After a successful debut at the Hollister Farmers’ Market last year, BR Beef is back this year with a new line of beef jerky and sausage to complement their selection of frozen cuts of meat raised locally at historic Bianchi ranches, one in Paicines and one outside Henry Coe Park in Gilroy.
“We have about 700 cows in total,” said BR Beef Managing Partner Erica Pirnik. “We have around 10,000 acres and 300 to 350 mother cows in Paicines, which stay down there unless they get sick, and then we would take them to Gilroy, where we have 6,000 acres. The rest of our cows are in Gilroy because there we have flat land where we can grow hay for them.”
The ranches were founded almost 100 years ago, but it was not until last year that Pirnik and marketing partner Julianna Figone started BR Beef. “When Juli got out of college,” said Pirnik. “I thought she’d be a great person to partner up with to start raising local beef for our community.”
They soon discovered that competing against established producers or trying to sell to grocery stores left them having to deal with smaller profit margins than they could afford, and they looked for a solution. Rather than selling the cows to an open market, they got them processed and started selling the meat themselves.
“That gave us more ability to control the supply chain much more,” said Figone. “We know exactly what goes into our meat, and when we sell to consumers, we know exactly how the animal was treated, exactly what, if any, antibiotics they were given, any vaccinations—just know the whole process.”
Raising the cattle is a family affair, with Pirnik’s parents and her cousins helping as needed.
“The cows are all born here, and they stay on the mothers until they’re about eight months old,” Pirnik said. “They get their vaccinations, just like children do, to boost their immunity, and they get their vitamins and minerals as well.”
The calves that will be used for BR Beef are kept on the Gilroy ranch, where they graze on the pastures and are given supplemental grain and corn to help them grow quicker.
“We’re able to see them every day,” said Figone. “We can easily see if they’re sick and check if they need any care. We’re able to treat them really fast, whereas some big producers have millions of cattle. So they’re not able to see every single one just as well as we can.”
When the cows are between 1,400 and 1,600 pounds, they are processed in Santa Rosa, the meat is frozen and is made ready for sale.
Selling at the Farmers’ Market has been profitable and also gives Figone, as the salesperson, a chance to introduce the product to people directly.
“They can express any concerns that they have about the beef industry,” she said. “I’m always there to talk them through how we raise our cattle and everything that goes into that, including details about what goes on at the ranch every day. I’m happy to help with any questions they have about cooking beef in general.”
The full selection of their beef cuts, prices and market locations can be found on their website.
This year, in a nod to Pirnik’s father, Robert, and his love of beef jerky, they are producing a line that can be purchased at the market.
“This has been something that we’ve always wanted to get done ever since we started the business,” Pirnik said. “We use only the top round from the cattle, and we found a local processor in Salinas that can make it all USDA certified. I really like it and it has become some of our top sellers.”
Starting off slowly, with four flavors and a limited inventory, Pernik is comfortable with how much jerky they are producing and how it has been selling.
“We haven’t really pushed our jerky into the supermarket or to a lot of those roadside stands that we could probably get it into,” she said. “Right now, by the time we get a new batch of jerky, Juli’s almost sold out of the previous batch. So we don’t really have to think about distributing it yet.”
The community’s response to both the frozen meats and the beef jerky, as well as to their new line of sausage, has been gratifying, said Figone.
“We’ve got people saying we’re gonna bring friends next time,” she said. “It is great getting out there and being able to share our story, tell people we care a lot about our animals, and that we are trying to grow the most wholesome product we can.”
Beef Jerky from BR Beef
Teriyaki Beef Jerky – The best place to start if you do not like much heat in your jerky. You get the taste of the sweet/salt teriyaki more as a wash on the meat rather than a dense marinade flavor, and there is a little tip-of-the-tongue warmth from the ginger.
Sweet Garlic Beef Jerky – Using the same teriyaki base, this jerky is sweeter with a layered garlic taste that coats the mouth and a mild peppery burn that hits the back of the throat. This is probably my favorite, particularly when paired with a nice merlot.
Peppered Beef Jerky – Both peppered jerkies are seasoned with soy sauce, some red wine vinegar that adds acidity, and a good amount of ground black pepper. The heat on this one is very manageable, coating the mouth with a nice warmth that does not detract from the well-done roast flavor of the meat.
Hot Peppered Beef Jerky – The same base as the peppered jerky, this one also has a generous amount of red pepper flakes coating the pieces, giving it a much hotter but rounded flavor. It is a credit to the meat’s quality that the cut’s flavor still shines through.
BR Beef sells at the Hollister Farmers’ Market on Sixth Street on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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