Eat Local, Think Global with the Global Animal Partnership

It’s not “Where’s the beef?” these days; it’s “What’s the beef?”  Consumers are more aware than ever before that “you are what you eat”, and knowing the story behind what we eat is so important.

As most hungry Atlantans know, White Oak Pastures’ Will Harris is widely known in these parts for his delicious and humanely raised grass-fed beef.   Now the farm is taking their commitment to animal welfare standards to a new high with the Global Animal Partnership! 

The GAP is a nonprofit organization that facilitates and encourages continuous improvement in animal agriculture. Independent, third-party certifiers audit farms and rate animal welfare practices and conditions using a tiered system that ranges from Step 1 (no crates, cages or crowding) to Step 5+ (animals spend their entire lives on one farm).  The steps benefit everyone from the animal to you, the consumer.  Visit them online to learn more about these steps.

Will Harris is heading to Atlanta this week to chat with customers at area Whole Foods about the Global Animal Partnership – head over, say hello to Will and learn more!

Thursday:
Briarcliff Whole Foods location from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Friday:
Harry’s Farmer’s Market Alpharetta from 11 to 2 p.m.
Buckhead Whole Foods location from 3-6 p.m.

Saturday:
Whole Foods Market Johns Creek store from 11-2 p.m.

Sunday:
Whole Foods Ponce de Leon from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

The Competition Cuts Like a Knife at Protein U

Protein University is officially in session and Brian Sapp of White Oak Pastures is nearing the top of the class!  The plant manager and artisan butcher has entered a video in Protein University’s “Who’s Your Butcher?” contest and it’s been selected as one of the Top 20!  Congrats Brian!

You can show your love of his grass-fed butcher style by heading online to his video and casting your vote.  Online voting will conclude August 21^st and the winner will be announced the next day, so stay tuned for the big winner!

From Burgers to Brisket: Enjoying the Best of Beef At Woodfire Grill's White Oak Pastures Dinner

I have had the pleasure of trying White Oak Pastures' ground beef on two different occasions. Both times I cooked it myself, by seasoning the beef, forming into patties, grilling and slapping it on a bun. The burgers were delicious, full of flavor and I loved knowing that it was locally-raised grassfed beef. That's why I was excited to find out that Atlanta's very own Woodfire Grill was hosting a sustainably-raised beef four- course dinner on Thursday, October 23, featuring White Oak Pastures beef.

My beau and I headed to Woodfire Grill last night and right when we walked in we bumped into the man himself, Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures. It was really neat to meet him and chat about the dinner. We then sat down in our booth in the newly renovated restaurant and took a look at the prix fixe menu. We decided to go with the wine pairing for each course to really get the full experience.

Our first course (right) was a trio of beef tenderloin including, traditional tartare with organic truffle oil and olives; carpaccio with horseradish emulsion, arugula oil and pink pepper and grilled rare beef with ginger, shaved onion and hot Chile oil. This course was accompanied by a 2004 Marques de Gelida Brut Exclusive Reserva, Cava, Spain. The plate was extremely colorful and the perfect teaser for the courses to come.

The next course (right) was a wood grilled strip loin with Yorkshire pudding, Hakeuri turnips, creamed turnip greens and natural jus. It was accompanied by a 2006 Casa Lapostolle Merlot Rapel, Chile. This course really surprised me. Turnips just didn't sound all to enticing to me, but they were amazing! Not to mention, the meat was cooked to perfection.

Our third and main course (left) was a slow cooked beef brisket with roasted carrot puree, marinated radish, fried pumpkin seeds and smoked chile jus. This dish was accompanied by a 2005 Santa Rita Carmanere Reserve, Rapel Chile. This brisket was so tender and the carrot puree was the perfect accompaniment. Another enjoyable course with beautiful execution.

Lastly, for dessert we had a bittersweet chocolate cake with roasted peanut-chocolate chip ice cream and fried banana sauce. As you can see in the picture, I dug right into this one and forgot to take the photo first. This dessert was accompanied by a 2007 Banfi Roso Regale, Brachetoo D' Acqui, Italy. The ice cream was surprisingly salty but when put with the rich chocolate cake, it was an unforgettable combo. This dessert was the perfect ending to an amazing meal at Woodfire Grill.

Overall, the evening was a fun way to try what both Woodfire Grill and White Oak Pastures have to offer. It's really great to see a restaurant support their local farmers and I thought it was so cool that Will Harris came out for the event. I can't wait to try and cook some of the other cuts of meat myself. I'm sure it won't even compare to Chef Kevin Gillespie's menu, but a girl can try!

Dinner at Tanai's Place

As the Eat Local Challenge made its way to my kitchen, all I knew was that whatever I made would have to be simple or I would be so focused cooking that I would forget to take photos. So, I headed to my local Whole Foods Market with a few of my favorite recipes in mind.

When I got to the store, I picked an abnormally large sweet potato from Haynes & Sons Farm in Cullman, AL; corn on the cob from Branch Farms of South GA; and a beautiful grass-fed flank steak from White Oak Pastures in Buffington, GA. (Yes, I know I am missing my leafy green, but hey, whadaya gonna do. At least it’s all local, right?) After I sat everything out, I admired my selections (right).

On the menu: Grilled flank steak with cinnamon sweet potatoes, and corn on the cob. This is what you’ll need:
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon rosemary
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil Cooking Spray

First, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees and cut the potato thin slices. Next, I melted the butter in the microwave and mixed with the brown sugar. I spread the potato slices evenly in a 9 inch pan and drizzled with the sugar butter. Then, I sprinkled with nutmeg, cinnamon and a dash of salt. I covered with aluminum foil and baked for 40 minutes, uncovered and baked for an additional 10 minutes.

The next step was the steak. After rinsing, I pat it dry and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and rosemary. Next, I rubbed to make sure the seasoning was even on the meat. Then, I set it aside to come to room temperature (important for grass-fed beef).

When the potatoes were nearly complete, I removed the husks from the corn and boiled in lightly salted water(with a dollop of butter) and preheated my handy-dandy indoor grill to its hottest temperature.

Cooking with grass-fed beef is different from grain-fed. Click here for more details. I sprayed the grill with olive oil cooking spray then grilled the meat for about 6 minutes on each side (for medium).

Here’s the finished product (below).

Serve and enjoy. Simple and delish! Check out more shot of our team's Eat Local Challenge progress on our flickr page. Good luck!

White Oak Pastures' Beef Wins 2008 Flavor of Georgia Contest

You can chew the fat on what makes flavorful beef until the cows come home, but in the end, it's all about what's inside that counts. In the case of Harris Family Heritage Beef, raised by Georgian Will Harris of White Oak Pastures, the prize-winning flavor comes from a herd that chomps on grass. Unadulterated green grass. No grains, hormones or feed I can't pronounce or spell. The 2008 Flavor of Georgia Grand Prize Winner Will Harris will be at Harry's Farmers Market in Alpharetta this Saturday May 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. giving shoppers a taste of the award winning beef. If you can't make it Saturday stop by Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Whole Foods Market on Ponce. Be sure to pick up some beef to take home for the Memorial Day grilling on Monday.

Harry's Farmers Market in Alpharetta is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road; 770-664-6300. Whole Foods Market located at 650 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE; 404-853-1681.