Last month, we initiated our subscription to receive Black Label Beef from Melaleuca’s Riverbend Ranch which began distributing subscription beef orders a year and a half ago. I wasn’t sure we would take advantage of this service mostly because we already order farm raised beef regularly and the “need” to supplement that was not a priority. I still would not classify it as an absolute need but surely a great benefit.
I guess first of all would be a quick primer on finding good sources to buy your beef. We’ve had a few over the years and the mix of pros and cons always applies. That would also be true of the current Riverbend Ranch offerings but only applies to the cuts of beef offered and never the quality, packaging, etc. For example, if you want soup bones, tallow, bone-in steaks and roasts (T-bone and Porterhouse included), or various other customization options to be found when a good collaboration exists between the farmer and a reputable meat processing facility, Riverbend Ranch serves as a stellar supplement but definitely not a substitute.
The former listed above, a conscientious farmer who cares for cattle properly with high standards, and a truly qualified processing facility, is a match made in heaven but can be very difficult to find. We had a case where we knew the family we bought our beef from but the only processor who was available at the phase of the pandemic we were in at that time was available only because they were totally inept. We got great beef but had to be very careful thawing it because the packaging was woefully lacking with poor labeling to boot.
When I had a conversation with them in advance about how we wanted it processed, it quickly became apparent to me that the person I was talking to was brain dead and that was the owner. No wonder they were available when everyone else was booked out months in advance! My wife Sheryl picked up the order and told me the place could have easily been featured in its own sitcom. Had we not known the family that raised the cattle it would have been a total bust, but even with that, we chose not to buy from them again.
Our most recent beef supply, not counting our Riverbend Beef, was from a local butcher shop in business since the 1930’s that only deals with farmers who let their cattle roam pastures. Our experience with them has been great but if I’m to mention one caveat, their ground beef takes leanness just a bit too far to the degree that I had some learning curve on grilling burgers because they’re so lean they can get rubbery if you’re not careful. It’s great for things like nachos/tacos, spaghetti, and the like because you literally don’t have to drain the fat, so cooking burgers is good if you do it just right but only if you do it just right.
Bottom line, the Riverbend Black Label Beef is a perfect supplement and bypasses the guesswork and pitfalls you might find elsewhere. You’ll need to invest heavily time wise into researching wholesome local beef sources, if they exist, which is worth it if you can, but Riverbend would be a painless and ideal solution for most buyers that definitely blows away their direct competition in quality, price, and in every other way. If you’re used to store bought beef that doesn’t even come close to a good restaurant that has better resources, you’ll discover why so may people are willing to pay more for something just not found in any mainstream market.
This post would not be complete without also giving a shoutout to ThermoWorks who has nothing whatsoever to do with Melaleuca but if you try to cook high quality meat without an absolutely accurate reading of the internal temperature, you could easily diminish or ruin an otherwise great meal—and that is especially the case with beef.