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  #91   ^
Old Mon, Apr-12-10, 10:57
ljsmom's Avatar
ljsmom ljsmom is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 9,025
 
Plan: vlc
Stats: 272/272/152 Female 5 ft 4 in
BF:let me look, yep
Progress: 0%
Location: Kansas City, MO
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I add butter to mine......
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  #92   ^
Old Mon, Apr-12-10, 13:13
suzanneyea's Avatar
suzanneyea suzanneyea is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 839
 
Plan: zero carb
Stats: 168/110/115 Female 5 feet 5 inches
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Montreal area
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Also a little sea salt might help. Or melt some beef or pork fat in the pan before you fry up the ground beef.
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  #93   ^
Old Mon, Apr-12-10, 13:51
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monique723
Whenever I make ground beef (its grassfed) it comes out dry and chewy. Is it because its grassfed? I only cook it until its just brown. Please give me some tips on how to make tasty ground beef. Thanks!

How are you cooking it - crumbled in the pan? Patties? Grassfed beef is usually very lean, which gives it a tendency to be dry. Lean meat cooks very quickly and it's easy to overdo it.

I usually make burgers. I try to get them up to room temperature before cooking, seasoned with salt and pepper. Then I put them on the grill, but not directly over the flame. I give them no more than a minute per side. They're still very pink in the middle but they taste much better that way.

If you're crumbling the ground beef, it's probably not going to work without vegetables or a sauce, although you could try adding tallow, butter or sour cream.

My favorite thing to do with lean grassfed GB is marinate it and eat it raw. Salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice, egg yolks, kimchi, fish sauce, cilantro or parsley might go into it. If you're strict ZC that might be too much carb for you, but after 4-5 hours at room temperature or a couple days in the fridge it can taste a bit like salami.
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  #94   ^
Old Tue, Apr-13-10, 05:15
perfectfit's Avatar
perfectfit perfectfit is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,613
 
Plan: I eat all of the eggs. :)
Stats: 600/400/160 Female 5'3"
BF:
Progress: 45%
Location: Ontario, Canada.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ljsmom
I add butter to mine......


I do the same.
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  #95   ^
Old Tue, Apr-13-10, 10:04
rightnow's Avatar
rightnow rightnow is offline
Every moment is NOW.
Posts: 23,064
 
Plan: LC (ketogenic)
Stats: 520/381/280 Female 66 inches
BF: Why yes it is.
Progress: 58%
Location: Ozarks USA
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Quote:
ZC taught me what true hunger really is... if I feel like eating meat I am truly hungry. If meat is not appealing, I am simply craving.

I just had a sort of epiphany when I realized this is totally 100% true for me.

There are times when I like the taste of something so, could eat it if I felt like it, but really don't care, and that always means I'm "well fed" (and usually that having a LITTLE of it won't bother me). In that mode I could stand next to pasta, pizza, ice cream, etc. and not really care whether or not I had any except that sure, it tastes nice.

But there would be 'drive' toward it like oh-my-gosh-I-want-it. If I have any true-desire to eat the food (that isn't meat) it means I'm noshing for something driven by something that isn't hunger.

And if I am genuinely hungry, I want meat. Nothing but meat/eggs. When I really ask my body lately, "What do you want?" it says "Meat." I go through all these rationalizations about why this and that and a bunch of cheese and this sauce and a fake LC pizza and more would be great and the body says, "Just meat. Lots of it." She is pretty boring, as diet goes.

I actually said most of this recently but it didn't succinctly sum up in my brain with the "if you're hungry it will be for meat, and if you're hungry for anything else it isn't REAL hunger" encapsulated-concept.

That is great. Thanks for that.

I have a 13 year old who desperately loves veggies and salads and really needs some creative cooking in her life so now that VLC (+ supplements) doesn't make me feel like crap anymore for some reason, I'm going to see if I can just do meat/eggs during the week (fine with me!) and then salads and flaxishes and stuff like that on the weekends with her, when we have more time and she can experiment and cook with me.
PJ
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  #96   ^
Old Thu, Apr-15-10, 11:17
PilotGal PilotGal is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 36,355
 
Plan: KetoCarnivore
Stats: 206.6/178/160 Female 5'7
BF:awesome
Progress: 61%
Location: USA
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Eat Meat, Drink Water
Let the bulk of your calories come from fat.

