Carrie Oliver Rating: Outdoor Adventure Beef™
For those looking for an adventurous, fun, memorable ride. These grass-fed steaks and burgers take you through fresh ocean breezes and lemony pastures. Savory, lively, layered, but harmonious flavors combined with some chew, it would be especially pleasing to those who like some zip in their beef but aren’t ready for a Class 5 white water rafting experience.
Tasting Notes:
A bit of chew in the Texture, direct to adventurous Personality with a sweet/sour tone, hints of lemon, caramel, and grassy notes and an almost effervescent, long-lasting Impression.
Wine Pairing:
April Pogue, Seattle-based Sommelier. Full bodied with hints of caramel and smoke, this 5th growth from Bordeaux has excellent structure that cuts through the texture of the beef like a knife.
- 2004 Chateau Pedesclaux from Pauillac Bordeaux
Meet The Ranchers
Al & Roxanne Mettenburg’s farm is in the Flint Hills Region of Kansas “on a pile of limestone.” Rather than fight the rocks, they allow native Blue Stem Prairie grass to grow and raise to finish weight a small herd of old-line Simmental cattle mixed with a bit of Angus and Gelbvieh crossed in. They are now taking orders for their grass-fed beef for October 2010. Look for them online at Mettenburg Farm.
Tasting Overview:
| Taster: | Carrie Oliver |
| Date Tasted: | December 2009 (two different harvests) |
| Cut Tasted: | New York / Kansas City Strip; Ground Beef |
| Diet/Feed: | Grass Fed |
| Cooking Method: | Charcoal Grill |
| How Prepared: | Medium Rare |
| Seasoning: | Kosher Salt |
| Previous Cut Tasted: | New York / Kansas City Strip; Ground Beef |
| Previous Date Tasted: | November 2009 |
| Previous Taster: | Jaden Hair aka Steamy Kitchen |
Quick Facts
| Breed: | Fleckvieh Simmental, Angus, Gelbvieh Cross |
| Growing Region: | Flint Hills, Kansas |
| Farm/Ranch: | Mettenburg Farm |
| Farmers/Ranchers:lllllllll | Al & Roxanne Mettenburg |
| Diet/Feed: | Grass Fed & Finished |
| Raising Protocols: | Calves stay on mama’s milk first 9 months of life. Raised on cool season fescue/brome/clover winter & spring; finished on native bluestem prairie (warm season). Supplemental hay and alfalfa pellets in winter. Harvested approximately 18 months of age. |
| Finishing Protocols: | Native Bluestem prairie grasses |
| Slaughterhouse: | Stinson Meat Processing, Ottawa, KS |
| Butcher: | Joe Stinson & team |
| Aging Technique: | Dry-Aged |
| Aging Time: | 14-21 Days |
| Packaging: | Cryovac Vacuum Sealed |
| Never Use Antibiotics Ever: | - |
| Use Vet Approved Spot Treatment Antibiotics: | X (Remove 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 | X |
| Practice Rotational Grazing | X |
| Practice Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing | - |
| USDA Natural | Yes |
| USDA Naturally Raised New Voluntary Certification | No |
| Certified Organic | No |
| Certified Humane | No |
| Other Third Party Certifications | No |
| Other | Small herd carefully handled for more than 25 years. Genetically acclimated to this farm’s environment. Cows selected for milking ability and natural muscling. Fleckvieh Simmental are smaller than other Simmental strains and known for thickness from shoulder to rump (includes the entire loin), have been traditionally raised in Europe by Managed Intensive Grazing practices for decades. These cattle originate as dual purpose meat/milk animals. |
I created the concept of Artisan Meat and evaluate, rate, and create professional tasting notes for individual farms, ranches, and butcher teams. Some call me the Robert Parker of Meat, others Beef Geek. 
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Good afternoon.
We are company “Bergmann” from Turkey (İstanbul). We are interested of
Simmental breed.
First, we want to know do you have breeds (pregnant) 1000 quantity?
Best wishes.
Hi, there. We don’t breed cattle, we just report on how they taste when raised with artisan or near artisan standards. You might try the American Simmental Association http://www.simmental.org/ or Canadian Simmental Association http://www.simmental.com/. Carrie