Beef available soon!

What has taken so long you ask?  In 2011, with our business growing quickly, our mother cows were getting older.  So I decided to disperse our herd in the Spring when prices were high, and repurchase a new, improved set of cows in the Fall, when prices are typically a little lower.

Then...historic drought!  Ranchers across Texas and many other cattle producing states were forced to sell their herds to feedlots, which meant when when it came time to restock, prices went through the roof.  So in the Fall of 2011 and into 2012, we were selling hay to other ranchers instead of beef to our customers..

In 2012, however, I was able to purchase a beautiful set of Herefords, a breed of cows I've always enjoyed seeing on pasture and hoped to raise. Herefords are a foundational breed in the cattle industry, known for their excellent quality beef and easy, docile nature. 

There is no shortcut, however, to raising calves and growing them into quality, grassfed beef.  (Typical shortcuts for beef include a feedlot, growth hormones, lots of grain, daily antibiotics, etc., and we don't do that here.)

Our first steers are just about ready. We will be selling these on the hoof (the whole animal), which means most people will want to go in with one or more friends to fill their freezers. This is the cheapest way to purchase grassfed beef, since you'll receive expensive steaks and roasts for about the same price as retail grassfed ground beef.  It also  lets you pay the processor directly for the exact hanging weight of your animal, versus a flat fee for a quarter that might be larger or smaller.

We will deliver your animal to a local, inspected processor.  Once it is humanely dispatched and dressed, the carcass is hung to be dry aged.  The weight at this point, called the hanging weight,  is the basis for what you pay us directly for the animal.  Our current price is $3.75/lb, hanging weight. Most of our current inventory will hang at 460-500 pounds.

Once you've paid us, the carcass will be dry aged for about two weeks, then trimmed and cut per your instructions. (Don't worry, we will handle the details for you).  You'll pay the processor directly for this when you pick up your beef and that will typically run $50 plus 70 cents per pound, hanging weight. The final yield will vary for each animal and customer (depending on trimming, bone in or out cuts, shrink, etc.), but at the end of the day, you should have approximately 340-360 lbs of delicious steaks, roasts, ground beef, stew and chili meat, and more for under $7 per pound. Divide the cost of the animal with friends and family to share this, or just pack your freezer for the year the way we do.  It's so convenient and gratifying for us to just walk to the freezer all year, pull out great tasting, healthy beef, and know we raised our cattle with care. We think you'll like that too!

Call me personally to talk through details or to ask questions. Supplies are still very limited (and retail, beef prices sky high), so act now to reserve your animal.

Thanks for your patience, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Eddie Walker, Sabine Creek Ranch
214-385-1820 (cell)

Beef is here...and we're improving in many ways!

For those of you who have been waiting for some time, and also for those who have been requesting more mixed quarters, I want to apologize for the delay. We're continually learning and trying to get better at matching supply with demand, but neither the cattle nor the weather, cowboys, packing plants, equipment or 101 other factors tend to cooperate. In fact, we've even been forced to buy some "off-the-shelf" beef at our house, and we sure don't enjoy it as much!

We're going to hold off on processing more mixed quarters until we can do it with consistency in processing weight, quality and price. I've been tempted to cut corners by processing at smaller weights and adjusting the price downward for fewer cuts, etc., but I don't like all those variables for customers, even though we haven't had any complaints in that regard.

Here are a few of the things we're working on doing better. (Some of you may not care about this, but many folks like to know about the ranch their beef is raised on and the details of what we do....)

1. We're more intensively managing our pastures with rotational grazing. With an abundance of forage on 300+ acres, our cows have tended to selectively graze the grass they enjoy and move on, leaving the weeds to thrive. We've invested in more portable electric fencing to rotate them to specific areas for a shorter time, and requiring them to eat all their salad! It's much better for the cows and for the pastures.

