FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How did you come up with the name Bravo Steaks?

Alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, echo… Our last name starts with a B. Bravo is for the B, and the rest was history!

Where are you located?

We are located in Rockingham County, NC. We rent several farms in Rockingham and Guilford counties. Over the last few years, we have lived in eastern NC and near Charlotte, NC. As opportunities for business growth have come up, we’ve been willing to pivot our business and move. Each move we’ve made has been a major stepping stone (albeit logistically challenging!) for our businesses. And yes, we’ve moved the entire kit-n-kaboodle — cattle, pigs, equipment, ourselves, our pets, meat inventory, freezer storage facilities, shipping materials.

where do you sell your beef and pork?

We sell dry aged beef and Berkshire pork through our online store and we ship directly from the farm to your home. We ship our meats, artisan goods (like tallow candles and dry salami), recipe books, and more to all 50 states! Click here to shop our online farm store.

Does Bravo practice sustainable agriculture?

Yes, we are committed to sustainable agricultural practices. Our life (including our health, livelihood, and future) depends on it! Here are a few examples of sustainable agriculture in action on our farm:

We’re focused on using the whole animal after butchery. We don’t just sell the premium cuts. We sell a variety of organ meats from cattle and pigs. We utilize otherwise discarded parts (like fat or bones) and devote extra time and energy to convert these “wastes” into beautiful artisan goods, like our premium tallow candles, tallow lip balm, heritage lard soap, and more.
Our pastures are biodiverse - at any given time we aim for 10-15 different species of grasses and forages to be available for our cattle to consume. These forages work in beautiful harmony with each other to promote soil health, independence from artificial commercial additives, and natural balance. This is the goal in the pastures where our cattle graze - many of the farms we rent take a few years to get to this goal, but we think the extra sustainability effort is worth it.
We are committed to business sustainability, too — the decisions we make today will impact us for years to come. Business decisions like using an eco-friendly shipping box, partnering with non-profits, and business diversity are part of our long-term sustainability plan.

IS YOUR BEEF GRASSFED?

Our cattle graze green pastures when our grasses are growing seasonally, and we provide hay to them during the remaining times of the year when grass isn’t growing. Hay is grass that has been dried, therefore allowing us to preserve it for times of the year when fresh grass isn’t available.

Our beef is finished on grass plus a barley-based feed. This gives our beef premium flavor and finish.

Do you butcher your own cattle and pigs?

No. We use a USDA-inspected meat processor in central North Carolina to slaughter, cut, vacuum-wrap, and flash-freeze our beef.

What does it mean to be a first generation farm?

John and Emily grew up around agriculture and learned about livestock during their younger years. After getting married, we decided to pursue our common dream of owning a farm. We didn’t take over an existing operation or acquire farmland through generational transfer. We started from the ground up by renting vacant farmland from people who were total strangers at the time (and have become some of our dearest supporters), and we’ve grown every year since then. We purchased the livestock, equipment, supplies, etc. one piece at a time.

Do you own the farm?

We currently rent all of the pasture land where our farm businesses operate, and we’re proud small business owners of Bravo Steaks and Bravo Cattle! We have a track-record of restoring and revitalizing pastures at the farms we’ve rented. If you’re are a landowner and interested in renting your pasture to Bravo, please email Emily at emily@bravosteaks.com or John at bravocattle@gmail.com.

do you planning on buying a farm?

After several years of business diversification and growth under our belts, we’re patiently looking for a farm to purchase in the Piedmont of NC. If you’re interested in talking more, please email Emily at emily@bravosteaks.com or John at bravocattle@gmail.com. We love nothing more than seeing farms rejuvenated and preserved, especially older and idle properties.

can i come tour the farm?

We do not offer individual or small group tours. In addition to Bravo Steaks, we devote a significant amount of time to our purebred breeding operations. We raise and market breeding stock (purebred cattle and Berkshire pigs) all over the USA. We have an extra lean labor force, and our most limited resource is TIME. John and Emily are busy taking care of the livestock, the farm, and squeezing out a few hours of downtime as a family so we aren’t able to accommodate any sort of farm visits. Catch us on social media (Instagram @bravosteaks) for virtual tours and farm scenes!

What breed are your livestock?

Our cattle are registered Angus, commercial Angus, and registered Herefords. All of our pigs are registered Berkshires. Our breeding programs (for cattle and pigs) are our passion! We sell breeding stock too - visit Bravo Cattle.

Is your beef or pork organic?

The best certification we pursue is authenticity to our customers. We believe in actions instead of labels. Our beef and pork reflects our values of respect for our animals and the pastures we tend.

DO YOU USE GROWTH HORMONES TO MAKE YOUR CATTLE or pigs GROW FASTER?

No.

DO YOU USE ANTIBIOTICS?

We believe antibiotics are a rarely used but essential tool to providing the best care to our cattle.

We use preventive care to minimize any chance that our beef cattle get sick. Most of the common illnesses in cattle are preventable (or minimize-able) thanks to our vigilance and attention to detail. If illness occurs, we use antibiotics sparingly and judiciously, and we go beyond all withdrawal times before sending cattle or pigs to the butcher.

Unforeseen illnesses or injuries occur in animals that are living outdoors in all season in our environment - examples include a snakebite on the foot while a cow is grazing summer pastures or respiratory illness in a young calf after damp and blustery winter storms whip into our area.

We firmly do not believe in letting animals suffer, and we also believe that it’s our job to provide modern care, including modern medicine, for their well-being.

Any sick animal who receives treatment has an electronic veterinary record that's available to view at the swipe of a finger on our phones. If an animal had an unforeseen illness that required antibiotics for treatment, they are withheld from butcher until the medicine is cleared from their system. This is called a withdrawal time. It is typically about 30-45 days, due to an abundance of caution. The exact length of time is specific to the medicine.

The vast majority of cattle in our care, both young and old, have never had reason to need antibiotics.

Our biggest “beef” - pun intended - with antibiotic-free meat programs is that we question if the “antibiotic-free” label incentivizes withholding appropriate treatment from sick animals. This is worth repeating : We firmly do not believe in letting animals suffer, and we also believe that it’s our job to provide modern care, including modern medicine, for their well-being. The reason we don’t market our beef as antibiotic-free is because we do not want to tout a claim that - in our opinion - does not reflect the level of attention and conscientious care that an animal received during it’s life.

What is dry aged beef?

Aging is standard process with many foods - cheese, wine, whiskey, etc - and we feel strongly that the best beef is dry aged. After slaughter, the entire beef side hangs in a cooler room, a large insulated room with ventilation and refrigeration units to keep the temperature in an optimal refrigerated range. Our Bravo Steaks beef carcasses hang in this cooler room for 21 days. This process is called “dry aging.” During this dry aging time period, two things happen that distinguish 21-day dry aged beef from other beef - the flavor of the beef is enhanced and the tenderness of the beef improves. By comparison, commodity beef typically only hangs for just 1-3 days. Dry aging is a natural craft-butchery process that requires extra time and cost, but the resulting product is absolutely worth the extra effort in our opinion!

Pork does not benefit from dry aging.

Do you sell any meat other than beef and pork?

Just 21-day dry aged beef and Berkshire pork right now.