How Raikes Beef Co. Produces High-Quality Meat In Uncertain Times
The nation continues to feel the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and, like most people, I’ve scrapped my travel plans and have been spending a lot more time at home. One silver lining I’ve found in this current situation is I’ve had the opportunity to explore my own community and surroundings.
While shopping at my local barbecue supply store, Helping U Barbeque, I stumbled across a selection of high quality Wagyu beef products from a local company called Raikes Beef Co. I recently had the opportunity to visit with the company’s owners, Justin and Lindsey Raikes, at their retail store in the small town of Ashland, Nebraska.
The retail store location for Raikes Beef Co. is in downtown Ashland, Nebraska.
Justin grew up surrounded by agriculture in Nebraska but pursued a career in the corporate world in Lindsey’s home state of Washington. A few years ago, the couple decided to leave their corporate jobs and relocate to Nebraska to raise a family, which allowed Justin to become more involved with the family farm. Justin’s great grandfather Levi Carter Raikes established the Raikes family farming operation in 1900 on a 160-acre homestead near Ashland, which continues to serve as the core of the farm today.
After Lindsey decided to pursue a new career with food and Justin refocused the direction of the farm, the couple founded Raikes Beef Co. three years ago. Their goal is to connect their customers to high-quality American Wagyu and Angus Beef, so they raise cattle that are grass-fed, grain-finished, and hormone-free. They also stay involved in every step of the beef production process, from the farm to processing to retail.
Justin and Lindsey Raikes produce high-quality, Nebraska-raised American Wagyu and Angus Beef for sale at their retail store and online.
Lindsey dove in head first, learning everything she could about harvesting cattle while also creating the stylish Ashland retail space, which she runs with the help of shop manager Fayne Petersen. There they sell pre-cut packages of frozen beef and other high quality products, including spices, locally produced foods, and more. They’ve also partnered with a few retail locations in Omaha and Lincoln to make their products available to customers in these larger markets.
While foot traffic to the retail location makes up the majority of their sales, their online orders have been steadily increasing and they offer nationwide shipping. In addition to the beef bundles available on their website, they recently added a Four Seasons Subscription Box, featuring a seasonally curated mix of different popular cuts and lesser-known items, seasonings, and even recipe suggestions. “I want each box to arrive looking like it was packed by family,” Lindsey said.
I recently grilled this delicious American Wagyu skirt steak and flank steak from Raikes Beef Co.
As we have reported extensively in The Smoke Sheet in recent weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in significant impacts to the beef industry, including meat shortages in grocery stores, wild fluctuations in prices, and processing plant closures. The impacts to Raikes Beef Co. during the pandemic have been mixed. While operating costs for the farm have dramatically increased, retail sales are up as consumers are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from and do a lot more cooking at home. Raikes has also opted to not raise prices during the pandemic, which has helped the company grow their customer base.
Despite these uncertain times, Justin and Lindsey plan on continuing to expand their business. Justin has also considered offering consumers more options by producing heritage breed pork on the farm. Lindsey wants to become more involved in events, and add even more high quality, local products to the retail store while continuing to grow online sales. “I want us to keep challenging ourselves and continue to innovate,” said Lindsey.
To find out more about Raikes Beef Co., visit them online and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
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Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
After first being postponed to October, Memphis in May has officially been canceled for 2020.
The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (one of the largest BBQ competitions in the country) and other Memphis in May events were canceled last Thursday due to the coronavirus. The major event had already been postponed from May to October, but now it's officially off the calendar. “The annual Memphis in May is an important part of the cultural fabric of our city, but this pandemic has impacted large scale public events worldwide and Memphis is no exception.” said James L. Holt, president of the Memphis in May International Festival. Next year’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest has now been set for May 12-15, 2021.
In a similar vein, The Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Tennessee was canceled this week for the first time in its 31-year history. The event was scheduled to take place in October but now has been scheduled for October 8-9, 2021. "The health, safety and well-being of our competitors and attendees is our highest priority, and in accordance with current guidelines as well as a desire to maintain The Jack's status as the premiere competitive BBQ event, we believe this is just the right thing to do," the company said in statement.