How much do I eat? As much as you'd like.
When do I eat? When you're hungry.
When do I drink? When you're thirsty.
How much do I drink? Enough to make you not thirsty.
How do I know if I'm hungry? A steak sounds good.
How do I know if I'm not hungry? A steak sounds bad.
Is the transition tough? Yes, it varies. It's hell for some, purgatory-like for others.
How long will it last? A day. A month. Doesn't matter. It will pass.
Will I go through detox? Yes. Some don't believe in it, but expect the worst and you'll be fine.
When will it end? No telling. May come and go for a long time. Relax. It must happen. The poison is leaving your body.
If _____ eats _____ and loses weight, why can't I? Each body is different. Figure yours out. And stop obsessing.
Must I supplement? No.
What will others think? Who cares.
I know everyone here is in great health, but could you provide me with a study of _____? No.
Do I need anything other than beef and water to achieve optimal health? No.
What is my reward for being a good little boy/girl and not cheating? If that's your perspective, there isn't one. But in truth, your reward is the great health, happiness, and freedom this path provides. If you need more than that, reexamine your soul.~~Anonymous
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  #97   ^
Old Thu, Apr-15-10, 11:38
addict1000's Avatar
addict1000 addict1000 is offline
at peace with myself
Posts: 1,202
 
Plan: Healthy choices
Stats: 201/191.6/144 Female 5 ft 8n
BF:
Progress: 16%
Location: guilt free state
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That is awesome.

I love the ...'no I will not provide you a study" line

I need to make one of those about every aspect of my life.
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  #98   ^
Old Sat, Apr-17-10, 04:32
Felicie Felicie is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 272
 
Plan: low carb
Stats: -/-/- Female 5´7"
BF:
Progress: 39%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by capmikee
I do a mix. Last month I got about 20 pounds of grass-fed chuck roast because it was on sale. It's really good in the crock pot. I've slowly grown to prefer grass-fed hamburger, although I usually eat it with homemade mayonnaise to increase the fat.

I have a nagging feeling that poultry gives me diarrhea. I don't want to confront the possibility because my chicken-fat mayonnaise is the best I've ever made. But I wonder if the main problem is that wheat is included in most "higher-quality" poultry feed. In theory, I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but it might explain why pastured poultry makes me feel even worse.


Yeah, I'm concerned about it, but I'm not sure how much difference it makes. I've tried a couple fish oil supplements, but all they seem to do is upset my stomach, so all I take now is Vitamin D.


I've had ongoing issues for years, even though I've been GF and low-carbing for 4 years, and never went above Atkins induction levels. The worst is stomach gas - I have bouts of burping every day and often get mild cramps from the gas. I seem to get glutened every month or two from the tiniest possible exposure. It's easy to focus on these little things, but I have to remind myself of all the big improvements I've experienced too. Even though they're mostly a matter of degree, they are significant.


2 questions, please:

1) how do you prepare chuck roast in the crock pot?

2)how do you make chicken fat mayonnaise?

Thanks!
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  #99   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 13:06
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Felicie
2 questions, please:

1) how do you prepare chuck roast in the crock pot?

I just noticed that I never answered your questions. Sorry about that!

1. Here's how I make chuck roast:

I usually cook two 2-3 pound roasts together, but the quantities are flexible.

Pat the roast(s) dry with paper towels and cover liberally with salt and pepper. Place on the counter overnight (I put it in the crock pot, but don't turn it on). My roast is usually partly frozen when I do this, but I think sitting at room temperature helps develop the flavor even if it's not.

Pat the roast dry again and pour out any juices that have accumulated in the crock pot. I don't use them - they usually go in the compost or the chicken scraps.

Heat a big cast iron skillet over pretty high heat. Melt about 3 tablespoons of tallow (or butter, or lard, or bacon fat) and then add the roast. Brown well on all sides - I think I do 30-60 seconds on each side. I especially try to brown the fat (you got your roast untrimmed, right?), because it's much nicer when it's a little crispy.

