Carmelo Peak Ranch

Carmelo Peak Ranch beef is from pasture-raised and finished cattle that traditionally spend their lives grazing pastures during the spring/summer months along the Big Sur coastline; during the fall/winter months they return with the rest of the herd to Carmel Valley for the calving season. Our cattle are an integral part of our life's work. Our interaction with their presence is a joyful experience. The cattle are under our personal care for their entire lifetime. Their diet consists of native grasses from the hillsides and ocean bluffs. The cattle are utilized as management tools to optimize conservation goals and to maintain species' habitats. The cattle are never exposed to grain, feed additives, growth hormones, or antibiotics. During the harvest, the cattle are processed in a humane way with very little stress at a local, state of the art family owned business and USDA facility. The meat is dry-aged for a minimum of 21 days; this practice is rarely done except for specialty markets. The process of dry-aging enhances the flavor profiles of the meat. In a sense similar to Estate Bottled Vintage Wines, the meat flavors reflect the environment from which the animal was raised. After dry-aging, the meat is then cut to specifications. I request that the steaks are one and a half inch in thickness; the roasts average less than three pounds; I request that the ground beef is lean with no more than a fifteen percent fat content. All cuts of the beef are vacuum-sealed in cryovac and frozen. This process from start to finish takes approximately thirty days. The quality and flavor of the beef offered by Carmelo Peak Ranch is reminiscent of yesteryear. This is due to the fact that Black Angus bulls are selected specifically for our region and for the genetics that enhance the characteristics of these pasture-raised cattle. Additionally, the cattle herd is also able to roam freely in pastures of Carmel Valley and the surrounding coastline. A unique quality that ensures consistency is the fact that the cattle in the beef program, and all of our cows, are guaranteed to be under my care for their entire life span. Another important and key ingredient to producing superior beef relates directly to the butcher that I entrust and rely upon for the decision making during the dry-aging, cutting, and packaging of the beef product.