twisted horn ranch-bringing back the longhorns

8/13/2019 Twisted Horn Ranch-Bringing Back the Longhorns

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Rediscoveringclassic taste

Twisted Horn Ranch

is bringing Longhornsback to MarinPage 20

Sunday, December 8, 2013 | Section W N1In Marin FREE

Health-conscious school lunches, Page 4 Where to go this week, Page 11 Stylish interior design lab, Page 18


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W20 In Marin | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, December 8, 2013 N1

By Sophia Markoulakis

Rancher Kristine Beck grewup watching cartoons. Sowhen one of her two rambunc-tious 6-month-old Longhorncalves was startled and took asurprising vertical leap over afeed trough, she exclaimed,Wow, Rocket J. Squirrel isyour name.

Understandably, the second

calf was named Bullwinkle.Two years later, the Long-horns, a gift from Kristine toher husband, Dave Beck, part-ed ways when Rocky endearedhimself to the couple and Bull-winkle ended up in the freezer.

He was wily and ornery, sowe ate him, Dave Beck said.

All it took was one taste to

switch from raising BlackAngus to Longhorn. Now, with25 head and two calves on theway, the owners of Twisted

Horn Ranch in Bloomfield arefocused on expanding withoutcompromising their beliefs onhumanely raised grass-fed and

grass-finished cattle.As heritage meats like tur-

key and pork become increas-ingly mainstream in the BayArea, Longhorn cattle might bethe next big breed to make aculinary comeback. The holi-

days are typically a time toshowcase ham or large roasts,but those looking to enjoy alean and flavorful meat withsome chew might considerLonghorn for their holidaytable.

The bucolic farmland ofwest Sonoma County, halfwaybetween Petaluma and Bodega

Photos by Dan Evans / Special to The Chronicle

Kristine Beck, who owns Twisted Horn Ranch with her husband, Dave, rubs the snout of Rocky, the mascot of the Bloomfield ranch, which is located inbetween Petaluma and Bodega Bay. The couple started with two calves and have now grown the herd to 25 with two more calves on the way.

TWISTED HORN RANCH

Long of horn, big on flavorWe want to help bring the breed back to

California where they used to roam. Kristine Beck, owner of Twisted Horn Ranch


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N1 Sunday, December 8, 2013 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | In Marin W21

Bay, is an unlikely place to spotTexas Longhorn, but the grow-ing wine and cheese region isturning out to be the perfectspot for the Becks to cultivate aboutique venture.

The ranch is situated on 9acres of Dave Becks familyland, and with access to anadditional 100 acres of leasedgrassland, the couple is hopingto educate consumers on the

history of the Longhorn andthe role the breed plays in thegrowing grass-fed beefindustry.

Longhorns were the pre-dominant beef breeds on theWest Coast due to their abilityto survive long cattle drives.After the railroads and Englishbreeds were introduced, theybecame almost extinct, saysKristine Beck.

During the 1920s, severalTexas ranchers saved themthrough a breeding program.Thanks to their efforts, thebreed has bounced back and isgenerating interest fromranchers like the Becks whovalue their easygoing tempera-ment, disease resistance, exem-plary foraging abilities andoverall adaptability.

We want to help bring thebreed back to California where

they used to roam and in-troduce people to the beefswonderful flavor and healthbenefits, says Kristine Beck.

The couple sells their meatat drop off locations in SanRafael and Novato. They alsohave a distribution partnershipwith Good Eggs, an onlineordering and delivery service

akin to a virtual farmers mar-ket, which has helped TwistedHorn Ranch gain exposure.

Dave and Kristine are superactive members in our commu-nity and with their customerbase, which is typically a hugechallenge for small producers,

says Angelica Sullam of GoodEggs.

Several Good Eggs custom-ers have visited the ranch.They take pictures with Rocky,the ranchs mascot, samplesome beef and even spend thenight in the ranchs studio,

which is rented out throughthe Twisted Horn website andAirbnb.

Berkeley resident ChristineZilka orders almost everyweek through Good Eggs,which delivers to her door.

The flavor is incomparable.

It makes me feel good insideand out knowing that I amfeeding my family the bestmeat that has been raised hu-manely close to where I live,says Zilka.

For the holidays, Kristine

Above: Cattle graze in the pasture at Twisted Horn Ranch in Bloomfield. Bottom left: Kristine Beck hand feeds Rocky, one ofthe first Longhorns the couple purchased. Kristine and her husband, David, raise the grass-fed cattle.

