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Q: Is Grass Fed Criollo Beef dry-aged?
A: Yes. Our beef is dry-aged for maximum flavor and tenderness.
The time period of dry-aging is a little different for each beef side,
as it depends on several factors necessary to achieve the best results.
The average dry-aging time is 10 to 14 days. Return
Q: How will my beef arrive?
A: Each separate item of our beef is vacuum-sealed in a heavy-mil plastic pouchm
then flash-frozen for maximum freshness. We will
hand pack your order in
a 1-3/4" thick foam cooler, which perfectly
fits inside a heavy-duty corrugated box. We know
how long your order will be in the UPS system, and pack
it with the appropriate amount of dry ice to insure
your order
arrives in perfect condition. Return
Q: I don't understand the DNA testing
of your cattle. Can you tell me more?
A: As a
consumer, you can reasonably ask, "OK, HOW do you know what kind of meat a particular animal will provide until
after you harvest that animal?" The industry-wide standard that provides pre-harvest information about what
to expect from the meat from a particular animal is
DNA testing. Specifically, Meat Quality, also known
as Marbling, (a measure of the intramuscular
fat to expect in the meat from any given animal) and
Tenderness (how much shear force does it take to cut/chew
a piece of meat from that
animal) can be predicted, with high levels of confidence,
from DNA testing. You can read more by
clicking here..
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Q: What is "finishing"
a beef animal?
A: Finishing is the time period when the animal is in the final stages of preparation
for harvest. The difference between beef at your local grocery store
and Certified Criollo Grass Fed Beef is the following:
The typical commercial operation will "finish"
their beef by feeding them lots and lots of grain,
in a very crowded, dirty feedlot. Anyone driving
through cattle country has seen, and smelled, these
facilities. Each animal is given an implant of growth
hormone to accelerate
the rate of gain of the animal. Each animal is fed
about 25 lbs. of grain - usually corn - per day. But
because of the over-crowding,
each animal is also fed about 8 lbs. of antibiotics!
Then, once slaughtered, the beef is cut and packaged,
just as soon as the carcass
is chilled enough to cut. This leaves you with grocery
store beef from unknown sources, laced with antibiotic
and growth hormone,
and finished on an unnatural bovine diet, usually
cut and packaged within 24 hours of slaughter. These
animals are
usually 14 to 18
months old when slaughtered.
The cows that provide Certified Criollo
Grass Fed Beef spend their entire life free-roaming grass pastures
with a smorgasbord of
varieties of grass for the animal to choose. These
animals are never given antibiotic.
It is unnecessary because the animals are never
crowded in their pastures. Our animals are never given growth
hormones.
Without the
growth hormones, and the stuffing with grain, our
grass-fed Criollo cattle need to be 24 to 28 months
old before they mature to the
point they are ready for harvest. Once harvested,
each beef side is dry-aged to perfection (usually
10 to 14 days). Then, each beef
side is hand-cut and trimmed into the delicious
steaks and beef products we offer our customers. Return
Q: Can I pick up my Criollo Beef order directly at your ranch?
A: Yes! During "Checkout", you can select "Pick Up your order at the Jandal
Ranch". If you make this selection, you will see the
shipping charges removed for the final order verification.
After we receive your order, we will arrange with
you to pick-up your order. We really enjoy meeting
our customers face-to-face!
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Q: I have never heard of Criollo Cattle. Have you ever been in the news?
A: Yes! You can read and view several articles written about our Criollo Cattle and Beef. Just click here to see our "Media" page.
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Q: How do you pronounce Criollo, and where did the word come from?
A: Criollo is prononuced krēē-ō-yō. Criollo comes form the word Creole, or "from the old country". Criollo cattle are the same breed of cattle brought
to the new world by Columbus and other early explorers.
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