Buy This Ground Beef Brand For Burgers That Rival Your Favorite Chains

Whether you held out for a reservation for the legendary burger at New York's Minetta Tavern or you're hitting the drive-thru at Shake Shack, the beef at both locations share an origin: Creekstone Farms. And that's far from the end of the list. Creekstone also provides beef to Fuddruckers, Wahlburgers, Bareburger, Austin's Mighty Fine Burgers, Chicago's Epic Burger, and many more. And you can find this ground beef in many grocery stores under the Creekstone Farms label or from Pat LaFrieda, the meat purveyor known for Shake Shack's signature ground beef blend and the Northeast U.S.'s exclusive distributor of Creekstone beef.

Thanks to food movements like locavore and farm-to-table, discerning diners may assume that superior meat comes from smaller-scale or local cattle farms, so how exactly is a massive supplier like Creekstone so widely well-regarded and responsible for such great beef? That's because of the fat. A good burger is juicy because of even marbling and a solid fat ratio. Creekstone Farms shows that good marbling comes from genetics, diet, and a better life.

All of Creekstone Farms' beef is Certified Humane, which means the cattle are raised in healthy environments with access to plenty of space, shelter, and nutritious feed. And while there is no denying their processing facility is an Angus cow's final destination, it was designed to be as stress-free as possible. And that's important. No really; cows that live and die without stress yield better-tasting meat with plenty of intramuscular fat, also known as marbling.

A review article published in the Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences explored how genetics, management, and nutrition influence marbling. It noted that whenever cows are stressed, their bodies generate cortisol, which can interfere with the way fat gets stored in the muscle, potentially reducing marbling over time. But when cattle have an easier time, they're more likely to develop that desirable intramuscular fat, which you might recognize in a steak as the tiny white flecks that make better beef so tender, juicy, and delicious. 

Ranches working with Creekstone Farms also avoid growth hormones that make for faster-growing cattle but can negatively affect tenderness and flavor. And unlike the beef suppliers for In-N-Out, they're committed to avoiding antibiotics, and that helps reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing in cows and potentially spreading to the people who eat them. It's these deliberate, considered care policies that eventually let you whip up a restaurant-style smash burger with all the fixings on your home flat-top.