Cabo Rojo Steaks: Puerto Rican grass-fed 101

Two weeks is how much Puerto Rico’s food supply would last if boats would stop supplying imports from the States. This dependency crisis is not only dangerous in an emergency, but has greatly affected the way the people of Puerto Rico perceive their land’s potential.



Local farmers and ranchers are now working tirelessly in a quest to reverse the island’s ability to self-sustain. They are responsible for the recent green revolution, the resurgence of local farmer’s markets and the collaboration among restaurants, hotels and businesses looking to elevate the local product while bringing back a much-needed sense of national pride.

Cabo Rojo Steaks is a great example of the many heroes behind this movement, a company in the Southwestern corner of the island dedicated to the production of quality grass-fed beef.

We learned about it through our blogger friend from GreatFood360 who has been cooking up a storm with their delicious meats.

And she was so right about them! One stop at their little kiosk in La Placita de Santurce and you can see a company that puts a lot of passion behind their product.

They take the time to talk about the benefits, explain the different cuts of meat and even give you simple recipes that you can do at home with the family. It’s amazing stuff.



Their cattle is raised naturally in Finca La Providencia in Cabo Rojo, three hours from San Juan, and the meat is particularly tender and high in Omega 3’s. It contains no antibiotics or added chemicals and the cuts are air sealed to ensure freshness. The price is also comparably low compared to US grass-fed beef.

What to buy at Cabo Rojo Steaks?

Since we don’t usually buy a lot of meat, we immediately thought about getting a simple steak, but the experts at Cabo Rojo Steaks recommended we also grab the ground beef. That way, we would really see the benefits of grass-fed: the super lean meat, the bright red color and the super fresh flavor.

It was so worth it and the meat didn’t shrink at all, which was a plus. We also grabbed a ribeye to make on the grill and a veal cutlet that we sautéed with a little bit of butter. Both very tasty.

What’s great about their cuts is that they don’t need a special rub or sauce to make it taste amazing. A little salt, pepper and maybe some fresh herbs is all you really need. We were so proud of this amazing product that we wanted to celebrate it with special recipe.

For my parent’s Christmas lunch, we made Mediterranean-style meatballs with mushroom orzo and it was a hit. My parents loved it so much, we were asked to make it again. Up next is the recipe. Hope you guys enjoy them as much as we did.

Mediterranean-style grass-fed meatballs 



Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of CaboRojo Steaks grass-fed ground beef
• 1 Small onion, graded 
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 Cup of fresh basil, chopped
• 1/3 Cup of roasted red peppers, chopped
• 2 Cups of baby mushrooms 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ Cup of water
• Olive oil to taste

1. Prepare the meat by mixing it with onions, basil, peppers and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Then, add a few teaspoons of olive oil to a pan. Sauté the meatballs leaving enough space between them. Once they brown a bit, remove from heat and place them in a bowl to rest. 
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the flavor bits. Once they start to brown, add the water and let it reduce into a sauce. Then, add the meatballs back in and let it cook for 5 minutes covered. Serve over rice or pasta. We made a quick orzo with onions, garlic and mushrooms.