THANK YOU to the very many of you who have ordered this year. Beef deliveries will begin next month, and I will be in touch with you individually.

I have been telling all our new Billings customers that I will remind them when the processing dates are.  Here is the schedule!

• Sept. 19, Dry-aging now, mid-October Delivery
• Oct. 17, mid-Nov. Delivery (ALL Billings and CO orders)
• Nov. 14, mid-Dec. or later Delivery
• Late June, mid-July Delivery.

If you would like delicious grassfed beef between now and July, please order now.  We can deliver later in the winter, but we like these beef to come off this wonderful autumn green-up grass we are getting with these rains.

Speaking of feed, we are often so busy moving cattle and ranching, that we forget to share what we do. We are both Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Grassfed by A Greener World. This means that all the mineral and protein supplements that you might see at a feed store, are typically off-limits for us.  Most have a corn-base such as distillers grains or corn syrup. Thus we are careful about getting organic or custom trace mineral salt, iodine, and mineral mixes.

Of course our cattle are on pasture all the time, year round, with supplemental hay only in the harshest months.  Because our pastures are primarily native grasses, forbs, and brush, our home-raised cattle are well-adapted to balancing their own diets.  We offer the supplements free choice and those with extra needs are able to find those nutrients which may not be adequate in their pasture. Every one of the 4 supplements we give to our cows (and horses, goats, and chickens) can be and is eaten by us humans too!

This year, we also added raw apple cider vinegar (ACV) to the menu.  We often see cattle, horses, and goats turn around and come back to the water tank after we add the vinegar so we know they like it.  Is it good for them?  We had zero cases of pink eye in our yearling herd this summer, despite a pretty heavy fly load.  The mama cows’ coats shed off very quickly in the spring, an indication of good health. Yearling weights were up about 10% after a hot summer, and we noticed that the cattle had used plants that they normally do not graze. We think the ACV is beneficial.  What does this mean to you?  We hope it means outstanding flavor in our beef and the highest nutrient density possible.

On that note, I’m including a few recipes I use to cook the extras: oxtail, heart, liver, and tongue. Holler if you have any questions!

Happy Autumn ~
The Lohofs – Patrick, Christy, Hans, Reavis and interns Evan and Eric

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How to cook all the EXTRA goodness of your BEEF!

A. OXTAIL – I generally make Oxtail Barley Soup as below. You can also use Oxtail to make amazing Pho.

http://thenourishingcook.com/oxtail-barley-soup/

Oxtail Barley Soup

Difficulty: Easy to medium

Ingredients:
• 4 pounds fresh oxtail
• filtered water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine [TNC: I used red since I had some in the freezer leftover]
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
• fresh thyme sprigs tied together [TNC: rosemary would also be good]
• 1-2 teaspoons dried green peppercorns, crushed [TNC: I left out, used regular pepper instead]
• pinch red pepper flakes [TNC: I left out, did not have on hand]
• 1 cup barley, roasted in the oven and soaked in 2 T whey for at least 7 hours [TNC: I skipped roasting but did soaking]
• sea salt or fish sauce to taste
• chopped cilantro or parsley

Directions

1. Place oxtail in a stainless steel baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until well browned.
2. Transfer oxtail to a stainless steel pot [TNC: I use my Le Creuset dutch oven] and pour out the grease.
3. Add wine and a little filtered water to the baking pan and deglaze by bringing to a rapid boil, while stirring to loosen any coagulated beef juices in the pan.
4. Pour this liquid into the pot and cover all the oxtail with cold water.
5. Add vinegar, bring to a boil and skim.
6. Add thyme, onions, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and peppercorns. Simmer, covered for at least 24 hours [TNC: you can simmer from morning until dinner, it will be good but not quite as rich tasting].
7. Remove oxtail and allow to cool.
8. Strain 3 quarts of stock into another pot and add soaked barley. (Reserve any remaining broth for other uses.)
9. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour or until barley is tender.
10. Meanwhile, pick the meat off the bones and chop finely.
11. When barley is tender, add chopped meat. Season generously.
12. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.