2. We've planted winter wheat and oats for grazing during December, January and February. Additionally, we've over-seeded ryegrasses and clovers throughout the ranch for spring grazing before the bermuda comes with the warm weather. The clovers, along with some southern peas we planted this summer, produce nitrogen for our soil so we don't have to spread petroleum based fertilizers. This year-round grazing pattern allows the cattle to be the hay harvesters versus using expensive equipment, fuel, time and labor to bale hay. We still baled some of our own pastures as insurance against snow, drought or other factors, but want to keep the cattle doing what they naturally do best - eating grass!

3. I got a cow dog. The harsh winter of 2009-2010, where floods knocked down fences and the heifers preferred roaming outside our property, made this a necessary move. Additionally, when I'm ready to bring our cattle up for sorting, I find myself having to wait longer and longer for the cowboys we use to be available. "Buddy" is young, but already has a natural desire to put the cattle in a group and move them along gently.

In addition to these items, we are currently and constantly trying to improve our product, processing and customer service. There is a big learning and production curve as we do this, but ultimately we expect to have a much more steady supply of delicious and healthy beef.

Lean and Delicious - Ground Beef from the Ranch!

Our friends rave about our ground beef! It's very lean, not much if anything to drain off after you brown it. Plus, it just tastes better! Tell your family or friends. Price is $4.50/lb or $4/lb if you get 25 lbs or more. Compare this to organic beef from stores or other direct sources, and you'll see this is a great bargain. Come out and get it, or we'll coordinate with you and drop it off if you're close by.

Marinate!

The secret to tender steaks and roasts is to marinate before cooking. This is true of all beef, but particularly for grassfed beef, where the animals haven't been eating corn and other additives to add excess and unhealthy fats into the muscles.

Here's a great and simple marinade idea we got from Ed Whitfield from Lake Pointe Church. We tried it ourselves on an arm roast, and the meat was tender and falling off the bone!

Just buy a couple of cans of Jumex Pineapple-Papaya juice in the ethnic foods section of the grocery store. It comes in regular cola cans, but isn't carbonated. I'm sure other varieties of pineapple juice would do fine as well. After thawing, put the roast or steaks into a gallon ziplock bag with the juice, and let it sit overnight. The next morning, pour off the marinade, and just fix your roast in a crockpot however you typically enjoy it. I just put plenty of water, carrots, potatoes, onions, a couple of bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. A packet of onion soup mix if you want it. Just throw it all in the pot and let it cook long and slow during the day.

It was some kind of delicious. Plus I had the leftover roast on a sandwich for lunch today. It doesn't get any better than that.

The bigger picture....

Our family founded Sabine Creek Ranch not just to raise cattle, but to help raise our next generation of children. A portion of our ranch is dedicated as a children's camp, and up to 350 kids per week in the summer will call Sabine Creek Ranch home. They go on hayrides, sing songs around a campfire, ride horses, swim, and get to know the God who created it all. Thousands of students from schools across the Metroplex attend outdoor education camps and field trips throughout the year. We believe this work is important, and every one of our awesome team members tries to set a good example for kids to follow. Your purchase of beef from Sabine Creek Ranch helps support us in this task.

Locally grown = Better for the Environment

It's better, whenever possible, to raise and purchase food close to its source. Feedlot operations require huge amounts of power and resource consumption. They produce enormous quantities of waste in concentrated areas which must be disposed of. Water quality is always an issue. All the food is harvested by tractors and processed by machines. In contrast, our cattle have plenty of room to roam, and natural recycling benefits, instead of harms, the environment. Our cows harvest most of their own grass. Sabine Creek Ranch is located on several hundred acres of beautiful pasture land naturally protected by a flood plain and just 30 minutes east of downtown Dallas. We only sell our beef locally, so it's not necessary to ship long distances. Your purchase of locally grown products supports a sustainable, positive model of agriculture.

Great cattle living well

Excellent beef comes from excellent cattle. We spent the extra money needed to raise quality, well-bred cattle that produce flavorful, healthy beef, and are well suited to life in Texas.

Our cattle enjoy wide-open spaces of our pastures, and are not confined for months in feedlots. In the winter they feed on a mix of winter grasses and hay that we harvest ourselves here on the ranch. This personal touch from start to finish and pride in our operation is something you just don't find in a factory feedlot, and we believe it matters.