The biggest mistake people make when cooking grass-fed beef is over-cooking it. Following these rules will help ensure you don’t make that mistake.

1. Lower the cooking temperature. Because grass-fed beef is leaner than its grain-fed counterpart, you need to cook it at a slightly lower temperature (at least 50 F) for 30-50% less time. Otherwise, you cook off the fat that’s there and are left with a dry, tough, unappealing mass of meat that’s lost many of its nutrients. (The more cooked your grass-fed beef, the more Omega 3s and CLA you lose.)

2. Invest in a meat thermomenter. The desired internal temperatures for grass-fed beef are:

• Rare — 120F
• Medium Rare — 125F
• Medium — 130F
• Medium Well — 135F
• Well — 140F

IMPORTANT NOTE! To achieve the desired temperature, remove the meat from the heat source when it’s about 5-10F shy of the desired temperature. The residual heat will finish cooking the meat over the next ten minutes as you let it rest.

3. Start steaks and roasts at room temperature. This is a good rule for all meats, but especially for grass-fed beef. By starting your meat at room temperature, it will take less time to reach the ideal internal temperature while cooking. This gentler cooking method will help your meat stay juicy and delicious.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Do not microwave or cook when frozen or partially frozen.  Thaw the meat in the refrigerator or under cold running water, but do not defrost it in a microwave oven.

4. Don’t play with your meat. Avoid the temptation to poke steaks or roasts with forks or pat burgers down with spatulas. This lets all that delicious fat escape, giving you a less juicy end result.  In particular, when you're planning to serve the meat in pieces, don't cut into it right away because the juices will immediately spill out, resulting in a drier texture. For the same reason, always turn your meat with tongs rather than a fork when cooking it. Deliciously precious juices will be lost if you poke the meat.

5. Give your meat a rest. When you’re done cooking your meat, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into it. This allows time for the escaped juices to get sucked back into the meat. If you don’t do this final step, you’ll slice into your meat only to have all the juices dribble out onto your cutting board or serving plate. What good are they there? You want them in each and every bite of meat you eat.