Remove the roast and put it back in the crock pot. Deglaze the pan with as much chicken or beef stock as you can - 1 cup is enough, but a quart is better, and you could even use more. There's never enough stock. Scrape up the drippings and then boil the stock until it's down to 1 or 2 cups. If you don't have any stock, you can use water, but it won't be as good. Or you could use wine or vermouth if you're okay with that. I've also used Angostura bitters - mostly to make sauces, but they're tasty and I think they could work for a roast.

Pour the stock over the beef and close up the crock pot. I usually cook for 8-10 hours on low, but 6 hours might be enough.

At this point you can serve the roast with the juice poured over it, and I usually do. Check if it needs more salt. If you have time, you can make it even better. I do this the second night I serve it:

Pick the meat out of the juice and set it aside. If you have a gravy separator or the juice is cold and the fat has solidified on top, set the fat aside and keep it as cold and hard as possible. If you can, add another quart or two of stock. Boil it until it gets good and thick. Then turn the heat way down and whisk in the fat, plus some extra tallow or butter or lard - as much as the sauce can take without separating. At this point you should have some of the best gravy you have ever tasted, and it will be lovely and thick too. I always dream of having enough stock to do this right, but it's just not possible to have that much every time unless you're spending a whole day every week making stock in a ten gallon pot!

Oh dear, I got carried away. What was number 2 again?

Oh yes...

Quote:
2)how do you make chicken fat mayonnaise?

Chicken fat mayonnaise. I haven't made it in a while, but here's how I remember it:

1 cup chicken fat (from making chicken stock, right?)
3-5 egg yolks
Juice of 1 lemon, some lime juice, or some sauerkraut juice
Salt

Start with 2-3 egg yolks in your best bowl for whisking. A hand blender is a lifesaver, but there's only one container in the house that really works well with mine.

Add a little salt and about half the juice of the lemon. You can add some lime juice too to spice it up.

Whisk up the egg yolks, and then start adding chicken fat. It should be at least a little drippy, and completely liquid is okay. So if you just got it out of the fridge, warm it up gently.

Add about a teaspoon to start, and make sure it gets whisked in completely. Then add another teaspoon. Once it gets going you'll start to have a sense for how fast you can add it.

Here's a trick I've learned for extra smooth mayonnaise. When you've added about half the fat, pour out the mayonnaise into a spare container. Then add 1 or 2 more egg yolks and some more salt and lemon juice if the flavor demands it. Then start again, adding the mayonnaise as if it were pure fat, then adding the fat. This is how you fix "broken" mayonnaise, but I've learned that if I do it even when it's not broken, it just gets better.

As you go, adjust salt and acid for flavor. You can also add more or less chicken fat - I keep increasing the number of egg yolks and decreasing the amount of chicken fat, which is a shame because egg yolks are in demand in our house and there's always extra chicken fat... but that's how I like it.

Sometimes I leave the mayonnaise out for a few hours before refrigerating it. They say this gives the acid a chance to kill any nasties (but you're using good eggs, right?), and it ferments it a little bit for a tarter flavor.

Last edited by capmikee : Tue, Apr-27-10 at 13:15.
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  #100   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 16:48
Water Lily's Avatar
Water Lily Water Lily is offline
Independent Thinker
Posts: 742
 
Plan: Paleo
Stats: 198/186/140 Female 5'5"
BF:
Progress: 21%
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Okay, a quick drive-by question for the experienced Zero Carbers:

Do any of you eat only muscle meat, like ground beef and chicken, but no organ meat? I'm not opposed to eating organ meat at all, I just need to ease into it slowly because I know nothing about it.

In the meantime, will I be doing my body harm if I just eat muscle meat?

Thanks!
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  #101   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 17:07
Felicie Felicie is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 272
 
Plan: low carb
Stats: -/-/- Female 5´7"
BF:
Progress: 39%
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capmikee, thank you very much for such a detailed response! I don't have a crock pot yet, but I am planning to order one very soon! I am looking forward to slow cooking because I love meat with collagen.

