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carnivore diet discussion thread

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stadtaffe

Orthodox
Heirloom
This has reached the point of needing its own thread, seems to be enough interest.
Douglas Quaid said:
He's got a great YouTube channel too, and highly recommends the carnivore diet. It's hilarious when he makes fun of vegans. I wish I could eat all those ribeyes like him, but I have to look for deals on NY strips, sirloin and tri tip. Ground beef is also great and cheaper. Plus eggs and sardines.

Red meat is God's gift to man. So healthy and tastes so good.
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Agree with that. Here is his intro :

Hannibal said:
I got a lot of mileage out of ground beef, steak, chicken wings and drumsticks, bacon, pot roasts, etc. Ribeye always tasted best, followed by 80/20 ground beef and no leaner than that.

Ground beef, I would make patties in the smashburger style, maybe throw some cheese or butter on them when they were done.

As far as steak, that's easy.

Salt both sides and set it on the counter to rest in the amount of time it takes to heat up a carbon steel or cast iron skillet.

Heat up the skillet to 6 out of 10 on your stove dial. Throw a big blob of grease, clarified butter, lard or whatever animal fat on the pan your choice.

A grease lid helps here otherwise you will splatter everywhere. They're like 10 bucks and well worth the investment.

Slap the meat on the pan for 3 minutes a side.

Put it on a plate and let it rest for five and it's done.

Edit - the whole nitrate thing is overblown. It's salt. It's salt from celery. A bunch of overpaid scientists got togethet and pinned the blame on nitrates for health problems by using epidemiology, the kind of fuzzy math where you're like "Population A lives 3 years longer than Population B and B eats on average 1 more egg a week. Ergo, eggs take three years off your life."

Meanwhile the confounding factor is that A has half the obesity rate of B and it wasn't a single 70 calorie egg a week that caused that.
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I eat "ground" beef if someone else cooks bolognaise or tacos but generally have not embraced cooking that myself yet, but you guys keep mentioning it and I may indeed rise to the challenge. Can see you have that hamburger recipe here -

@Brewer wrote a fair bit of detail in there too about cooking steak
and

A few days ago I was in a restaurant and it was a choice between a 250 gram steak including salad and a baked potato with sour cream or a 400 gram steak and salad only. I went with the former, 400 gram sounded too big but somewhat regretted it after.

Anyone with something carnivore to discuss or add, whether personal experiences, recipes, benefits, drawbacks, go for it here. I don't think it's purely a weight loss strategy, but more to do with body composition and well-being.
beef-cuts.jpg
 
I'm a huge believer in Carnivore. I've been doing this for quite some time at about 75-80 % Carnivore. I'm hoping to go 100% next month. Like fasting, I think the greatest benefits will be sustained over longer periods of time.

At the moment I mainly eat Beef, Eggs, Bacon, Butter and very occasionally Salmon.

Benefits i've seen are stable consistent mood (no highs or lows), increased energy, weight loss, much better sleep and better clarity in thinking (much sharper). It's also great to simplify your grocery list. I feel incredible after eating a meal like this - not stuffed or tired like you can get eating a ton of carbs - which really helps during a work day not having those spikes in insulin.

The downside is that it's very cheap to eat a lot of carbs - rice, bread or even fruit. Buying decent steak can be a little costly, but i'm proud to support local farms and butchers in my area and i'm consistently finding ways to make it cheaper.

Ultimately the cost is not really that important to me. It's a worthy investment.


There are some brilliant videos on Youtube of people eating this way overcoming all kinds of illnesses and getting their lives back on track. Definitely worth checking out the testimonies and giving this a go.
 
stadtaffe said:
I eat "ground" beef if someone else cooks bolognaise or tacos but generally have not embraced cooking that myself yet, but you guys keep mentioning it and I may indeed rise to the challenge. Can see you have that hamburger recipe here -
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That hamburger steak recipe is more of a cafe classic style, for carnivore dieters I would not put bread in it.

I suppose you could still add an egg or two, but it wouldn't by like that "pan fried meatloaf" kind of texture.

