Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson talks about considering beef for Thanksgiving.
“Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” is an American advertising slogan and marketing campaign aimed at promoting the consumption of beef. The ad campaign, originally launched in 1992, has been long-lived, highly effective and award winning. The slogan is said to be recognized by more than 88% of Americans, accordingly, I borrowed from this well-known phrase for my title.
Thanksgiving is a time when American families come together to celebrate a holiday that connects each and every one of us. The holiday was first celebrated in 1621 when the Plymouth settlers, joined with the Wampanoag Indians to enjoy a fall feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. The tradition of Thanksgiving became official when President George Washington declared the nation would celebrate the day on November 26, 1789. President Abraham Lincoln wrote a proclamation declaring all states would celebrate the day in 1863. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a resolution from Congress in 1941 that established the official date of Thanksgiving to be the fourth Thursday in November each year. While Thanksgiving is observed in varied ways in different nations, in American the holiday is truly rooted in agriculture. We may bring our own flavors and traditions to the table but Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to celebrate our nation’s harvest and ability to efficiently produce food, to express gratitude for our blessings, and look ahead to the future.
Alexander Hamilton once proclaimed: “No citizen of the U.S. shall refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” With all due respect to Mr. Hamilton, a founding father and our first secretary of the treasury whose ideas are credited with laying the foundation for American government and finance, I encourage you to make plans to enjoy beef this year at Thanksgiving. Why? Because compared to turkey, or among all the protein sources you may be considering for Thanksgiving dinner, beef holds the advantage. With regard to flavor, beef is generallymore interlaced with marbling, the taste fat that translates to a more flavorful and satisfying eating experience. Beef can be aged to further intensify flavor, not an option with poultry products. Beef offers more variety of cuts, all of which result in the same satisfying eating experience. Beef can be served in a variety of “degree of doneness” options relative to what is most satisfying to your palate. Likewise, beef offers more options in the amount of time spent in preparation to better fit your schedule. Turkey requires long-term baking/frying preparation resulting in the option of white meat or dark meat. Consuming beef on Thanksgiving Day has the further advantage of improving the supply and demand equation thereby improving the profit potential of beef production. Because of the variety of advantages offered by beef, please give consideration to the following when planning.
- How much time do you have to spend cooking?
If your answer is not much, consider grilling or pan frying. Middle meats from the beef carcass like ribeye, strip loin, filet and sirloin steaks are very tender and can be cooked quickly at high temperatures on the grill or stove top to seal in the tenderness, juiciness and flavor. If you intend to grill or pan fry steaks remember to give them adequate time to thaw and reach room temperature before cooking. Burgers made from ground beef are also great when grilled or pan fried. Chicken fried steak using tenderized round steaks can be pan fried.
If you have more time to spend in preparation, smoking or oven roasting can result in the same tender, succulent beef flavor. Roasts from the chuck or round can be seasoned and slow cooked to bring out “melt in your mouth” flavor. Beef brisket is ideal for smoking and slow cooking. An intact rib roast can also work great for smoking or slow cooking.
- What is your budget?
Typically steaks or middle meats will be the more expensive cuts to purchase. The cuts that require more cooking time (because they contain more connective tissue) can be purchased at a lower price per pound. Ground beef is also less expensive. Since beef is the preferred protein among most consumers, it will typically cost more per pound in comparison; nevertheless, the variety of options from a beef carcass leads to choices to fit any budget.
More information about cooking methods, recipes and beef cuts can be found at www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com. Regardless of the cut of beef you enjoy this Thanksgiving you will be eating a nutrient dense, delicious source of protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc that is a healthy diet choice.
This year on Thanksgiving, I want to say thanks to America’s farmers, ranchers and everyone in production agriculture that make it possible. Whatever we eat on Thanksgiving Day, it is the ingenuity, perseverance, efficiency, work ethic and “can do” attitude of America’s cattle men and women, and ag producers that permit us to enjoy the highest quality beef produced in the world and spend a relatively small percentage of our income on food.
Thanksgiving in 2023 arrives at a time when we, as cattle producers, have a great deal to be thankful for. Strong cattle prices and historically strong profit opportunities have made headlines in the past year. Overall, 2023 looks to be a very profitable year for all segments of the beef industry (cow-calf producers, stockers operations and cattle feeders), this is historically rare. Low cattle inventories indicate high value of cattle of all classes for the next several years. The market value of purebred seedstock should be robust in the future as the nation re-populates with cows.
Happy Thanksgiving, thanks for reading and remember “BEEF! IT’S WHAT’S FOR THANKSGIVING!”
Below, OSU Extension beef cattle breeding specialist Mark Johnson explains why switching out your turkeys for beef might be a good idea for Thanksgiving on SunUpTV from November 20, 2023.
