of etc. in Chicago. “For tacos, sauces, and casseroles where the beef gets heavily seasoned or cooked down, they’re willing to go leaner.”

The 80/20 blend is also the most affordable grass-fed option at Walmart, averaging around $6.26 a pound, compared with $7.26 to $7.97 a pound for the leaner variations. The extra fat in this blend helps the meat sear rather than steam as it cooks, yielding a tender, juicier texture that holds up especially well in burgers, meatballs, and any recipe that calls for browning ground beef in a skillet — which covers a lot of dishes.

Why 80/20 ground beef has flavor

For most cuts of meat, achieving a good sear and developing a golden-brown crust on the protein equals flavor. And fat is crucial to making that caramelization happen.

“Fat is a flavor conductor and a heat buffer,” says Moore. An 80/20 blend, he explains, provides just enough intramuscular fat to help the meat make full pan contact, enabling proper browning and activating the Maillard reaction. In contrast, leaner grass-fed blends lack sufficient fat to protect against moisture loss and struggle to develop the same sear.

As Harold McGee details in his acclaimed 2004 bookOn Food and Cooking, fat helps carry and amplify flavor compounds, which is why richer ground meat blends tend to taste rounder and savory on the palate.

What does “grass-fed” or “grass-finished” mean?

These standout offerings from Walmart are noteworthy for being both grass-fedandgrass-finished. The term “grass-fed” refers to cattle whose diet consists solely of grass and forage throughout their lives, with the exception of milk consumed before weaning. The USDA’s definition of “grass-fed” also dictates that cows with this label must have access to pasture until slaughter, and that 100% grass-fed animals cannot be confined to a feedlot.

While the USDA definition is clear, not all products labeled “grass-fed” are USDA-verified. In those cases, the specifics of how cattle were raised and finished may be less clearly defined. As a result, many producers also use the label “grass-finished” — an industry term rather than a USDA-defined one — to indicate that cattle remained on a grass-and-forage diet through slaughter, rather than being transitioned to grain at the end of their lives.

“From a chef’s perspective, both grass-fed and grain-finished beef have their place, but the eating experience is different,” outlines Moore. Grass-finished beef tends to have a leaner flavor profile and brighter, mineral-forward notes due to its pasture-based diet.

Grain-finished beef, he explains, develops fat marbling in the meat during the grain-finishing stage, which contributes to a richer, rounder flavor. It’s the difference between a straightforward, lean flavor and “rich, buttery, and deeply beefy” meat. But with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio in grass-fed and grass-finished beef, you get the best of both worlds.

Is grass-fed ground beef this affordable at other grocery stores?

Pricing varies by location, but at $6.26 per pound, Walmart’s Marketside 80/20 grass-fed and finished ground beef is generally less expensive than similar products at other major grocery stores. At Wegmans, an organic grass-fed 85/15 beef blend is currently priced around $7.99 per pound.

Trader Joe’s Organic 85/15 — also grass-fed — is $8.99 per pound, while Aldi’s Simply Nature Organic Grass Fed 85/15 ground beef is about $7.15 per pound, and Target’s Good & Gather organic grass-fed 85/15 is $8.29 per pound.

And if you’re specifically looking for an 80/20 blend, grass-fed ground beef is often not an option at many of these stores. Walmart is consistently on the lower end of the price range for this premium product, and it’s also one of the easiest places to find this chef-recommended iteration of it.

If you want grass-fed ground beef that browns properly and doesn’t blow the budget, Walmart’s Marketside 80/20 grass-fed and finished beef is the right call. Your next batch of smash burgers is about to become unforgettable.