Beefalo Meat

The Journey of a Beefalo Steak from the Farm to Your Plate

When it comes to a healthy, lean and delicious red meat for your dinner table, a beefalo steak can’t be beat. Also known as “bison-cattle” crosses, beefalo have become increasingly popular in the U.S. due to the growing demand for sustainable, healthy red meat options.

Because beefalo meat is composed of both bison and cattle genetics, its nutritional profile is excellent. Leaner than beef, beefalo has a third more protein and higher concentrations of essential vitamins and minerals than standard meats. Beyond just the health benefits, Beefalo steak also has an exquisite flavor that is sure to satisfy any red meat lover.

But where does this delicious and nutritious meat come from? How does it make its way from the pasture to your plate? We’ve put together a comprehensive guide detailing the journey of a beefalo steak from farm to plate so you can better understand this unique meat.

Origin

Beefalo meat originated in the mid-1800s with the crossbreeding of American bison and domestic cattle. It was thought that the breed would lead to increased productivity on the farm and offer healthier beef alternatives. The intent was to combine the best genetics of both animals to create a healthy and robust hybrid animal.

Today, beefalo production centers mainly on Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Minnesota. But the process of creating a beefalo steak starts much sooner, with ranchers and livestock owners carefully selecting animals for breeding purposes.

Beefalo Cattle Breeding

Beefalo breeding centers mainly around bulls and heifers—essentially young male and female immature cattle. Bulls travel between farms, where certain male “line breeding” selectors are used to determine the best quality of genetics for the desired beefalo. Breeders can select a higher-end or a more meat-focused bull depending on their desired cattle outcome.

Once a selector bull is identified, choosing the right heifers to breed him with is the next step. Generally, the cows must be high quality for the bull to create quality beefalo offspring. After the heifers are selected, the bull is then brought to the ranch, and the mating process begins.

Maturing/Feeding

Once the heifers become pregnant with beefalo calves, farmers must continue to provide them with access to fresh water, hay, and vital supplements to ensure they remain healthy. Approximately nine months later, the calves are born and remain with their mothers until they are weaned.

Once weaned, the calves enter their respective feed lots. At this point, their progress is monitored, and they are cautiously administered essential vaccinations and supplements to prevent sickness and disease.

Once the calves reach 12, 14, or 16 months, depending on the intended use for the beef, it is time for them to go to slaughter so the beefalo meat can make its way to your plate.

Harvesting

Once the beefalo reach maturity, they are taken to a facility specifically designed for harvesting and processing the meat. This can include sending a truck containing several freshly harvested animals, or simply sending a single cow to the facility where it will undergo an extensive deboning process.

The way the facility harvests and processes depends on the type of product the rancher desires to yield. For example, some facilities may only perform a basic culling process while others employ further techniques to produce a thicker, more consistent cut of beefalo steak.

In order to guarantee the highest quality and consistency, some facilities also utilize both bio-security processes and humane handling techniques to ensure the animal remains alive until it is ready to be processed.

Packaging

Once the animal is sent to the processing facility, it is immediately skinned to ensure the right cuts are yielded. After that, the beefalo is hung in a chilling room overnight, where the temperature and humidity levels are closely monitored to best preserve it.

The next day, the chilled beefalo is brought to the cutting room for further refinement. Here, the meat is cut into steaks or other desired products by a trained butcher. After the desired cuts are extracted, the beefalo sides and loins are boxed and labeled.

The boxed selection is then sent to a packaging facility. Here, the beefalo sides and loins are portioned for retail sale, vacuum sealed, packaged, and weighed. In addition to this, the beefalo could be frozen or sent to be dry aged, depending on individual consumer preference.

The Final Step – Distribution

Finally, the beefalo is ready to be delivered to grocery stores, meat markets, and/or restaurants. Depending on whether it was frozen or dry aged, this delivery process could take anywhere from one to four days.

If the beefalo is being delivered to a restaurant, the package will arrive with a set of directions showing how the chef should prepare it. This ensures that the steak’s full flavor is experienced with the right cooking techniques.

The steak is then prepared to the customer’s desired preferences before being served—allowing the full flavor of the beefalo steak to come to life!

Conclusion

The journey of a beefalo steak from farm-to-plate has many steps from start to finish. Ranchers carefully select bulls and heifers to breed, the calves are raised, and the matured animal is sent for processing before it is packaged, stored, and finally, shipped.

By making informed and conscious decisions about what type of beef you consume, you can rest assured knowing you’re enjoying a lean yet flavorful beef option that will provide numerous nutrition benefits while supporting sustainable ranching practices.