6 Ranch Rating (Grass-Fed) – Gateway Beef

Carrie Oliver Rating: Gateway Beef™

Defying conventional wisdom can be both a thrill and a pleasure. Many say that to have great tasting, tender, and juicy grass-fed steak one needs to look to breeds from the British Isles such as Angus or Galloway. And then there is the Corriente beef from 6 Ranch in Oregon, a breed thought to originate from Spain.

Today’s grass-fed steak review is provided by experienced guest taste mavens, Becky Selengut (@ChefReinvented), who says “I think any corn-fed steak lover would love the flavor of this steak,” and April Pogue (@AprilWine5) of Seattle, Washington.

Tasting Notes

This grass-fed steak had a nice chewy Texture, straightforward Personality with a balanced, sweet savory, generally beefy tone and hints of caramelized vegetables leaving a long lasting Impression.

Wine Pairing

April Pogue, Sommelier, Seattle, Washington. 2004 Chateau Pedesclaux, Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac Bordeaux. This wine has structure but also has balance and finesse with fruit, minerality, and body. It is similar in my mind to this steak. You wouldn’t want something that is totally fruit forward without strong tannins and complexity.

Meet The Ranchers

It’s odd to think that to save them you have to eat them but Corriente cattle have been placed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste list of “delicious foods that are in danger of extinction.” 6 Ranch has been a working cattle ranch in Oregon’s Wallowa Valley since 1884. Craig and Liza Jane Nichols “broke tradition” 20 years ago by switching over their Angus herd to Corriente cattle and couldn’t be more excited by how the breed thrives on forage on the ranch’s rugged terrain.
,

The Corriente breed, sometimes referred to as Criollo, can be traced back to the first cattle brought to North America by the Spanish and is best known for team roping events on the rodeo circuit. If the Nichols have anything to say about it, we’ll see more Corriente beef in North American kitchens in the future.

View the video!

The Provenance of Beef – 6 Ranch, Grass fed Corriente, Wallowa, Oregon

Where To Buy

You can purchase 6 Ranch’s grass-fed beef by the quarter, half, or whole through the 6 Ranch website and find individual cuts at The Dollar Stretcher in Enterprise, Oregon. Food Alliance Certified – Grassfed.

Tasting Overview

Taster:	Becky Selengut, April Pogue
Date Tasted:	April 2010
Cut Tasted:	Sirloin
Diet/Feed:	Grass Fed
Cooking Method:	Flat Bottomed Cast Iron Pan
How Served:	Rare
Seasoning:	Kosher Salt
Previous Cut Tasted:	None
Previous Date Tasted:	None
Previous Taster:	None

Quick Facts

Breed:	Registered Corriente
Growing Region:	Wallowa Valley, Northeastern Oregon
Farm/Ranch:	6 Ranch
Farmers/Ranchers:lllllllll	Craig & Liza Jane Nichols
Diet/Feed:	Grass Fed & Finished (100% grass-based diet)
Raising Protocols:	All cattle born & raised on our ranch, pastured 12 months with supplemental hay 4 months of winter. No chemicals on any hay or pastures. All beef is at least 28 months of age prior to harvest, up to 8 -9 years old.
Finishing Protocols:	Native range and improved pastures.
Slaughterhouse:	Mobile slaughter on ranch (Custom) or Thundering Hooves (USDA)
Butcher:	Valley Meat Services (Custom) and Thundering Hooves (USDA)
Aging Technique:	Slow Cooled, Dry-Aged
Aging Time:	Minimum 14 days (hung as half carcass)
Packaging:	Butcher freezer paper
Never Use Antibiotics Ever:	✔
Use Vet Approved Spot Treatment Antibiotics:	-
Never Use Feed Antibiotics	✔
Never Use Added Growth Hormones:	✔
Never Use Ionophores:	✔
No Animal, Fish, Fowl By-Products in Feed	✔
100% Vegetarian Feed (100% pasture and ranch grown hay)	✔ (we grow our own hays and grass)
Practice Rotational Grazing	✔
Practice Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing	Intensive grazing model is challenging with horned cattle. They don’t want to bunch!
USDA Natural	Yes
USDA Naturally Raised New Voluntary Certification	No
Third Party Certified Organic	No
Third Party Certified Humane	No
Other Third Party Certifications	Ark of Taste, Slow Food USA Food Alliance Certified – Grassfed

Tagged as: 6 Ranch, Ark of Taste, Artisan Beef, Corriente, dry-aged, grass fed beef, grass-fed steak