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B. LIVER – Of course the standard is to sauté liver and onions in some fat, such as butter or lard. For those who still are not in love with liver, this recipe should win them over!

http://www.almostbananas.net/simple-and-best-liver-pate/

Simple (and Best) Liver Pâté

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150 g) ghee, butter, or other fat
• 1 very large or 2 med (200 g) onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 14 oz (400 g) liver (beef, lamb, chicken, or otherwise)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp allspice, freshly ground (see above)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp whipping cream (or milk alternative or I’ve even used water for dairy free)

Directions

1. Roughly chop onion and cook on low heat in ghee (or other fat) until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
2. Slice the liver, removing any membrane (white filmy layer).
3. Chop garlic and add to onion for about five minutes.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and garlic to a food processor or high speed blender.
5. Cook the liver on med heat in the remaining fat, until no longer bloody.
6. Let the liver and fat cool for a few minutes, then add to food processor.
7. Add salt, allspice, pepper and cream (or milk alternative or even water).
8. Blend until smooth.
9. Line a container with plastic wrap and smooth the pate into the container so that when it chills, you can turn the container over and peel away the plastic wrap, making the pate slice-able.
10. Alternatively, as I’ve done here, just put the pate in a bowl or any vessel and scoop it out as needed.
11. Eat fresh or chill to harden and further meld flavours.

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C. HEART – I have always done these heart kabobs, but doing them on our pellet grill/smoker has turned them into a favorite among our interns! I prefer the heart hot so I make it up in the marinade and then just cook what I think we will eat that night. You can leave it marinading for several days and get a couple meals out of one heart, depending on how many you are feeding.

http://myculturedpalate.com/recipes/preparing-beef-heart-and-heart-kabobs-recipe/

Preparing Beef Heart and Heart Kabobs Recipe

Ingredients:
• 1 lb beef heart (where to buy organic grassfed beef)
• 1 c. olive oil (where to buy)
• 1 c. raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c. red wine (optional)
• 2 tsp sea salt (where to buy REAL salt)
• 1/4 tsp cumin*
• 1 tsp pepper*
• 1 tsp paprika*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. As you look at the heart, you will see a layer of fat along the outside which is white and very thick in spots. I have found that the harder areas of this layer do not melt so I trim off the thickest spots.
2. Cut the heart into 1 inch cubes. I found this is easier to do with kitchen scissors.
3. As you cut, remove any hard areas or vessels from the heart.
4. Place the cubes in a bowl.
5. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the cubes.
6. Marinade for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
7. Place the cubes on skewers and grill for about 8 minutes. Turn the skewers until all sides are cooked.

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D. TONGUE – I generally just simmer the tongue for a day. Put the whole tongue in a crock pot on low with a good dose of salt. Remove and let sit for 10-15 minutes to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the outer white “skin” with the taste buds. Chop and season as desired. Below is a recipe for Tongue Tacos. Finally, SAVE the broth! I find tongue broth to be particularly delicious and I use it to make rice, soup, or where ever you would use broth.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/tacos-de-lengua-recipe.html

Tacos de Lengua Recipe

YIELD:serves 4
ACTIVE TIME:30 minutes
TOTAL TIME:4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients
• 1 whole cow or veal tongue (see note above)
• 1 medium onion, split in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 quart low sodium homemade or store-bought chicken stock
• 6 stems cilantro
• 1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons duck fat, pork fat, or canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 to 24 corn tortillas (warmed according to these instructions)

Optional garnishes:
• Fresh salsa
• Queso fresco or feta
• Chopped onions and cilantro
• Wedges of lime
• Tomatillo sauce
• Guacamole

Directions

1. Place tongue, onion, bay leaves, carrot, and garlic in a saucepan just big enough to hold them. Add chicken broth until mostly covered (you may not need all of it, depending on how big your pot is). Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook until completely tender, four to six hours depending on the size of the tongue, adding extra water as necessary to keep the tongue mostly submerged.
2. Carefully remove tongue to a cutting board. Strain stock and discard solids, reserving liquid for another use. Peel the outer membrane off the tongue and discard. Roughly chop tongue into 1/2-inch pieces. Tongue can be prepared up through this step up to 5 days in advance. Store in an airtight container or zipper-lock bag in the fridge.
3. When ready to serve, heat oil or lard in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add tongue pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until tongue is well browned on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes total. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. To serve, wrap a spoonful or two of tongue in a double layer of corn tortillas. Top as desired.