When it comes to grilling and smoking, nothing excites me more than high-quality meats. So when Certified Piedmontese sent Brent and me each a package of their grass-fed beef to try, you can imagine my delight. These did not disappoint, and I was craving more just minutes after that last bite was gone.
What is Certified Piedmontese beef?
Certified Piedmontese is a Nebraska-based company committed to raising Piedmontese cows, a breed with an Italian heritage. The company partners with family-owned ranches and focuses on properly caring for the cattle and the environment. All of the cattle are free from steroids and antibiotics and are never given hormones. The focus is on all-natural from start to finish.
What Makes Certified Piedmontese Beef Special?
As I said, Piedmontese cattle are an Italian heritage breed. What sets these cattle apart from the majority of cows worldwide is how the myostatin gene behaves. This is a gene all mammals have (including us) that inhibits the growth of muscle mass. Piedmontese cattle naturally have the myostatin gene inactive.
So what does that mean for us? Well, it results in cattle with much more lean muscle mass than other breeds. These cattle also subsist on a grass-fed diet so even the fattiest of cuts, like a ribeye, is much more lean than what you are used to.
But unlike some lean steaks, Piedmontese beef doesn’t sacrifice taste for less fat.
What’s It Like Getting Beef Shipped To Your House?
You might be a little apprehensive if you haven’t had meat shipped to your house before. After all, the last thing any of us want to happen is meat spoiling in the summer heat. I live outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, so summers get pretty darn hot.
Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about when Certified Piedmontese sent me the package. They shipped it by overnight air and packed the box with dry ice. My steaks were still frozen inside their vacuum packaging and did not show any signs of thawing, despite sitting inside a delivery truck and coming in the middle of June.
If you are on the fence about ordering because you live in a hot climate, don’t worry. Your beef will arrive perfectly fine. You can throw it in the freezer and wait until you’re ready to cook, like I did, or you can thaw it immediately and throw it on the grill!
What Did I Receive in the Beef Box?
Inside the box were four cuts of beef: Two boneless ribeyes, two New York strip steaks, and one tri-tip.
Each of the ribeyes was 14oz, while the New York strips were 10oz. The tri-tip was two total pounds of meat. This beef is very lean, so I did not see much visible marbling like I am used to seeing in high-quality steaks. That’s not to say these steaks lacked in marbling, but they have less than you might be used to seeing.
Why is There Less Marbling?
Less marbling is due to two things: the genetic makeup of these cows combined with their diet. I typically associate fat with flavor, but in this case, I was wrong. These lean steaks that lacked visible marbling were some of the most flavorful steaks that I have tried.
These steaks packed plenty of beefy flavor and were beautifully tender. When I cook steaks, I look at their thickness to determine my cooking method. If the steaks are over 1 1/2 inches thick, I like to reverse-sear them. That’s exactly what I did with the ribeyes, smoking them at 225°F before finishing them on the griddle. Brent decided to grill both the ribeyes and the strip steaks on the grill. Here are Brent’s photos.
For the New York strips, I seared them on the griddle. They were a bit thinner, so I knew I could get a good sear while reaching a nice medium-rare. Brent decided to toss them on a hot BBQ with the ribeyes. Here are his photos.
Finally, I also used the reverse sear for the tri-tip. I smoked it at 250°F before cranking the heat and finishing it on the grill grates. Brent did the same, and as you can see, it turned out perfectly tender and juicy.
Reverse-searing thicker steaks using a wireless meat thermometer allowed me to monitor my internal temperatures throughout the entire cooking process. This ensured I wasn’t overcooking or undercooking my steaks. After all, not everyone loves a blue steak (but these steaks would make great blue steaks due to how lean they are).
This package had something for everyone. My wife and I are fully on team Ribeye, while my mother-in-law, who was over that night, loves a New York strip steak. Plus, who doesn’t love a beautiful tri-tip?
Everyone loved these steaks, regardless of which cut of meat we ate. Whether it was a slice of ribeye, New York strip, or Tri-Tip, each bite had a full, beefy flavor and was incredibly tender. It is impressive to get that kind of result with leaner beef.
These cuts of beef from Certified Piedmontese were spectacular. If you love high-quality meats, you’ll love Certified Piedmontese beef. Even though the steaks lack visible marbling, they have enough fat for those of you who love that flavor. For added flavor, Brent added some compound herb butter to his steaks. Don’t these look amazing!
For those of you who want something a little bit leaner without sacrificing flavor, these steaks will deliver that as well. These ribeyes and New York strips were, without a doubt, among the best steaks I’ve ever eaten.
If you are looking to spend a little more money to get high-quality steak without feeling like you have to wait for a special occasion due to the price tag, these steaks fit the bill.
Final Thoughts
My family and I loved every bite of our Certified Piedmontese beef, whether it was the steaks or the tri-tip. I even was able to save a little bit of the steak and reheat it to have a breakfast of steak and eggs the next morning with my wife. And we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
Make sure you check out Certified Piedmontese’s extensive menu, which includes competition-cut brisket, tomahawk steaks, and even rib roasts. Also, check out the tri-tip sliders on Hawaiian rolls with grilled onions that we made from this high-quality beef.