It’s grass versus grain in the battle of the beef. Grass-finished beef (also called grass-fed) is considered a leaner and greener alternative to conventional grain-fed beef.

The difference between them is rooted in what cattle eat. Cattle that are grass-finished have spent their entire lives feeding on pasture grasses; conventionally raised grain-fed steers spend the first part of their lives on pasture but their final 4 to 6 months at feedlots, where a diet of grain ensures rapid weight gain.

Which one is better? That’s a matter of taste. Shannon Hayes, a grass farmer and author of The Farmer and the Grill: A Guide to Grilling, Barbecuing and Spit-Roasting Grassfed Meat (Left to Write Press, 2008), describes the flavor of grass-finished beef as "far more pronounced than grocery store beef and…beefier." It’s also pricier and requires slight adjustments when cooking. Follow these tips to ensure success.

You can cook grass-finished ground beef just as you would regular ground beef. But note that it’s not necessarily leaner than supermarket hamburger.

Use moderate heat when cooking grass-finished steaks and don’t overcook them. They tend to be lean, so they’re most juicy when cooked rare to medium-rare.

When using grass-finished meat in stews and pot roasts, allow extra cooking time for the meat to become tender.