In an industry dominated by questionable methods and fast-paced preparation, it takes passion, or at the very least dedication, for a business to take the time to produce a superior product. Since opening in January 2015, Kettle Range Meat Co. has done just that, most notably offering cuts of specially prepared, dry-aged, grass-fed beef.
“Beef used to almost always be dry aged—a practice that has disappeared as large, industrialized meat companies started choosing speed and profit over flavor and traditional practices,” explains Kettle Range CEO and business manager Mark Bearce. “These days, most beef is slaughtered and then sealed in a plastic bag as soon as it is cool enough. Our practice is to hang our meat for a minimum of 14 days. Additional aging is determined by demand and availability. It turns out that our 60-day-plus dry-aged Tomahawk steaks, short ribs, porterhouses, sirloins and T-bones have been much more popular than we ever imagined.”
Prepared with the same care and consideration, Kettle Range’s chickens are raised without antibiotics or hormones by Lynn Lein of Burlington’s Yuppie Hill Poultry, while the pastured, heritage breed hogs are purchased from a number of small Wisconsin farms including Yuppie Hill and Stoneface Pastures & Family Farm in Spring Green.
Kettle Range Meat Co. customers can purchase meat simply by visiting their shop at 5501 W. State St., requesting a special order or participating in Kettle Range’s monthly CSA-style program with has already accumulated 100 subscribers. Designed to be more flexible than other CSA programs, the Kettle Range Buyer’s Club allows consumers to select from combinations of meats and purchase 5-, 10-, 11- or 15-pound shares. Kettle Range Meat is on the menu at Buckley’s Restaurant & Bar and other local restaurants.
“My biggest hope is that we will be successful enough that we can create a dependable, steady demand for the farmers who work with so much passion and dedication to raise animals that meet our high standards,” says Bearce. “We can only be successful if they are. And, of course, I would like to see Kettle Range expand our presence to other neighborhoods by opening additional small shops.”