Daniel Vaughn, the barbecue editor of Texas Monthly, recently spoke with pitmaster Greg Gatlin of Houston-based joint Gatlin’s BBQ. Gatlin, a prominent black pitmaster, gave his thoughts on Juneteenth, nationwide protests, the black roots of Texas BBQ, and more.
Atlanta-based Heirloom Market BBQ has become a “destination thanks to chefs Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee’s masterful application of Korean flavors to Southern smoked meats.” Taylor and Lee spoke with AJC about how their business has made changes to survive the pandemic and being happy that business isn’t down too much despite the pandemic.
Popular Texas barbecue chain Terry Black’s Barbecue is now making their signature smoked meats available at Dallas-area Tom Thumb grocery stores, Eater Dallas reports.
The Big Boyz BBQ restaurant has opened in Fort Worth, Texas with a highly unexpected signature item: smoked chicken salad.
New York’s Chelsea Market has a new curious option: Pulkies, a self-described Jewish BBQ joint with a special emphasis on turkey.
Matador Network spoke with Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn to find out how brisket, sausage, and white bread came to define Texas barbecue.
In a stunning reveal, large meat companies that warned of a meat shortage in America in April actually exported thousands of tons of pork to China at the same time they made the grand pronouncements. In all, a record amount of the pork produced in the United States — 129,000 tons — was exported to China in April.
As of June 9, at least 24,715 U.S. meatpacking workers have been infected with COVID-19 and at least 86 have died. In contrast, in European slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, about 2,670 coronavirus cases have been reported and four workers have died, according to a report from Mother Jones.
Wink’s Barbecue in Salisbury, N.C. has called it quits after 65 years in business, with 47 of those years under the same family.
Thanks to our sponsor Sauce King NYC, a new virtual event from Food Karma NYC. Enter your best sauce in the competition today!
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Roger Mooking and Dr. Howard Conyers have a chat about the long history of American barbecue.
Watch: Culture of American Barbecue with Dr. Howard Conyers — Roger Mooking
Celebrity chef and host of Man Fire Food Roger Mooking sat down with Dr. Howard Conyers to chat about American barbecue — its beginnings, the legacy, and some things that need to be shared. As we often sit and enjoy a not-so-simple plate of barbecue, Conyers and Mooking address how loaded that plate really is. Watch here.
Listen: A Socially Distanced BBQ Run — Tales from the Pits
Tales from the Pits podcast hosts Bryan and Andrew recently completed their first BBQ road trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In this episode, they discuss their experience going to four places, the safety and social distancing measures they personally implemented, as well as what they saw at the places they visited during the pandemic. Bryan and Andrew note that one positive outcome of the coronavirus situation for customers is there are now opportunities to get food from places where dining was previously more difficult. They also discuss some changes that have been made at restaurants that may become permanent even as things open back up. Listen here.
Read: Fire & Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings — by Mary Cressler and Sean Martin
Every region has its barbecue, grill, and smoking food traditions. Now the Pacific Northwest can claim its place at the table with these recipes developed by sommelier Mary Cressler and pitmaster Sean Martin from Portland, Oregon. Not as sauce-dependent as Kansas City, not quite as beef-obsessed as Texas, these dishes bring the smoke to wild salmon, ribs and steaks, fresh apples, heirloom tomatoes, nuts and beans, and even chocolate pot de crème. Rubs and glazes draw on Northwest flavors such as soy sauce, rosemary, and wild blackberries. Whether the equipment at home is a basic kettle grill or a professional-grade outfit with an electric wood feeder, the instructions will turn even novices into masters of the grill. And true to the region, these recipes pair with wines such as pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon instead of the customary can of beer. Buy it here.
Jeremy Yoder cooks a Wagyu brisket and explains in detail how it differs from regular briskets.
Smoking a Wagyu Brisket — Mad Scientist BBQ
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this great video from Mad Scientist BBQ on the process of smoking a Wagyu brisket and how it’s different from a normal brisket. In this video, science teacher and pitmaster Jeremy Yoder discusses the marbling of the brisket and walks through the trimming, rubbing, and smoking processes until it’s perfectly cooked. View the recipe here.
In light of the constantly changing coronavirus crisis, we will be leaving this section blank for a little bit. Many events you know and love have been postponed or made into a virtual event. We’ll be updating the events section on our website with the most up-to-date information as we have it.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
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