This is the story of a man, a cow, and a question: What am I eating?
After realizing he knew more about television on his wall than the food on his plate, award-winning TV producer and amateur chef Jared Stone buys 420 pounds of beef directly from a rancher and embarks on a hilarious and inspiring culinary adventure. With the help of an incredibly supportive wife and a cadre of highly amused friends, Jared offers a glimpse at one man's family as they try to learn about their food and ask themselves what's really for dinner.
Year of the Cow follows the trials and tribulations of a home cook as he begins to form a deeper relationship with food and the environment. From meeting the rancher who raised his cow to learning how to successfully pack a freezer with cow parts, Stone gets to know his bovine and delves into our diets and eating habits, examining the ethnography of cattle, how previous generations ate, why environmentalists and real food aficionados are mad for grass-fed beef, why certain cuts of beef tend to end up on our plates (while boldly experimenting with the ones that don't), and much more.
Over the course of dozens of nose-to-tail meals, Jared cooks his way through his cow armed with a pioneering spirit and a good sense of humor. He becomes more mindful of his diet, makes changes to his lifestyle, and bravely confronts challenges he never expected―like how to dry beef jerky without attracting the neighborhood wildlife to the backyard, and how to find deliciousness in the less-common cuts of meat like the tongue and heart―sharing a recipe at the end of each chapter.
By examining the food that fuels his life and pondering why we eat the way we do, Jared and his family slowly discover to how live a life more fully―and experience a world of culinary adventures along the way.
JARED STONE attended the University of Kansas, graduating with dual B.A.s in Cultural Anthropology and Film, with a concentration in Visual Anthropology. He began his career with National Geographic Television, beginning as an intern and rising through the ranks to become a producer. At that point, he entered the agency world, producing television for a multitude of clients including ABC, NBC, FOX, the CW, FX, Bravo, USA, Lifetime, Sony, and Telepictures, where his work was nominated for an Emmy in 2011, and in 2013 won an Emmy for his work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In addition to his television work, Stone is also the author of several screenplays and is the creator of the Year of the Cow blog detailing his quest to make the absolute best use of an entire cow that he possibly can. Stone lives with his wife, Summer, their two children, and a large dog in a small house in Los Angeles.