I know a place that sells chicken fat. The fat is rendered - it's semi-liquid at room temperature. I am looking forward to trying the mayo recipe. Not sure what the hand blender is. Is it what I call the mixer, with rotary beaters? Or is it the stick with a propeller-kind of thing at the end that you stick into food with the up-and-down movement (like a hand-held food processor)?
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  #102   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 17:08
suzanneyea's Avatar
suzanneyea suzanneyea is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 839
 
Plan: zero carb
Stats: 168/110/115 Female 5 feet 5 inches
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Montreal area
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I only eat muscle meat, I am doing fine. But, you need to find what works for you, how do you feel on muscle meat alone?
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  #103   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 17:11
Felicie Felicie is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 272
 
Plan: low carb
Stats: -/-/- Female 5´7"
BF:
Progress: 39%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Water Lily
Okay, a quick drive-by question for the experienced Zero Carbers:

Do any of you eat only muscle meat, like ground beef and chicken, but no organ meat? I'm not opposed to eating organ meat at all, I just need to ease into it slowly because I know nothing about it.

In the meantime, will I be doing my body harm if I just eat muscle meat?

Thanks!


I am not quite a ZC. I love organ meat. I prefer it to muscle meat. If you eat organs, you feel like you are eating a great variety of foods because the textures are all so different. Very satisfying. I've been buying duck tongues at a Chinese store and boiling them. Really love them - they are so soft and chewey and full of collagen. A real comfort food.
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  #104   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 17:56
Water Lily's Avatar
Water Lily Water Lily is offline
Independent Thinker
Posts: 742
 
Plan: Paleo
Stats: 198/186/140 Female 5'5"
BF:
Progress: 21%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suzanneyea
I only eat muscle meat, I am doing fine. But, you need to find what works for you, how do you feel on muscle meat alone?


I feel fine on VLC eating muscle meat, but I'm not ZC yet, so it's hard to say.
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  #105   ^
Old Tue, Apr-27-10, 20:34
CMCM's Avatar
CMCM CMCM is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,264
 
Plan: Keto / Atkins VLC
Stats: 173/148.6/135 Female 5'6"
BF:23.9
Progress: 64%
Location: N. Calif. Sierra Nevadas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suzanneyea
I only eat muscle meat, I am doing fine. But, you need to find what works for you, how do you feel on muscle meat alone?


Did you get from 168 to 110 doing zero carb? How long did it take you to get there? Your photo looks great!

EDIT: Never mind, I read through the old thread so now I know.

Can I join in here a bit? I'm very intrigued with the whole ZC idea, and I feel I'm edging my way to that WOE. I've been paring down my diet for a long time. I am celiac so I can't eat gluten, but while trying to adjust to that road I realized I don't handle any grains at all, nor can I eat starches, and I don't do well at all with fruit or most vegetables. So over time, bit by bit, I've minimized those things completely out of my diet. On March 1 I went back to Atkins, and have been reminded how I feel 1,000% better eating VLC. I lose weight it seems only when I am really LC. Like 15, 10 or less. I haven't yet succeeded in keeping it as low as I should for long periods, but I'm generally under 20. Since eliminating all sugar, fruit, most veggies (I mostly eat only salad greens now), even tea, I feel like a different person (this coming after a lifetime of digestive woes, mostly due to gluten and dairy). I still have some dairy, but not a lot. I even gave up wine, and found I don't even miss it. At this point in time I drink water and one coffee (cappucchino breve) a day, that's it.

I'm mostly been on a pretty true induction since March 1, and for the first time ever I can honestly say the rewards are absolutely no cravings ever, not one cheat (haven't been tempted), no anxiety, better sleep, and a totally calm digestive system. I guess something finally clicked in my brain, and at the very least, I plan to eat like this forever, no going back to any of the stuff that used to poison me. BUT...I may just end up ZC, who knows?

In any case, the ZC way of eating intrigues me, and I've read Charles' site but obviously don't deserve to be a member there yet! But I'm on my way, I think.

Last edited by CMCM : Tue, Apr-27-10 at 22:22.
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