Red Poll Beef

The best steak I've ever eaten was a grilled rib eye from a Red Poll steer that had grazed belly-deep in wheat, millet, and alfalfa for two years on Wilkshire farm, near my restaurant in North Carolina. Most farmers who grass-feed their cattle have a hard time competing with ranchers raising corn-fattened breeds. That's not the case with Red Polls. Bred for both high-quality dairy and rich, finely grained beef since the mid-19th century, Red Polls marble beautifully on a diet of grass. And while the fat of corn-finished beef can have a bland, waxy quality, the marbling in Red Polls has the effect of melted butter, bringing with it all the complexity of the pasture. —Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill, North Carolina