I’ve been passionate about the Supermoms Against Superbugs issue for almost a year now. The one small step I can take at home, of course, is to change the meat I buy and always look for antibiotic-free options. But at first this can be daunting. To the novice (that’s me) the search for non-industrial-farm meat seems to lead straight to Whole Foods, which is not where I want to be shopping all the time. Even Trader Joe’s is a bit more of a hike than the local chain groceries where I like to get meat.

Fortunately, I’ve learned it’s possible to go antibiotic-free without going “whole hog” (or Whole Foods, for that matter) into “USDA organic everything” and watching the grocery bill spike.

I really got serious about my quest when it came time to make a 6-lb brisket for my family’s Passover Sedar last month. Shuddering at the thought of what an organic cut would cost, or if it would even be an option, I called the Paulina Meat Market, a Chicago institution. I first asked if they carry organic and they said no, but I’m glad I didn’t stop there. I asked about grass fed beef, which is perhaps an easier question than “raised without antibiotics” and still a decent barometer for antibiotics use in farming. They told me the cattle were raised on a combination of grass and grain, in the midwest, and — this was offered up without my asking — free of antibiotics and/or growth hormones. Music to my ears. This meat wasn’t marketed as antibiotic-free. It’s simply their standard.

With apologies to my vegetarian friends, look at this beauty:

I used this “My Mother’s Brisket” recipe from epicurious (at my own mother’s recommendation, so I could call this meal “My Mother’s Google Search”). Per some comments I wound up subbing merlot and beef stock (by Dominick’s O line of organics) for water, which worked out really well. I made in advance, refrigerated, sliced and froze with the sauce according to this good advice. On the day of the meal, after braising on 300 for a few ours and adding broth periodically as needed, this brisket was tender and moist and mouth-watering-ly good according my family. It crumbled at the touch of a fork. My 11-month-old gummed it with delight (later that night, after napping through the sedar itself which is her right as a free baby!) I wish I had photos of the dish itself. Sorry. Not a food blogger.

So that was my first foray into antibiotic free meat beyond Applegate pre-made and wholly organic, which just isn’t always realistic.

I’ve since noticed a new “Open Nature” line at Dominick’s that’s a step above the bogus “natural” label that basically means nothing but not fully organic either. It’s all raised without antibiotics.

And at my beloved local corner grocery, Harvestime, now carries fully organic beef from Black Earth Meats in WI for a reasonable price, especially if you go the chuck roast route.

More and more, I’m reading labels that say “raised without antibiotics” even if they can’t sport the USDA Organic badge of honor. And that’s a great thing for consumers looking to fend off Superbugs without breaking the bank.

Part of the reason I’m posting about this is the Supermoms Against Superbugs Advocacy Day to take place in Washington on April 16. Take action at your grocery store every day, but this week take action here. Some day, “Was your meat raised pumped full of antibiotics that help give rise to antibiotic-resistant superbugs like MRSA, which now claims more lives than AIDS worldwide?” should be a ridiculous question.

This post is cross-post on Oh Mama 2012.

This blog is a part of MomsRising’s Supermoms Against Superbugs Blog Carnival! Please check out other great posts from experts, parents and activists on the front lines in the fight to keep our food healthy and safe.