Do you never get tired of meat?

I got rejected from donating blood for having low hemoglobin, so I immediately decided to try to bulk up. The anemia resources I found indicated that the best sources for bioavailable iron are filter-feeding mollusks, liver, and beef. At my local Costco, they didn't have much of the former, but plenty of the latter. My usual theory is, let your food be your medicine, and vice versa. So I bought prime ribeyes, all-beef hot dogs, organic beef kielbasa, beef short ribs, and organic grass-fed hamburger. I think we only have beef once a week, attempting to eat a balance of foods, so this is quite a change. Oh, and spinach is high in non-heme iron (not as high as people think, due to the errors in the German study) so I had some of that, with toasted garlic, olive oil, and lemon zest. It's tough to pair a Gevrey-Chambertain with the tooth roughening quality of spinach, but we managed. I'll keep you updated on how the other beef (beeves?) go.

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Yes, "beeves."

Sorry to hear about your hemoglobin counts but, to me, it's happy medicine.

Yes, it is possible to get tired of meat but, like anything, if you mix up the cuts and the preps, you'll be fine. Meat, generally, has a distinctive (and pleasing, to me) chew. There must be some feedback mechanism that makes that work part of the enjoyment.

Yes, "beeves."

Sorry to hear about your hemoglobin counts but, to me, it's happy medicine.

Yes, it is possible to get tired of meat but, like anything, if you mix up the cuts and the preps, you'll be fine. Meat, generally, has a distinctive (and pleasing, to me) chew. There must be some feedback mechanism that makes that work part of the enjoyment.

Yes, you don't have to tell me twice to eat liver, oysters, and beef. I was avoiding the latter for health and environmental reasons, but it does taste really really good. And, like you, I am sure there is an evolutionary reason.

Had the Costco hot dogs for lunch, and I have a question. Why do the Applegate Organic beef dogs taste like compressed library paste in comparison? I assume the Costco dog has more fat and is juicier, but shouldn't grass-fed beef taste better than the high-density feedlot special?

"Tired of meat"...."tired of meat"....

Hmmmm.

Nope. Still doesn't make sense.

Hey, looks like you got some nice grill marks on that cow there. Bet it tasted great!

But if I can offer a suggestion for future cuts like that: try either a "reverse sear" (coating the beef in butter and slow cooking it on a rack in the oven - about 300(f) - and then quick searing the outside on a blazing hot pan or grill) or using a sous vide. Either will greatly reduce the dreaded grey ring you see extending well into the pink portion of your steak, potentially robbing you of your bloody objective (even if that's not true, I really really wanted use the "bloody objective" double entendre).

Here's a châteaubriand I made via reverse sear:

https://tinyurl.com/ycdqxuxq

And two sirloin tip steaks I cut from a roast and cooked in my (brand new!) sous vide:

https://tinyurl.com/yc4v83nq

And one final thing. Use a smaller dish next time, if you're really looking to get your blood up to snuff.

Wait for it....

Waaaait for it.......

A platelet.

Thank you, thank you. You're too kind.

Good luck in your quest!

Had the Costco hot dogs for lunch, and I have a question. Why do the Applegate Organic beef dogs taste like compressed library paste in comparison? I assume the Costco dog has more fat and is juicier, but shouldn't grass-fed beef taste better than the high-density feedlot special?

Who was that awful man who posted right before me?

Anyway, the Applegate Organic dogs are uncured, which means they use celery juice -- naturally high in nitrates -- instead of adding nitrites directly. Maybe you can tell the difference?

My philosophy about hot dogs is that they're so bad for you already that you may as well go ahead and have the full boat of nitrates, nitrites, phenylalanines, arsenic, old lace, and whatever else so you enjoy them to the max.

Who was that awful man who posted right before me?

He goes by many names. None of them suitable to print here.

Ugh. The mention of celery juice instantly brought back memories of Dr. Brown's Cel Ray Tonic, and the paroxysm of involuntary retching it always produced. Horrid stuff.

We were not a Dr. Brown's family so I have no emotional attachments to Cel-Ray or Vanilla soda. Fortunately, lots of people make Ginger Ale!

Fortunately, lots of people make Ginger Ale!

NOW we're talkin'!

You know, I don't mind a slight grey outside if I get a really nice sear. No sous vide, and honestly I probably wouldn't go to the trouble even if I had one. Letting the meat come up to room temperature and patting dry is about my limit for a weeknight meal. I will admit I've had my eye on those pellet grills, since the propane obviously adds a lot of water.

Tried the organic beef kielbasa last night, quite good though very garlicky.

Not sure about the celery juice, maybe. It's the beefy flavor that I'm missing, the Applegate one tastes like an Oscar Meyer chicken dog, and that seems odd.

