Regular cheapest-quality-available ground beef is a personal cause of nasty indigestion/acid reflux. Grass fed, no problem. Not sure what's in the conventional cheap stuff that's the problem. Don't know if it's the lectins in the corn feed or not because cheap eggs from presumably corn fed hens don't cause me trouble.

My son has the same problem with the cheaper ground beef. Doesn't bother the rest of us. He's not really fond of eggs, so don't know if it's just taste, or maybe they upset his stomach, too. He was eating things with eggs in them (my low carb bread) the last time he visited & didn't complain about it. So - who knows?

Trying celery as porcupine bait in my live-traps. The high salt and nitrate content should attract them. My dogs won't learn about porkeys

Bacon is good on everything. In the next year there will be another article saying this is not true.

It could be a preservative is added. I have been buying the cheap 80/20 in a tube at Walmart. After opening, I may keep it in the refrigerator for several days before finishing. I just bought some grass fed beef, also from Walmart, for about a 40% higher price. Two days after opening, it was turning brown and had a slight smell. It didn't smell bad, and was just a slight change, but it makes me think the cheap stuff has something added.

I find that Walmart meat has a strange smell. IDK what they put into it but there is definitely something, I decided this after several purchases. Now if I buy ground beef at another store, I choose the one ground in the store, not in a factory.
Ground Beef has higher bacteria levels than a single piece of meat since it's combined with meat from many different cows in a grinding machine, depending where it is made so I wouldn't keep it much more than 3 days. That's also why they say to cook ground beef well at the appropriate temperature to kill the bacteria.

IMO you are on the right track.

Home grown meats are not necessaily fed the same as commerical animals either , so the content of the meat is different. One producer in VT has grass fed hogs.

We have a smoker too. Just havent tried it yet. Finding suitable chips was an issue. Would like to try with birch.

The smoke itself is a carcinogen. ANd in my family we have a few cancer markers. BUT I do wonder if a diet filled with good vegies like th 3 cups aday on Atkins offsets the risks.

IMO there are not enough studies to know this. THese studies are overdue.

I bought the Walmart ground beef just once - it didn't taste good at all. I promptly went back to getting it from the local grocery that grinds its own. Same for rib eye - Walmart's was cheap, but it had very little fat & didn't taste good.

Now I stick to the local grocery for all meats & produce - I can't remember having a problem with any of it. I stock up on meat when it's on sale. I'm so glad I have a deep freeze! I stocked up on Swiss chard at the farmer's market last summer - I just love that stuff. This year I'm going to get even more. Blanching & freezing is a bit of trouble, but the taste is worth it.

The grass stops growing when the days shorten and we have a long growing season compared to northern states. In Texas, Livestock have to be fed for about 4-5 months that the grass isn't growing so grain and hay is the only option during those months. That's why no grass fed beef is 100% grass fed unless you slaughter calves before the winter comes.

City boy here: Doesn't hay count as a grass?

I guess I either said too much or too little. LOL
What I meant is that they aren't grazing live growing grass in a pasture 100% as would be expected with grass fed beef.
They also are fed tubs of molasses in the winter sometimes with urea in it that they lick at will.

Only needed two round bales, mineral, salt and protein tubs this Winter in South Texas with all the rain. Summer droughts are often a problem down here though.