Grainfed and grain-finished beef fat

[nummi]

Do they have an identifying flavor, smell and taste? As well the feel to the touch and tongue. Compared to grassfed.
Has anyone noticed a sort of distinct difference between those and grassfed?

Took some out of the freezer yesterday and it doesn't have an exactly palatable smell, nor that good a taste... feels different too, too grainy and dry.
I once tried pig fat, it was disgusting, extremely disgusting. This fat has a similar flavor, far far far less strong but still there.
When I smell it, really take it in, I get this "throw it away!!!!!!!" response... I've smelled beef fat before, so this is new.

The fat came in bulk some time ago. I have no idea whether the animals are fed grains or not, all I know is they definitely aren't locked up all year round, or if they are at all. The farm was branded "organic" or such a few years ago, but this label means "raw-wise" as good as nothing.
I know young lamb tastes bad. Perhaps some fat from a young animal ended up in the box? The pieces I took out do look kind of miniature...


This is truly idiotic. In times when we shouldn't any longer worry about where to get food, we have to search for it... We have technology, knowledge, people - we have all that is needed for mass-production of quality food. I would very much not waste my life searching for food. I have other plans and I have far more potential.

[eveheart]

Do they have an identifying flavor, smell and taste? As well the feel to the touch and tongue. Compared to grassfed. Has anyone noticed a sort of distinct difference between those and grassfed?

I can give you a partial answer that pertains to grass-fed only, that the flavor and texture varies with the season and anatomical location of the fat. I get buttery, yellow back fat from fall-slaughtered beef - yellow because of the rich chlorophyll content of abundant summer grasses. Scrubbier forage produces a paler, less flavorful fat. Anatomically, I buy all the fat trimmings from the hind quarter - rump - and throw out most of it, keeping the 1 cm - 3 cm parts of this smooth fat for eating. When I chew the best fat, the rich trickle of fat as it liquefies in my mouth is a great sensation. Back fat from other seasons is not as good, but still way better than suet (internal fat from around the kidneys).

I cannot reliably tell the difference between all grain- and grass-fed fat unless I'm looking at both of them side by side, and even then I wouldn't bet on my answer unless the grass-fed fat was very yellow. But grass-fed beef fat isn't uniformly yellow all year 'round, in my experience.

[nummi]

It certainly isn't exactly yellow, more like white. Probably winter slaughter, as that's the time I got it.
This bad smelling and not so good tasting one I threw away. Already smelling it gave this "instinctive-like" no.

Have to hope summer and autumn ones are better.

In the beginning, when I went raw, I got some buttery feeling and tasting fat, it was very good in every way, far better than ice-cream (I used to be a heavy ice-cream eater, from time to time, because I liked the taste and feel). Don't remember what it smelled like, or the color, but it was the best I've had so far. It did liquefy in the mouth very nicely. It was in early autumn.