barbecue, dry rubbed, smoked to tender perfection, a good smoke ring on the meat. Yum. Sadly, my favorite barbecue lady closed her little restaurant a couple of months ago. I am holding out hope that she follows through with a food truck this summer. Even though I stashed my freezer with some smoked pulled pork from her grills, I'm down to the last two bags and have been reluctant to use them.
Having just put two lambs in the freezer, we were excited to eat a good lamb chop this week and we weren't disappointed. The chops were tender, juicy, and I just happened to nail it on the broiling time---long enough to get a good seer on one side, flip and broil just a couple minutes longer. The only seasoning was a couple hours in Worcestershire with lemon juice, garlic powder and a little salt. Super easy, melt like butter in your mouth, and I believe it could turn most lamb meat haters into lamb meat lovers.
Meat has been a huge part of American history. Cow towns like Abilene, Wichita, Dodge City, Cheyenne, Amarillo and Fort Worth were hubs where cattle, sheep and hogs were shipped by rail to be processed in Chicago and Kansas City. Thanks to Hollywood's romanticizing western cattle drives, I can picture herds of Longhorn cattle kicking up the dust as they ambled through a cow town driven by saddle sore cowboys.
If you get the opportunity to visit Fort Worth Stockyards, do it. It is an interesting look into the history of cattle, and ultimately the history of meat. Skip the souvenir shops in the old hog and sheep barns and opt the stockyard museum. You will spend less money and gain an appreciation for the impact livestock made on the American landscape.
Finally, meat eaters have advantages in both physical health. In the annual Fisherman's Friend annual cold and flu survey in the UK, vegans were three times more likely to visit their doctor during cold and flu season, booking 2.6 appointments to the national average of .6 appointments. They also took twice as many sick days as their meat-eating colleagues.
A new study of old research in 2017-18 appears to confirm that people following a vegetarian diet may experience higher rates of depression. The study was done by Bristol University and US based National Institutes of Health. While depression and mental health is much greater than diet, one factor could include deficiencies in key fats and nutrients found only in meat like Vitamin B12.
So, fire up the grill, heat up the roasting pan or whatever you do to prepare your favorite cut. Enjoy your favorite while eating to your health and a rich livestock legacy!
Bev Berens is a freelance writer and FFA parent from Holland, Mich. She can be contacted at uphillfarm494@yahoo.com.
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