To grain, or not to grain? That is the question.

If only it were that simple. The age of the animal and to some degree the breed of the animal will impact the flavor profile. And, what the animal was eating besides the corn.

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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

There was a herd of them on some island in Alaska, I think the government destroyed them.

I think most of the western states have some. I have a friend who recaptures feral cattle for a living. Think of the meanest domestic bull you've ever seen...and double the mean-ness. That's about how bad they can get if they've been "wild" for much more than a year. Even range cattle get a little wild, but they are used to being worked at least a few times a year.

We just bought a steer and he is being finished mainly on pasture + barely and hops from a local brewery. No corn.

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1.5 acres in the city

Not unless there's a tall tree to climb... I've been chased by feral cows... and couldn't shoot em, because my grandpa was taking care of em, sort of...

Completely agree... all the grass only fed beef I've eaten, had lots of 'texture'... some of us call that chewy, some call it tough. Never heard it called texture... will have to remember that next time I get some meat that's close to shoe leather.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

It's not grass VS grain. It is age, breed, how handled, and how aged, in addition to feed. Grass can be great as long as it is good grass and the cow is gaining well several weeks or month before slaughter. That means you must time everything just right based on your seasons. If it is not gaining or God forbid, losing, you'll get less than quality meat. That's why it is so easy to finish them on grain. You just go buy a bag of feed no matter what the weather or season and get them to keep putting on weight. As for our house, our favorite meat is dairy steer raising on great pasture and aged 3 weeks.

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Living Large Down on the Farm.