Love Alberta Beef!

 

We love beef in Alberta!

 The only way to ensure you’re buying truly local beef is to buy it directly from a rancher or a butcher who can guarantee its origin.   Luckily, that’s getting easier all the time. 

At the Millarville Farmers’ Market we have two vendors that raise and sell grass fed local beef.   Highwood Valley Beef is a market veteran who is here full time.  www.highwoodvalleyranch.com

The other vendor is brand new this year and is here only for the next few weeks- until July 28.  BITE Beef is a team of two young women ranching just north of the City of Calgary.  www.bitebeef.com

 

Threepoint Kitchen and Catering (the MRAS food service) uses Highwood Valley Ranch ground beef to make our burgers.   You can taste one at the market and then buy some beef to make your own at home. 

One of the things about grass fed beef is that it can dry out quickly and you’ll be disappointed not because it was poor quality, but because it was overcooked.   Bite Beef has some cooking recommendations on their website.   This mostly involves cooking to rare/medium rare, shorter cooking time and searing on high then finishing on low heat.   For more details check at:

http://www.bitebeef.com/how-to-cook-grass-fed-beef/

Both Highwood Valley and BITE have signature products including jerky that are worth trying out.

Also ask how you can purchase a freezer pack or access their products during the winter. 

Beef Definitions:  Some handy terms to know.

On the Hoof Weight/Live weight:    What the animal weighs on the hoof (alive)  An animal’s live weight is generally 1000lbs to 1200lbs when it  is sent in to be slaughtered.

Hanging Weight/Hot weight:  That animal is then killed, having the hide, head and intestinal organs removed. It is hung by halves and weighed. This weight is called the HOT weight. Obviously this HOT weight is less than the LIVE weight.   This is an independent weight of that singular animal and is taken  by the slaughter facility the day the animal is taken in.

Dry Hanging:  After the HOT weight is taken the two halves are then DRY HUNG in a large cooler for 21-28 days. This is a very important process and a major selling feature for small producers.    Because the larger slaughter houses and large beef producers don’t dry age.  During the dry hanging process a crust forms on the outside of the half, very similar to the texture of beef jerky. The half begins to lose moisture and what remains is absorbed into the meat which enhances the flavor and tenderness of the meat.  At the end of the 21 day dry hang the crust is then trimmed away. The dry aging process takes special care as it is very time consuming and expensive, requiring extra effort,  storage and high-quality beef. It is important to note that there is a significant amount of weight loss (as much as 20%) on the half during this process due to loss of water weight.

Cut and Wrap:  The half is cut and wrapped where a significant amount of bones and trim (fat, sinew, gristle) are removed.    This process requires butchers to de-bone the half and portion it to your specifications. This process accounts for more weight loss as unnecessary fat and bones are removed.

In the end when you put your packaged beef in the freezer there is a significant difference in weight from the live animal to the stash in your freezer.   You also have a high quality supply of meat that per pound generally works out a bit more per pound for ground and stew and significantly less for the high end roasts and steaks.  

A Steer Named Supper: 

I recently bought a half a steer for my family from our rancher friends.  We helped to brand, vaccinate, feed, move to the lease and now are eating him.   His name was Supper.   He lived a great life, died calmly at a small local slaughter house, was dry aged for 21 days and was then cut and wrapped in the  cuts and size of packages that I requested.  Supper is delicious and worth every penny.  We give thanks to him and his ranchers every week.  

Alice's Burgers (courtesy of Highwood Valley Ranch)

Try Auntie Alice’s burger recipe or simply cut a slightly thawed package of ground into four patties and barbecue them o’natural. Alice’s Burgers 3 lbs Highwood Valley Ranch ground beef 1 small onion chopped fine 3 tsp. seasoning salt 2tsp. Worcestershire Sauce ½ tsp. pepper ½ cup ketchup 2 beaten eggs ¾ cup quick oats Mix ingredients thoroughly and form into 4 oz. burgers. Barbecue over medium heat till well cooked.