dipping my toe in the water.. suggestions welcome!

[Streak]

Hi everyone,

I'm really happy to have found this forum; there's a lot great information here  

I'm currently planning to transition from cooked to raw meat. Once I decide on an online source (feel free to offer suggestions) and make space for a chest freezer, I'll be diving in. In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I don't have any particular plans to start eating a fully raw diet (although anything's possible). Right now I'm more interested in "primal" eating, as interpreted by Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. Ultimately, I'm just going to forge my own path through trial and error and decide what works best for me. I'm sure the information and experiences shared here will be very helpful in that regard.

I'd love any feedback/suggestions regarding the following:

What are the best cuts of beef (or bison or lamb, since I'll be trying those too) to start off with? Should I start with the more tender cuts? I don't want my initial experiences to be so miserable that I give up after a few weeks.

Any particular types of fish that would be good for a newb? I actually don't care for cooked fish at all, but if I can find a source for (affordable) wild caught fish, I'll probably try it at some point for the sake of variety. I feel obligated to mix it up a little, for diversity's sake.

I know we're eating this stuff raw, but are there any particular "preparation" steps that are necessary? Just the other night I tried some raw steak. I only had a small amount, because it was regular grain fed and non-organic, but I had to fight the urge to excessively rinse it because the blood made me a little squeamish. Eventually I just slapped it on a plate and ate it with some lemon juice and mustard, but is the blood something you just get used to? Should I be rinsing it thoroughly?

And, speaking of the lemon juice and mustard -- I'd really love to hear any "recipes" -- favorite marinades/dressings/etc, that you're willing to share. (God knows, I'm going to need all the help I can get while starting with this)

Any comments, questions, suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Looking forward to spending more time here : )

[djr_81]

Welcome to the forum Streak.

I think the fattier cuts of meat will be the best choices if you're going to eat raw. Raw fat is fantastic for the body and the fattier cuts of meat are generally cheaper so it's really win-win. The cheaper and fattier cuts are generally "tougher", such as chuck, but this has much less bearing when the food is raw; it's all pretty soft.
On second thought though raw grassfed fat is a bit different of a mouthfeel from cooked grainfed or grassfed so you might transition easier with some steak cuts but it won't take long before you want the fattier meat.

I'm not sure on what to recommend for fish. It seems most of the benefits come from smaller fish you can eat in their entirety (such as sardines) or miscellaneous shellfish. Most fish should be ok just make sure it's wild to get the best benefits.

Preparation is an individual choice. Many of us eat our meat without preparation but in the beginning it helps a lot of people to get over fears or distaste for the raw meat. Nothing to fear about the juices in the meat; it's really just accultaration. Eventually it gets easier and some day you might drink it down as an appertif.

[PaleoPhil]

...I'm not sure on what to recommend for fish. It seems most of the benefits come from smaller fish you can eat in their entirety (such as sardines) or miscellaneous shellfish. ...

Thanks, you just caused me to realize why shellfish are probably more nutrient rich than most other seafood: because we eat the liver and all other organs, whereas with other seafood folks usually eat just the meat and maybe the skin.

[djr_81]

Thanks, you just caused me to realize why shellfish are probably more nutrient rich than most other seafood: because we eat the liver and all other organs, whereas with other seafood folks usually eat just the meat and maybe the skin.

Definitely.
It's the same reason insects are touted as such a nutrient dense food.

[TylerDurden]

Most people start off with raw ground meat. I quickly preferred other non-ground raw meats as gorund meats seemed not to digest as well, in my own case. Go for the cheaper cuts of muscle-meat, they're fattier which is good and you shouldn't be paying the vast prices they charge for organic/100% grassfed rump steak/fillet steak - stewing steak etc. is fine. Also, raw organ-meats like raw tongue are very cheap too- but best to get used to raw muscle-meats first.

I eat a very wide variety of raw wildcaught seafood:- I wouldn't recommend raw mussels for a newbie, but raw oysters are great(if you have an oyster-knife, that is); raw scallops/raw swordfish/raw herring shark, raw mackerel/sardines(I love fatty raw fish), raw kingfish, raw(live) lobsters/crabs are fine(but difficult to cut open), also raw prawns(though these may be farmed) etc. etc.

Re blood:- That is something people invariably get used to. I find blood from unhealthy grainfed animals to taste foul, blood from 100% grassfed/organic animals is OK if a bit bland, and I find blood from raw wild game carcasses like wild hare, to taste absolutely amazing.

