Our Beef

One of the most common misconceptions about Longhorn / Corriente beef is that it is tough. The reality is quite the opposite. The cattle that we sell are approaching four years of age when they are butchered. Most of the tough meat in the supermarket comes from beef that is slaughtered at about twenty-four months of age. These young, fast growing cattle are later maturing (reaching puberty at a later age), and are killed before their muscles have a chance to get soft and tender. Because of their fast growth, they are only fed grain the last one hundred days of their life. Longhorn cattle are early maturing and slow growing. Just like a fine wine, they are not killed until they reach the age where their muscles get tender.

Our cattle are finished on grain for at least two hundred days before they are slaughtered. This extra feeding time helps to ensure that fewer of these cattle are tough. In fact, a study conducted by West Texas A&M University found that longhorn cattle had steaks that were more tender than steaks from Hereford or Angus calves.

All of our grain fed beef is dry aged for a minimum of 21 days.  Dry aging is the "Gold Standard" method of improving the flavor and tenderness of beef.

Most of the grain that is fed to Corriente cattle goes directly into producing muscle, not fat. Consequently, there is less waste cut off in the fabrication stage of the packing process. This results in a leaner product, both in the muscle cuts and in the ground beef. Due to this, it is not a good idea to overcook the meat. Also, there is not as much loss when cooking hamburger meat.

Lean Beef Cooking Tips

Hamburger is easy: Less fat means very little waste and grease. Some oil may have to be added if cooking for a long period in an uncovered pan.  Steaks and roast are trickier because there is little fat to keep the meat moist while it is cooking.

If you like your steaks rare:
1. Pull the steak out of the freezer.
2. Sprinkle on your favorite seasoning.
3. Put on the grill.

This may sound strange, but these steaks are tender and have enough flavor that marinating is not necessary. The outside of the steak will sear and hold the juices inside, while the inside thaws out!

If you like your steak well done:
1. Thaw out meat completely.
2. Sprinkle on your favorite seasoning.
3. Put on the grill.
4. Each time you turn the steak: Sprinkle some water, or brush steak sauce on top of it. This keeps the meat from drying out and turning it into “boot leather”.

Roasts:
1. Thawing is not necessary.
2. Add vegetables and flavoring.
3. Use a deep enough pan to keep at least 1/3 of the meat in its own juices.
4. Cover completely with foil to keep juices from evaporating.
5. If roasts are overcooked in a dry pan, they will turn into “boot leather” as well.