We butchered a calf this summer(bull calf) weighing about 600 lbs. the meat has the flavor of shrimp or some other seafood. Is there anyway of cooking the meat to hinder this flavor and smell? Could we make corned beef to disguise it? Help!

-- Herb Buckingham (mtairy@bealenet.com), October 31, 1999

Answers

What did you feed him the two weeks b4 butchering? We use cracked corn and wheat with molasses. Also, did you do the butchering yourselves? Could the carcass have come into contact with something other than clean water and stainless steel? Need more info. You could always close your eyes and pretend you're on the Guld Coast eating some of our great shrimp!

-- Only eve (gen1eve@hotmail.com), November 01, 1999.

Many years ago we purchased a butchered cow that tasted odd. Didn't like it. We marinated the steaks, roast, etc. in Italian dressing, using the marinate as a baste while cooking.

The ground beef has been mixed with soybean (unbeknownst to us) and was REALLY bad. About the only thing that would cover that up was making it into Sloppy Joe's. Hmmmmm. I see a connection here. Maybe it was the vinegar in the dressing and the Sloppy Joe's that did the trick. Lots of spices would probably help too.

Maybe any recipes for wild game (such as venison) that are used to reduce "gamy-ness" would help.

-- J. E. Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), November 03, 1999.

In the latest issue of Countryside, I just saw a little info box that said to eliminate gaminess to marinate meat in coffee! I can only pass this on, I can't vouch for it.

-- J. E. Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), November 04, 1999.

We eat alot of road kill deer, and sometimes it has a funky taste. I have found that soaking the meat in vinegar for a while pulls out some of the strange. Black pepper also can go a long way to help. Ageing beef is real popular for some reason! I hope it works out for you.

-- Lawson Moore (marmerduke@aol.com), November 05, 1999.

Pineapple juice is a good marinate. It helps tenderize the meat and when mixed with soy sauce about 3 parts pineapple juice to 1 part soy sauce, is a good start for Teriaki beef. It even helps cover the taste of lamb...whick I never have developed a taste for.

-- Jenny Pipes (auntjenny6@aol.com), November 07, 1999.

The common element in all these marinades is acid ingredients. I'm curious about the source of the taste. In my limitted experience I have found young beef to be unpleasant more often than not. 15 months is locally considered a minimum butcher age. Was the animal on a commercial feed containing non-traditional protien sources? I have heard that it is important to chill and hang beef before cutting, could this be a factor? Sauerbratten, corned beef, jerky, sausage, sloppy joes etc. You can can meat with seasonings and sauce. It isn't the same as carving into a beautiful roast with the fmily around the table, or listening to the sizzle of T-bone over the fire. Maybe next calf.

-- Kendy Sawyer (sweetfire@grove.net), November 07, 1999.

Are you REAL sure that the animal was healthy, and your q/c was adequate? I'm not sure how you check that you're not eating tainted meat, but if anybody is feeling sickly, I'd investigate carefully.

-- Sue (kbechler@frontiernet.net), November 27, 1999.