Re preparation:- No real idea. RVAFers like me find it easier to eat raw meats without any sauces. Look online for modern recipes re raw animal foods like steak tartare/raw oysters etc. They'll usually add herbs like garlic etc. Just don't include the non-palaeo items like grains or dairy.

[Streak]

TylerDurden and djr_81, thankyou for the input 

I just got my order of grass fed beef/lamb/pork today and I'm surprised by how much the cow tongue disturbs me (the dog will probably be getting quite a bit of that). Thankfully, everything else is cut and packaged in a way that leaves it looking fairly anonymous, and less intimidating to the uninitiated.

Nothing to fear about the juices in the meat; it's really just accultaration. Eventually it gets easier and some day you might drink it down as an appertif.

Haha, thanks djr_81. I'm hoping that day comes sooner rather than later!

Thanks again to both of you for your help and patience.

[TylerDurden]

Newbies don't generally seem to like the tip of the cow tongue as they find it too tough  or the darker,underside as they find the flesh too "stringy". Start off with the pink, smooth "slab-like" part of the tongue. You'll eventually not mind the rest of it and eat it all.

[djr_81]

I tried cow tongue for the first time last month.
For me at least it wasn't the flavor, it was the coarse sand-papery texture & shape when it was whole. I couldn't get past my acculturation the first time, I had to go back and have it the second time.
I ended up eating a bit raw and made jerky from the rest. Note, this was a really dumb idea in hindsight. Tongue is so fatty that the slabs dried some but all the fat rose to the top leaving big oil slicks. I also left the skin on due to laziness and that was a pain trying to gnaw through.
Now that I've gotten past my first time eating it I'm sure I'd have no problem eating it again.

[RawZi]

    Took me about three times, but I love tongue now.

[Stig of the Dump]

I'm lucky that my mum was from "no nonsense" Yorkshire so I was forced to eat tongue, tripe, heart, liver, kidneys, trotters (all cooked of course) and the rest as a kid and have no problems with anything.

[RawZi]

I'm lucky that my mum was from "no nonsense" Yorkshire so I was forced to eat tongue, tripe, heart, liver, kidneys, trotters (all cooked of course) and the rest as a kid and have no problems with anything.

    I had tongue before, but it was boiled soft.  I had tripe before too, but again, bleached and boiled.  Had never had kidneys.  What are trotters?

   

[TylerDurden]

    I had tongue before, but it was boiled soft.  I had tripe before too, but again, bleached and boiled.  Had never had kidneys.  What are trotters?

   

  Pig's trotters, the feet as I recall. I think I had a couple of those in europe once or twice, pre-rpd diet in cooked form. At the time, I just loved the taste of all the globs of congealed fat on them. Now, I'd almost immediately vomit afterwards.

[RawZi]

 Pig's trotters, the feet as I recall. I think I had a couple of those in europe once or twice, pre-rpd diet in cooked form. At the time, I just loved the taste of all the globs of congealed fat on them. Now, I'd almost immediately vomit afterwards.

    Oh, thank you Tyler.  I got a trotter in a soup one time.  I didn't touch it.  It was at a restaurant.  I mis-read the foreign menu.  I thought I was ordering vegetables.  When I saw the pig foot as the main part of my soup bowl, I sent it back and I was confused and re-read the menu.  I had gotten one of the letters wrong and wasn't even familiar with their foot word.

    I have smelled a gelatin dish made freshly of feet at a place I worked.  I didn't like the dish, but it was heavily seasoned and I didn't like the seasoning to be paired with that dish.  The gelatin alone did not smell bad.  It was made from grassfed animals I believe.

    I think my grandmother made soup with feet, but I think she took them out before serving the broth.

[TylerDurden]

Actually, silly me, the feet I bought were much too large, must have been from cattle.

[TylerDurden]

Further correction, what I ate was maybe actually "ham hocks" whatever they are:-

http://communityneu.klz.apa.net/static/sites/kuecheundkeller/media/Gegrillte-Stelze.jpg

[RawZi]

Further correction, what I ate was maybe actually "ham hocks" whatever they are:-

http://communityneu.klz.apa.net/static/sites/kuecheundkeller/media/Gegrillte-Stelze.jpg

    I've seen wet pink hamhocks in water in jars on the supermarket shelf.  I think my sitter put one of them in my son's soup too.  He wouldn't eat it; because she gave him too much sugar, chocolate and pasteurized cow milk as an appetizer.  Obviously, he got diarrhea.

Actually, silly me, the feet I bought were much too large, must have been from cattle.

    The pigfoot I saw physically took up much of the space in my supposed bowl.  It was no chunk of carrot.  How big were the cow feet?

[TylerDurden]

See above post of mine.