I have been raising beef and sheep for years, mostly sheep but I got back into the beef last year.

I just got back my beef from the butcher and I am mystified why it has this 'funk' smell and aftertaste, which I had attributed to the last beef's (different) butcher's botch job. I think their freezer had broken or something, we didn't get back a lamb and the beef was of poor quality.

Anyway, this 22 month old heifer should have been perfect. She was grass fed only, no hormones or antibiotics, but she was a fatty. I have to cut off a fair amount of fat but the meat is tender and tastes good except for the 'funky finish'. I first noticed the smell while cutting up the liver and heart for the dogs...it was strong. The liver was in excellent condition, so she was healthy.

Could eucalyptus affect the taste of the meat that much? There is nothing else in the pasture that I can imagine could cause trouble, I keep it free of all noxious weeds, and she received no supplement grain, just grass hay and fresh grass.

The eucalyptus trees don't offer a lot of browse but they have cleaned up around the bases of the trees (which I like).

I am disappointed in this meat, and I hate to think I'm going to need to marinate everything heavily to mask the taste.

Any ideas on what went wrong?