What I did for carnivore diet was basically

Preheat your pan to about 6 out of 10 on the stove, add a big glob of lard or clarified butter, tallow etc. Animal fat.

Grab 80 20 ground beef, form into a rough ball shape. Put on the hot pan for 1 minute. This cooks a small portion of the beef for the next step.

Flip the ball and smash it with a flat object, like this smashburger press.

1000018488.jpg


Cook to your desired level of doneness then flip.

Set them on a plate, salt them, put cheese on them, whatever you like.

For women Id do at least a pound of meat a day. Men, two minimum. Bigger guys, three or four.
 
The thing is, I also like vegetables and potatoes and sometimes pasta. I know carbs are supposed to be avoided, but it's hard to give them up. Imagine you want to get rid of smoking, so it's with the potatoes. I'll replace them with carrots, so less potatoes and some carrots instead.
 
Bird said:
The thing is, I also like vegetables and potatoes and sometimes pasta. I know carbs are supposed to be avoided, but it's hard to give them up. Imagine you want to get rid of smoking, so it's with the potatoes. I'll replace them with carrots, so less potatoes and some carrots instead.
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I'm with you except am usually too scared to cook pasta or rice (scared what I will see in the mirror if I start doing that). Vegetables and potatoes yes, and up the carrots, lower the potatoes, yes. Thick cut the carrots, cubes rather than slices.

However I am trying to slightly increase the proportion of my diet which is meat, and reduce everything else a bit as an experiment. Look forward though to reading what the carnivore fanatics have to say in this thread even if I'm not a fanatic myself (yet)
Kiwi said:
I'm a huge believer in Carnivore. I've been doing this for quite some time at about 75-80 % Carnivore. I'm hoping to go 100% next month. Like fasting,
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That's me exactly - I aim at periods of fasting between 2 and 6 days depending on what is going on in my life, and keep the refeeding periods (red) meat oriented. Not at the exclusion of everything else, but meat oriented.
Kiwi said:
Benefits i've seen are stable consistent mood (no highs or lows), increased energy, weight loss, much better sleep and better clarity in thinking (much sharper).
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I've also seen weight loss, improved body composition and clarity in thinking although link it more to the fasting than to carnivore thing at this point. Is both, but if I didn't have these periods of abstinence and just stuffed down meat all the time I know I would not feel very good.
 
I could live off rotating steak and ground beef every other night. Same with 6 eggs every day. I buy a 60 pack of eggs for $12.50. Lately I've been getting ground beef for like $3-4/lb, sirloin for $4 when it's on sale, ribeyes for $10/lb when they're on sale. My freezer is full of beef I buy in bulk during the sales. This diet doesn't even have to be expensive and you already save so much by not eating out or buying other garbage.

Chicken is ruined for me though. I refuse to make it because I'd rather just eat red meat.

For canned seafood, oysters and sardines are great.
 
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Most carnivore dieticians also recommend to take a daily viatamin supplement if you are doing carnivore long term. Just wanted to add that for anyone just reading the forum and going after it.
 
What about bacon and sausage? I know they add stuff to help preserve them, but they still seem a lot better than most food. A lot of sausage has garbage like high fructose corn syrup in it, so I watch out for it at the grocery store. And it would be tough to give up bacon.

I'm trying to develop a routine of one day scrambled eggs with bacon for one meal, then a pound of steak for the other. Then the next day eggs sunny side up with sausage for a meal, then a pound of ground beef for the other. Rotate back and forth each day. Add some stuff like sardines/oysters, fruit and honey throughout the day too.
 
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I also do not miss vegetables at all. I'll eat them if someone else makes them, but have no desire to buy and cook them. Same for rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.

Fruit is where I get most carbs. Damn I love oranges, bananas, watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, mangoes.
 
Myrzik3 said:
Many use seed oil for packing, always check your labels
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You can get seafood without any preservatives in olive oil, especially the good brands from Portugal and Chile. I have a can for lunch when active and gives me loads of energy for the afternoon, sardines are loaded with good stuff and no mercury issues
 
Do any of you use a specific appliance for cooking steaks?

