Carman Ranch Rating – Thinking Man’s Beef

Carrie Oliver Rating: Thinking Man’s Beef™

This savory, earthy grass-fed steak makes me feel like I am outdoors at a ranch on a crisp sunny day. It has depth and somewhat layered flavors, definitely one for aficionados who love to explore the wonders of Artisan Beef. If you are in the Pacific Northwest and looking for full-flavored grass-fed beef, you’re in luck!

Tasting Notes:

The grass-fed steak had a nice chewy Texture, a straightforward to adventurous Personality with sweet, earthy, almost vegetal tones with hints of mushrooms and a medium length Impression.

Wine Pairing:

Domaine Serene, 2006 Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. We served this spectacular wine at our Provenance of Beef (aka Meatcamp) tasting at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference on April 22, 2010. It paired beautifully with the adventurous, earthy flavors of Carman Ranch beef and interestingly, also with the other grass-fed beef from the tasting, The Gleason Ranch, which was a strikingly different beef. Robert Parker 94 points.

Meet The Ranchers

What a wonderful email to receive, “After about the fourth person told me I need to talk with you, I thought I probably should.” It was a privilege to meet Cory Carman, a fourth generation rancher now raising the fifth, and to then include her family’s grass-fed beef in a small private tasting in Seattle this Winter and again at a very large, sold out tasting at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference. Cory is well-known in the Portland food community but also amongst her peers throughout the Pacific Northwest for her enthusiasm for grass-pastured meats.

Where To Buy

You can purchase Carman Ranch’s Food Alliance Certified Grass-Fed beef by the quarter, half, or whole through the ranch’s website at www.carmanranch.com or by fax and then pick up your custom order, meeting the family and your fellow bulk beef customers at the same time.

Tasting Overview

Taster:	Carrie Oliver
Date Tasted:	February 2010
Cut Tasted:	Sirloin
Diet/Feed:	Grass Fed
Cooking Method:	Flat Bottomed Cast Iron Pan
How Served:	Medium (oops!)
Seasoning:	Kosher Salt
Previous Cut Tasted:	None
Previous Date Tasted:	None
Previous Taster:	None

Quick Facts

Breed:	Black Angus and Hereford
Growing Region:	Wellowa County Region, Northeastern Oregon
Farm/Ranch:	Carman Ranch
Farmers/Ranchers:lllllllll	Cory Carman and David Flynn
Diet/Feed:	Grass Fed & Finished (100% grass-based diet)
Raising Protocols:	Calves are born in April, turned out with the cows in May, grazed in the hills until October. They are weaned onto irrigated pasture and wintered on alfalfa hay.
Finishing Protocols:	As yearlings the cattle are turned into the hills from May-June, then finished on irrigated meadows on fescue, clover, and alfalfa. Harvested at 18 months, or held for an additional winter and harvested at 24-26 months.
Slaughterhouse:	Thundering Hooves, Walla Walla, WA
Butcher:	Thundering Hooves, Walla Walla, WA
Aging Technique:	Dry-Aged
Aging Time:	14 Days
Packaging:	Cryovac vacuum-sealed
Never Use Antibiotics Ever:	-
Use Vet Approved Spot Treatment Antibiotics:	X (cattle are removed from program if treated)
Never Use Feed Antibiotics	X
Never Use Added Growth Hormones:	X
Never Use Ionophores:	X
No Animal, Fish, Fowl By-Products in Feed	X
100% Vegetarian Feed (100% pasture and ranch grown hay)	X
Practice Rotational Grazing	X
Practice Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing	X
USDA Natural	Yes
USDA Naturally Raised New Voluntary Certification	No
Third Party Certified Organic	No
Third Party Certified Humane	No
Other Third Party Certifications	Food Alliance Certification – Grassfed

Tagged as: Artisan Beef, carman ranch, grass fed beef, grass-fed steak, International Association of Culinary Professionals