Why Our Ground Beef Is Different
With several recent beef recalls in the news, we’ve had a lot of customers asking the same question:
“This isn’t from Argentina, is it?”
We can say with absolute confidence: it definitely is not.
As many of you already know, we take sourcing extremely seriously. We believe that great meat starts with great partners, and we’re proud of the relationships we’ve built with small, regional processors who share our commitment to quality, safety, and transparency.
Where Our Beef Comes From
Our primary beef partner is Upper Iowa Beef in Lime Springs, Iowa — a small, Midwest processor focused on high‑quality cattle and responsible production. This is where most of our beef originates.
Recently, in an effort to keep our prices down without sacrificing quality, we’ve also partnered with Demkota Ranch Beef in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Demkota is very similar to Upper Iowa Beef in scale, philosophy, and product quality. Right now, they offer better pricing and availability on beef clods, which make up the bulk of our ground beef program.
Why We Start With Whole-Muscle Beef
Most butcher shops have three options for ground beef:
Pre‑ground beef
Beef trim
Whole‑muscle cuts (like chuck clods)
We choose whole‑muscle beef every time.
Starting with clods — plus the bench trim we generate from cutting steaks — means we know exactly what goes into our ground beef. We don’t rely on another processor’s food‑safety practices or risk the massive batch sizes that come with pre‑ground product.
When butchers buy pre‑ground beef or bulk trim, that meat often comes from hundreds of animals. When we grind beef in‑house from whole clods, each batch comes from only a couple of animals.
That’s a level of traceability and control you simply don’t get anywhere else.
How We Grind Our Beef
Our process is intentional, small‑batch, and designed for the best texture and consistency.
Trim the clods
We remove excess fat and any unwanted bits.
Cut into manageable pieces
This ensures even grinding and better fat distribution.
Coarse grind
This first pass lets us mix the fat and lean evenly.
Fine grind
This creates the texture our customers know and love
Why Customers Say Our Ground Beef “Just Tastes Different”
We hear this all the time, and it’s one of our favorite compliments.
The difference comes from:
Midwest‑raised cattle
Small, regional processors
Whole‑muscle grinding
Small‑batch production
Tight control over every step
If you haven’t tried our ground beef yet, we hope you will. We know where our beef comes from, what goes into it, and exactly how it’s made.
That’s the Old Station Craft Meats way.