I'm that bad at it with the cast iron pans. Despite @Brewer 's advice in the other thread my last attempt (with coconut fat) ended up soggy. It's either burned on the outside, soggy all the way through or overcooked all the way through.

For quite a few years I used to have an electric lava stone (volcanic stone) grill. Now I'm thinking of getting the same thing again, either electric or gas, with volcanic stones. Does produce a certain amount of smoke so if I might annoy the neighbours, but will try it anyway and see.

Have also heard of the so called George Foreman Grill but never had one or seen it in action.
 
stadtaffe said:
Do any of you use a specific appliance for cooking steaks?

I'm that bad at it with the cast iron pans. Despite @Brewer 's advice in the other thread my last attempt (with coconut fat) ended up soggy. It's either burned on the outside, soggy all the way through or overcooked all the way through.

For quite a few years I used to have an electric lava stone (volcanic stone) grill. Now I'm thinking of getting the same thing again, either electric or gas, with volcanic stones. Does produce a certain amount of smoke so if I might annoy the neighbours, but will try it anyway and see.

Have also heard of the so called George Foreman Grill but never had one or seen it in action.
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Can you post more details? What cut of steak, how thick was it, how hot did you get the pan, gas or electric heat, did you use an oven, and did you pat the steak dry first? Not sure what you mean by soggy - do you have a pic?

Cast iron is a great tool for the job btw, so I would say you should keep at it. Making a steak with cast iron is a great skill and you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment once you nail it.

If you want a foolproof method that's guaranteed to give you a great steak, I would highly recommend you invest in a probe thermometer like this and try the reverse sear method.

1) Preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC.
2) Salt and pepper the steak. Be generous with both - steaks can take a lot of salt and pepper,
3) Put the steak in the oven on a baking sheet. Put the thermometer in the middle of the steak. Make sure the tip of the probe is in the deepest, meatiest part of the steak and it's not touching the baking sheet (or any bones, if the steak has one),
4) When the steak has reached 125ºF/50ºC, take it out of the oven and put it aside.
5) Heat your cast iron pan up on high heat. Once it starts to get hot, add about a tablespoon of cooking oil. Wait until the pan is extremely hot. Two ways to tell: the oil should be glistening and dancing, and if you shake a drop of water into the pan, it should dance around the pan and not evaporate immediately. If it's not doing that, it's not hot enough. The pan may smoke a bit, so turn on a fan or open a window.
6) Pat your steak dry on both sides with a paper towel.
7) Add your steak to the pan. The steak should really be sizzling. Sear it very quickly just until it reaches a nice brown color, roughly a minute or two (you can check by lifting it up with a fork). Then flip it and do the same to the other side.
8) Put the steak on a plate and cover it. Let it "rest" for about 10 minutes. (This makes the steak more tender and juicy.)
9) Cut the steak, add any additional salt and pepper to taste (remember, salt is your friend), and enjoy.

Let me know if that helps.
 
I love using a cast iron. Too lazy most of the time for low and slow, so do high and fast.

I put the stove on high, let it get hot for about 5 minutes, throw butter on there, then cook the steak for about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on how thick it is. The last minute I'll throw more butter in and baste the steak.

I've been pretty happy with chuck steaks lately. Like a poor man's ribeye. Chucks and ribeyes are the ones I cook 3-4 minutes a side. Sirloin is also great and those are usually only 2 minutes a side. NY strips can be more like 2-3 minutes.
 
Brewer said:
Cast iron is a great tool for the job btw, so I would say you should keep at it. Making a steak with cast iron is a great skill and you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment once you nail it.
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I was talking to someone yesterday who used to co-own a restaurant and work with the chefs and he said they got very angry when he mistreated their cast iron. In particular when someone scrubbed it with detergent so that the black film comes off. That is exactly what I do, it feels cleaner.

Apparently the chefs used to do something to the pans with salt - maybe heat till it was glowing and sprinkle it on it, I really don't know.

I think when professionals use these pans they are more non-stick but when I used them, things stick very easily which means it needs more cooking fat (of whichever kind) and can end up soggy like last time.

