We ordered some meat from another supplier last week. Caryl and I were both pretty amazed at how their presentation was subpar. Although we have a ways to go to get to where we want, our goal is to give careful attention to every order and make sure it is right and looks right. The comparison made us feel good about how we send our product out.
Awhile ago I blogged about the 6 beef-raising features that make for great grass fed. Many producers think they got it done by following those or similar steps. However, we found that there are 6 more steps that our beef goes through on the processing side that must be followed, or the greatest of grass fed can become substandard. The good folks we ordered from missed several of these steps. Some of the cuts didn’t look nice. Vacuum bags were too thin. Grinding was inconsistent. And freezing rates”¦were variable.
Certainly, a blogpost is in the making, but for now, I threw up a youtube video about one of those guidelines that we find critical. It’s the blast freeze. I think it is one of the key reasons that our beef wins taste tests. I see how other grass fed growers freeze their product, even at our processor. In boxes. On pallets. In a warm (around 20 degrees) freeze environment. This means it can take days to freeze that NY strip!
Our steaks see cold that would make a polar bear wish he had some antifreeze in his blood. How cold? My latest estimates show around 80 degrees below zero. My skin freezes fairly quickly when working with the blast fans on (sorry—they aren’t on in the video!), and I’ve walked out of the freezer in bunny boots feeling like my feet are frozen stumps. An inch and a half thick ribeye can freeze bricklike in under a half an hour.
Why? Because quick means good.
Check out the video for the cool science in the why. And find out why a gentleman named Clarence Birdseye started the flash freeze revolution over 100 years ago and how we follow his simple procedures. Go to the video here (or watch bel0w)!
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