Welcome to Bravo Steaks™
We are John and Emily Barnes.
We are young farmers in the Carolinas, raising cattle and pigs near the Carolina-Virginia border. We believe in thinking outside the box, hard work, and sweat equity.
We often find ourselves wondering where the food in the grocery stores or restaurants actually comes from. Who was the farm or farmer raising it? With Bravo Steaks, we know the answer. We are the caretakers of our beef cattle and pastured Berkshire pigs, and we want to share that story with you.
We have years of experience with livestock, and we raise our beef cattle and Berkshire pigs with diligence. We believe that our attention to detail distinguishes us from others. We taste the difference, and we hope you appreciate the care that goes into raising every pound of our beef and pork.
After years of breeding and planning, we are so excited to offer both dry aged beef and Berkshire pork to you and your family.
OUR BEEF AND PORK
Why our customers choose Bravo Steaks™
We provide high quality beef and pork from our farm to you.
Our beef cattle and Berkshire pigs are raised in the beautiful rolling hills of the Carolinas. Their whole life is spent on pasture, and we care for our livestock and the land year-round.
None of our beef cattle or pigs are administered hormones for growth promotion.
Our beef is dry aged for 21 days for improved tenderness and a beef flavor profile that rivals the finest steakhouses.
We share the story of our farm with you. Follow along on instagram @bravosteaks .
We are not a multi-state corporation or a multi-generational operation. We are a young married couple who are first generation farmers, and we have a self-propelled fire for raising healthy livestock and seeing our farm succeed.
We raise heritage breed Berkshire pigs outdoors.
We work to bring you premium quality meat and the accompanying story behind it.
We care for our livestock year-round. There are no shortcuts, and we’re committed to providing high quality care their whole life.
We raise livestock with respect from birth to harvest.
Every day on the farm is an adventure.
The breeds of cattle behind our beef
We primarily raise purebred Angus breeding stock. Angus cattle are excellent mothers and produce high quality beef with excellent marbling.
We also raise crossbred cattle - where we intentionally cross Angus cattle with Hereford cattle. This cross produces a black calf with a white face. Hereford cattle are known for their docile temperaments and good fleshing ability. We intentionally cross these two fantastic breeds to produce a beef cow with “the best of both worlds.”
Follow us on instagram and you will see lots of black Angus cattle, lots of black cattle with white faces (the intentional cross between Angus and Hereford) and a few purebred Hereford cows.
Our Beef
Inspected by the USDA
Our cattle are processed at a USDA-inspected facility in North Carolina that uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure complete traceability of our beef. We drop our cattle off with complete confidence in their work.
Single-animal origin ground beef
Our ground beef, burger patties, all-beef chorizo, and stew beef is single-animal origin, meaning that the entire contents come from the meat from only one animal.
21 day dry aged beef
Our beef is custom dry aged before it is cut and packaged. Dry aging enhances the tenderness, palatability, and flavor profile of our beef.
After the dry aging period, our beef is cut, vacuum-wrapped, and flash frozen.
The breed of pigs behind our pork: Berkshires
The Berkshire breed originates from the shire of Berks in the southern region of England. The excellent carcass quality from Berkshire pigs was desired by the Royal Family. The Royals even had their own herd of Berkshire pigs at Windsor Castle, which itself is also located in Berkshire County.
Berkshire pigs were brought to America in the 1800s. In 1875, Berkshire breeders in the USA came together to form the American Berkshire Association to distinguish purebred Berkshires with direct lineage from England. Today’s Berkshires are considered a heritage breed because they trace back to Berkshire pigs from England.
At Bravo, we raise purebred Berkshire pigs. We raise our pigs outdoors on pasture, aside from the first few weeks of their life when we keep sows and their newborn piglets inside an old-barn-turned-maternity-ward to protect them from the elements.
Berkshire pork is known for its premium pork qualities - darker, firmer, and well marbled meat that produces juicy, flavorful, tender, and palatable pork.
The following is a description of Berkshire pork, published in the first Breed Publication in 1876:
“The Berkshire meat is better marbled than that of any other breed of swine. That it has a greater proportion of lean freely intermixed with small, fine streaks of fat making the hams, loins, and shoulders sweet, tender, and juicy.”
Sheet pan nachos with Bravo Steaks ground beef
Bravo Steaks pork pot roast (yes, pork!)
Bravo burgers, teriyaki style with grilled pineapple
Bone-in ribeyes from Bravo Steaks
Bravo Steaks sirloin stir fry
Bravo Steaks round roast, sous vide to medium rare and sliced!
Homemade pizza with Bravo Steaks sausage
find us on Instagram @bravosteaks
Location
25 miles NOrth of Greensboro
We have lived in several locations within the Carolinas, including the greater Charlotte area, eastern NC, and now the upper Piedmont. We cherish all of the regional nuances and culture. Emily is originally from Guilford County, and John is from Wilson County.
Giving Back
Rural poverty is isolating, out-of-sight, and too often forgotten.
For every box of beef or pork we ship to you, we donate one pound of beef or pork to our neighbors who are facing poverty and food insecurities.
The protein provided by our nutritious beef is a blessing, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to provide it via the great work of many organizations and voluteers. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army Kitchen of Eden, Christian Food Bank of Salemburg and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
Gratitude fuels us, and this mission gives an added dimension of purpose to our work. We’ve donated meat for 10,000+ meals since we started Bravo Steaks - and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!