I don't think I want teflon but will look out for a small lava stone thing. Also keep experimenting. There is a lot of detail with this cast iron, I like it in principle but it is not that easy to get a good result.
 
Cleaning a cast iron skillet is a time consuming pain. But it is tasty to cook with. I think I spend the same time hand cleaning the CO skillet as I do loading all other dishes from a day in the dishwasher.
 
I would recommend cooking steak with butter. I would avoid cooking oil, especially if you are going carnivore. 👍
 
stadtaffe said:
I was talking to someone yesterday who used to co-own a restaurant and work with the chefs and he said they got very angry when he mistreated their cast iron. In particular when someone scrubbed it with detergent so that the black film comes off. That is exactly what I do, it feels cleaner.

Apparently the chefs used to do something to the pans with salt - maybe heat till it was glowing and sprinkle it on it, I really don't know.

I think when professionals use these pans they are more non-stick but when I used them, things stick very easily which means it needs more cooking fat (of whichever kind) and can end up soggy like last time.

I don't think I want teflon but will look out for a small lava stone thing. Also keep experimenting. There is a lot of detail with this cast iron, I like it in principle but it is not that easy to get a good result.
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Yes. Cast iron needs to be "seasoned." You can look it up if you're not familiar, it's basically a thin layer of oil that the pan absorbs and makes it non-stick. You shouldn't use detergent or soap or you'll remove the seasoning.

Seasoning a pan takes about 30 minutes. Basically you just heat oil in the pan over high heat until the metal absorbs it. Once you season a pan, it lasts basically forever, unless you somehow rust the pan or strip the seasoning, in which case you just remove the seasoning and start over. Cast iron is "buy it for life" and basically indestructible.

In order to clean, you just wipe with a paper towel, or if there's anything stuck on, or excessive grease from cooking, you put some coarse kosher salt in the pan to scrub with the paper towel.

I use a carbon steel pan every day, which is similar to cast iron but lighter and smoother. After I make eggs, it takes about 15 seconds to wipe out with a paper towel, and after something like steak, takes a minute or two to scrub with salt.

IME it's really not any more work than washing a pan by hand once you get the hang of it.

But if that seems too complicated, just get a stainless steel pan like this or this. Just make sure it's fairly heavy (to hold heat better) and oven safe.
 
Brewer said:
Yes. Cast iron needs to be "seasoned." You can look it up if you're not familiar, it's basically a thin layer of oil that the pan absorbs and makes it non-stick. You shouldn't use detergent or soap or you'll remove the seasoning.

Seasoning a pan takes about 30 minutes. Basically you just heat oil in the pan over high heat until the metal absorbs it. Once you season a pan, it lasts basically forever, unless you somehow rust the pan or strip the seasoning, in which case you just remove the seasoning and start over. Cast iron is "buy it for life" and basically indestructible.
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I finally did some research yesterday on seasoning cast iron, and most sources seem to recommend multiple hour long periods in the oven with some kind of oil on the cast iron. I do not know what the chemistry or molecular science of this is.

Stainless feels more hygienic than this burned layer of oil, but that is probably not valid. I have 3 cast iron pans, 2 of which need to be seasoned.

If I had my way I'd sand the cast iron with various coarseness of carborundum sandpaper till it was bare shiny metal, but that is actually what you are supposed to not do.
Brewer said:
I use a carbon steel pan every day, which is similar to cast iron but lighter and smoother.
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I know what that is, used to have one.

Have made a comment elsewhere about your choice of salt and its branding :

Actually regarding the red lava rock thing, it has been branded indoor smokeless bbq. I think these lava rock things are very much out of fashion. The house I grew up in in the 80s had a very nice stainless steel unit built in that ran on gas and took lava rocks. There are a few articles around, they may be out of fashion as some people think the lava rocks are a health hazard once they are coated in fat and also that if water gets into them they can explode. No idea. I had an electric one a decade ago but they seem scarce items nowadays. Modern electric or gas barbecues seem to lack the lava rocks.
 
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