5 tips for building your best burger. 

Two groups of people have not misunderstood each other so tragically since the Hatfields and the McCoys. Don't say it to their faces, but ranchers ARE environmentalists.

Whenever one of our beloved customers orders one of the lesser-known cuts, I am always curious to see what they have planned for it.

So when customer John D. ordered a heart, I assumed he was going to slice and grill it, or shred it and slow cook it for some sort of barbacoa-style dish. 

Boy, was I wrong. 

No, John had bigger plans for his cupid's organ: beef heart jerky. Isn't that wacky and beautiful and the same time?! He was kind enough to share a step-by-step of how he did it along with photos and commentary, and we couldn't be more excited to share it with you! 

John D's Honest Beef Heart Jerky

Heart sliced into 1/4" strips

Drying for about 5 hours @ 125F

John's Final Heart Jerky!

The original recipe is here, but we like John's amended version below. 

You'll Need:

• 1 Beef Heart (get one here)
• Liquid Aminos (see John's notes))
• Real Maple Syrup
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Liquid Smoke (optional - see John's notes)
• Dehydrator or Oven
• Glass Dish
• Gallon Zip-top Bag

Directions

1. Partially unthaw the beef heart to make it easier to slice. 
2. Slice heart into 1/4" strips, just like beef jerky and place into gallon zip-top bag. 
3. Make the marinade: in a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together besides the heart: aminos, syrup, pepper, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Mix it to your taste, whether you want it a little sweeter, tangier, or spicier. There are no specific measurements for a reason - make it your own! 
4. Once you are satisfied with your marinade, pour it from the bowl into the zip-top bag with the heart. Seal bag and mix thoroughly.
5. Place bag in glass bowl to avoid leaks and let sit in your refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the bag over occasionally to ensure adequate coverage.
6. Dehydrate the jerky by using a dehydrator (John dried his jerky in a dehydrator for about 5hrs @ 125 deg. F.), or in a low oven (200F) until dry.
7. Enjoy! Because this recipe contains no preservatives, store your beef jerky in the refrigerator. 

John's Notes

• Be careful not to over-dry your jerky! You want it to be adequately chewy without being crunchy. 
• The liquid smoke was a good addition, but do not use too much of it or else it will mask the flavor of the heart.
• The Braggs Liquid Aminos were available at the local supermarket as a substitution for coconut aminos the original recipe called for. John was pleased with the results of the Braggs Liquid Aminos.

Thanks, John!

The Connealys are Irish.

The Connealy Angus logo features a shamrock, our bull sale catalog is covered in them, and my grandma lives on Irish Lane. My late grandfather could tell a story like no one you've ever heard, and the song "Danny Boy" brought tears to his eyes.

We're proud to be Irish, but know it only really qualifies us to comment on no more than three items:

1) Guinness, 2) tall tales, and 3) corned beef. 

Corned beef is a staple of St. Patrick's Day whether it's served boiled, with cabbage, or in a reuben. And while most choose to buy corned beef as corned beef, making it is not difficult and yields a flavor that will send you over the rainbow! 

The basic concept of homemade corned beef is to make a brine with water, salt, sugar, and pickling spices, let the brisket soak for 5-7 days, and then boil it for a few hours until it is fork tender - not as complicated as you might have thought! 

How Leprechauns Make Corned Beef

Ingredients

• 4-5lb brisket

Brine

• 12 cups water
• 1.5 cups kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons pink salt (sodium nitrite)*
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp pickling spice (or make your own, see below)
• 2 gold fillings**
• 1 Tbsp rainbow dust**
• 3 butterfly wings**

Homemade Pickling Spice (will make more than this recipe calls for)

• 1 Tbsp whole allspice berries
• 1 Tbsp whole mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp whole cloves
• 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 9 whole cardamom pods
• 6 large bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 Tsp ground ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick, cut into pieces 

To Cook Cured Brisket

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp pickling spices

Instructions

1. In a large pot, combine all ingredients for brine. Bring to a boil, and simmer until salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool in ice bath or refrigerator until chilled.
2. Place brisket in brine. You may do this by placing everything in a 2.5 quart ziplock bag or any container large enough to hold both - a whole drawer in your refrigerator, even! 
3. Let brisket cure for 5-7 days, occasionally flipping to make sure the brisket is cured evenly.

That's it for the curing! 

Right before you're ready to serve (either the same day or the night before), cook the cured brisket: 

1. Place chopped carrot, onion, celery, and spices in a pot large enough to hold the brisket.
2. Remove brisket from brine, rinse, and place in pot on top of chopped vegetables & spices.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until brisket is fork tender, about 3 hours, adding water if needed to cover brisket.

And there you have it - homemade corned beef! Slice thinly against the grain and serve warm in any way you desire. 

Erin go Bragh!

*Pink Salt (sodium nitrite) is optional, but it is critical if you want your corned beef to have that nice pink coloring as opposed to gray-brown. It can be found at large supermarkets, or I found it on Amazon in a reasonable amount here. It is a preservative, but rest assured that your homemade corned beef will still have far fewer preservatives than store-bought. 

** jk! unless you have them, then probably wouldn't hurt to throw them in!

Unlike vegetable oils that are unstable at high temperatures and oxidize, releasing free radicals that contribute to the breakdown of cells and tissues in our bodies, beef tallow is stable at high temperatures (420F smoke point), making it safer for frying, less susceptible to burning, and tastier.

Aside from cooking, tallow can also be used as a skin salve, in the making of candles and soaps, as a leather conditioner, and in baking pastries, cakes, and pies. 

Beef stock is a slight practice in patience, but let me tell you - it is well worth the wait. When we throw away bones, we are throwing away a whole host of nutritional goodness in the lost calcium and other minerals. 

The health benefits of beef stock are well documented, not to mention the soothing warm that can wash over a body when it is sipped like coffee. Here are a few basic uses: ...read on

A veteran cattle rancher once told me that he doesn't raise cattle. In the scheme of his operation, they are not his first priority. 

Chances are, most other ranchers would whole-heartedly agree with him.

Beef producers don't raise cattle. Cattle are simply the most efficient mechanism to harvest what ranchers really raise: read on.