Twisted Horn

Ranch

For holiday orders, contact

Twisted Horn Ranch directly or

shop via Good Eggs. Drivers

Market serves as a drop off

location for special orders anddeliveries are also available at

drop off locations in Novato and

San Rafael; contact Twisted

Horn to schedule.

Twisted Horn Ranch: 11399 Val-

ley Ford Road, Bloomfield. (415)

664-8650. www.twistedhorn

ranch.net

Drivers Market, 200 Caledonia

Street, Sausalito. (415) 729-

9582. www.driversmarket.com

Longhorn continues on page W22


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W22 In Marin | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, December 8, 2013 N1

Beck hopes that customersconsider alternative types ofmeat. By nature, Longhornsare leaner so the cuts aresmaller, like the tenderloinroasts, which average about 3pounds.

Everyone loves our oxtail,and our beef heart is popular,which many say tastes likeroast beef, but with a differenttexture, she said.

The Becks sell their beef bythe cut or on the hoof. The cut

beef is processed in a U.S.Department of Agriculture-inspected and certified slaugh-terhouse and is vacuumpacked and frozen after beingdry-aged for 21-28 days.

With on the hoof orders,customers determine the cutsand the wrapping and canorder quarter, half and wholesteers. Going in with friends isa great way to share the beefand the cost, Kristine Beck

said.Besides Good Eggs home

delivery and drop off locations,North Bay residents can alsofind Twisted Horn beef atSausalitos Drivers Market.Co-owner Adam Driver firsttasted the beef when he andhis brother and co-owner Gra-ham visited the ranch lastspring.

We were blown away by theflavor of their ground beef. Wetry to steer people to TwistedHorn because we believe inhelping small businesses.Many of our customers havecommented that their groundbeef tastes like ground beefused to taste, says Driver.

Carrie Oliver, founder of theArtisan Beef Institute, explainsthat grass-fed beef optionshave expanded considerablyduring the last few years. Oli-

ver recently conducted a blindtasting using Twisted Hornground beef and anothergrass-fed ground beef andfound that all four tasters grav-itated toward Twisted Horn,noting that they enjoyed thedepth and fuller flavor.

Theyre not alone. As beefconsumers become aware of

the flavor nuances that comewith grass-fed beef, they areturning to more flavorfulbreeds.

Beef can be tasted just likewine, and like wine, there aredifferent flavor profiles, saysKristine Beck.

Oliver also did a study onwhat people thought of theLonghorn beef. Some com-ments included popcorn on thenose and caramel on thetongue with hints of hardcheeses, citrus, and black pep-per. Tasters also said there wasa moderate amount of chew.

Longhorn is so new to thegrass-fed arena that flavorprofiles for this breed haventbeen established yet, accordingto Oliver.

What has been established,though, are the nutritionalbenefits when compared toother meats. According to a1987 study conducted by TexasA&M University, Longhornbeef has considerably less fat,calories, and cholesterol thanother lean meats like pork andwhite meat chicken. High in

protein and omega-3 fatty

acids, a 3.5 oz. serving has 140calories, 25.5 grams of protein,and 3.7 grams of fat.

Oliver notes that, Long-horns havent been optimizedfor production yet, and prob-ably wouldnt work as a com-modity due to their horns andlean frame.

And unlike other traditional

cattle breeds, Longhorns arent

ready for slaughter until theyare about 2years old, asopposed to British breeds thatreach maturity at 18 months.

That suits the Becks justfine, as it provides time for thecattle to forage and hang outand become part of their dailylandscape.

I have a bad habit of nam-

ing most of the Longhorns, and

I do get attached, but Dave andI always go with them to theslaughterhouse, Kristine Becksays. If I ask that of them,then I should go and not closemy eyes to what happens.

Sophia Markoulakis is a freelancewriter. E-mail

[email protected].

Ranch owners want people to consider Longhorn during holidaysLonghorn from page W21

Photos by Dan Evans / Special to The Chronicle

Above: David Beck, who owns Twisted Horn Ranch with his wife, walks through the pasture with the cattle. Below: KristineBeck tosses a small bale of hay into the pasture at Twisted Horn Ranch to feed the Longhorn cattle.

twisted horn ranch-bringing back the longhorns

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