You know, I don't mind a slight grey outside if I get a really nice sear.

I hear ya. Vive la différence!

But if you ever DO want to run that red right to the edge (perhaps an unreasonable demanding guest whom you will never, ever invite again after such a boorish and blatant breach of etiquette) and you don't want the bother of a sous vide, give that "reverse sear" thingie a shot. Works every bit as good as the high tech solution in this application

You know, I don't mind a slight grey outside if I get a really nice sear.

Agreed. I'll trade a little grey for a crunchy exterior any day.

It's the beefy flavor that I'm missing, the Applegate one tastes like an Oscar Meyer chicken dog, and that seems odd.

I think I know what you mean. The only way I find that taste nowadays is to buy grass-fed beef. I can also find it in wagyu but somewhat hit or miss.

OK, tried the Costco braised sesame short ribs. Very good. Sauce wasn't nearly as sweet as I was expecting, lots of jus. Tender but held texture very well.

Had a beef burrito mojado, that was OK. I almost always get fish.

A Big Mac was fuel but not much else. I distinctly remember it being a treat when I was a kid. I think that must have been due to tight finances that we had to get the cheeseburger, so perhaps the "treat" nature made it taste better. Possibly it has changed or I have...

Starting to wonder if I'm developing a bit of an aversion...

[Jenise]

Hey Tom, I'm a fan of that method too. And I think it just tastes better--color is flavor, and no change in one occurs without a change in the other. Like me that edge to edge thing!

But Walt: I know you're pretty careful about how you eat. Seems strange that unless you'd been living on nothing but plants, your hemohoodies could get that low. Any other possible cause besides diet?

Hey Tom, I'm a fan of that method too. And I think it just tastes better--color is flavor, and no change in one occurs without a change in the other. Like me that edge to edge thing!

Yes! Yes! I knew I loved you for more than your looks, your charm, and your Shah of Iran-level wine cellar

[Jenise]

LOL. Not at all Shah of Iran, more like petty despot. But still, I appreciate your envy.

Hey Tom, I'm a fan of that method too. And I think it just tastes better--color is flavor, and no change in one occurs without a change in the other. Like me that edge to edge thing!

But Walt: I know you're pretty careful about how you eat. Seems strange that unless you'd been living on nothing but plants, your hemohoodies could get that low. Any other possible cause besides diet?

Honestly, a big one is just the test itself. They do a finger stick instead of taking a sample from a vial. My guess is it was a fluke, though I'm not taking any chances. If you look at the content of foods, there's beef, shellfish, and liver, and then everything else has a tenth as much. And I just don't eat that much beef. A typical week looks like: turkey tacos, vegetarian pasta, tofu stir-fry, salmon patties, hot dogs, pizza, so only one real opportunity for beef in the week. Going back to try to donate next week, so we'll see.

I haven't had much of an opportunity this week. Got pepperoni on my pizza which was really weird. Makes me realize that I like the browned cheese better than the meat toppings. Last weekend I tried to order the ribeye at Cheesecake Factory but there were out. I figured everything was frozen there, given the size of the menu, so it was a bit of a surprise. They had a hanger steak, which I ordered extra rare, and they delivered. It was a good steak, another surprise.

Went to donate yesterday, and my hemoglobin was back in the normal range. Thank goodness. I still would like to find a good source of bioavailable iron that's not beef, for many reasons.

Went to a Korean barbecue yesterday, and really enjoyed cooking my own bulgogi and ribeye. Never seen an establishment like this, each table has a gas grill and a hood vent over it, and you order meat and cook it yourself. The place was packed in the middle of a Sunday afternoon in Oakland.

Wnissen, well done getting your Hb back in order.
I realise you prefer to eat your way out of this not medicateand I’m sure you’ve done your research but iv just include pd some summary fripom a website which was interesting, and I now lost it so can’t cite them, sorry.

Heme iron is found in animal foods, while non-heme iron comes from plant sources. The heme form is better absorbed by your body than the non-heme form.

You can enhance the absorption of iron from meals by eating foods high in vitamin C, vitamin A or beta-carotone. Eating meat, fish or poultry with other foods can also help.

Foods containing phytates, calcium and polyphenols can significantly reduce iron absorption.

To maximize your iron intake, try to include meat, fish, poultry, beans and lentils in your diet, as well as vitamin C-rich foods during your meals. Also, spread out your tea, coffee and dairy intakes between meals.

It's all quite complicated. Calcium is good, except when it reduces your iron absorbtion. At least Vitamin C is still good for you. And of course switching from beef to beans would save enormous quantities of carbon.